This is my first submission. I hope it is accurate enough for you all to enjoy this great tune!
Below by Slaid Cleaves
Capo 3rd Fret
F G Am (Choke)
Am
There’s an old dirt road, just off route nine.
F G Am
Fades into the lake, at the low water line.
Am
Sometimes I wander down that road alone.
Dm G Am
Remembering the town, that I once called home.
Am
I grew up on the valley, every neighbor a friend,
F G Am
Until the modern world started creeping in.
Am
One day came the lawyers, with cash in hand.
Dm G Am
They swore that our village would light up the land.
Chorus:
F Am
The dusky waters move cold and slow,
C E
And the ghosts of a village still wander below.
F Am
Homesteads of families and friends forever more,
Dm G Am (Choke)
Haunting the valley below this sparkling shore.
Am
Surrounding the valley was a painted red line,
F G Am
Drawn by company men like marking a crime.
Am
A silent reminder that all inside it must go,
Dm G Am
Or be lost to the rising dead river’s flow.
Am
Some folks took the money, started grinding gears,
F G Am
While the rest of us held out, twenty odd years.
Am
We watched our town, like a photograph fade,
Dm G Am (Choke)
As the company came, to take it all away.
Am
They tore down the church, and the schoolhouse burned.
F G Am
They dug up the graves, the wheels of progress turned.
Am
They got Dutchie’s Store, and Hayden’s Pool Hall,
Dm G Am
When the dozers rolled, it shattered us all.
Chorus:
F Am
The dusky waters move cold and slow,
C E
And the ghosts of the village still wander below.
F Am
Homesteads of families and friends forever more,
Dm G Am (Choke)
Haunting the valley below this sparkling shore.
Instrumental Break
Am / F / G / Am / Dm / G / Am (Choke)
Am
Old May Savage stayed as long as she could.
F G Am
Her house on the hill towered over the flood.
Am
It rose up alone, in the dark of night,
Dm G Am
Its face on the water, in the cold moonlight.
Am
I shake off the memories, on my lips a prayer.
F G Am
Thanks for the grace, and the beauty down there.
Am
And while the porch lights glow, all over the state,
Dm G Am
There’s nothing but darkness, under the lake.
Chorus:
F Am
The dusky waters move cold and slow,
C E
And the ghosts of a village still wander below.
F Am
Homesteads of families and friends forever more,
Dm G Am
Haunting the valley below this sparkling shore.
Dm G Am Am
They haunt the valley below this sparkling shore.