Mark Erelli - A Bend In The River
CAPO: 2nd fret
[Intro]
Dm G C
[Chorus]
F
It's just a bend in the river
C Am
Where the water slows down
Dm G
It might not look like much to you
C
But it's my hometown
[Verse 1]
C
It ain't no mystery
F
How this town was born
C
It started with a couple farms
G7
Then the mill and the general store
[Verse 2]
C
Ever since the work went south
F
And those wheels don't run
C
The bars got the churches beat
G7
By at least two to one
[Verse 3]
C
And I've lived 'round here
F
Ever since I was a kid
C
I used to dream of getting out
G7
Just like those college boys did
[Verse 4]
C
But maybe (D)I was born
F
Without a rambling bone
C
You stay in one place long enough
G7 C
And it starts to feel like home
[Chorus]
[Verse 5]
C
I got married here
F
It'll be two years this spring
C
I can see her in her mama's white dress
G7
Every time I hear the church bell ring
[Verse 6]
C
I know some folks say
F
That she could do better than me
C
But she was raising a girl on her own
G7
And she was only nineteen
[Verse 7]
C
Can't get 'dm everything they want
F
So I try to give 'dm what they need
C
Now and then I pull a graveyard shift
G7
Down at the factory
[Verse 8]
C
When I see that little girl smile
F
Playing in our backyard
C
Lord, it makes it all worthwhile
G7 C
It keeps me going when the going gets hard
[Chorus]
[Instrumental]
Dm G C Am Em A7
**Key Change - Up 2 Semitones**
[Verse 9]
D
It's changing every day
G
The signs are all around
D
One more field gone to seed
A7
Another barn falling down
[Verse 10]
D
Main Street's all boarded up
G
And nobody cares, I guess
D
'Cause there's a place on the edge of town
A7
That's selling everything for less
[Verse 11]
D
But sometimes in my dreams
G
I see the waters rise
D
The river jumps its banks
A7
And this town is purified
[Verse 12]
D
Everything is washed away
G
Clear to the county line
D
And we can start all over again
A7 D
Maybe do a little better next time
[Chorus]
G
It's just a bend in the river
D Bm
Where the water slows down
Em A7
It might not look like much to you
D
But it's our hometown
[Chorus]
G
It's just a bend in the river
D Bm
Where the water slows down
Em A7
It might not look like much to you
D
But it's our hometown
[Outro]
Em A7 D