[Intro]
| G |
[Verse 1]
C G
He was born in the Bitteroot Valley in the early morning rain
D
Wild geese over the water, heading north and home again
G C G
Bringin' a warm wind from the south, bringin' the first taste of the spring
D G
His mother took him to her breast and softly she did sing:
[Chorus]
C D G
Oh, Montana, give this child a home
C D G
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
C D G C
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
G D G
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies
[Verse 2]
C G
His mother died that summer and he never learned to cry
D
He never knew his father and he never did ask why
G C G
He never knew the answers that would make an easy way
D G
But he learned to know the wilderness and to be a man that way
C G
His mother's brother took him in to his family and his home
D
Gave him a hand that he could lean on and a strength to call his own
G C G
And he learned to be a farmer and he learned to love the land
D G
And he learned to read the seasons and he learned to make a stand
[Chorus]
C D G
Oh, Montana, give this child a home
C D G
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
C D G C
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
G D G
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies
[Verse 3]
G C G
On the eve of his 21st birthday, he set out on his own
D
He was 30 years and runnin' when he found his way back home
G C G
Ridin' a storm across the mountains and an achin' in his heart
D G
Said he came to turn the pages and to make a brand new start
C G
Now he never told the story of the time that he was gone
D
Some say he was a lawyer, some say he was a john
G C G
There was something in the city that he said he couldn't breathe
D G
There was something in the country that he said he couldn't leave
[Chorus]
C D G
Oh, Montana, give this child a home
C D G
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
C D G C
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
G D G
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies
[Chorus]
C D G
Oh, Montana, give this child a home
C D G
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
C D G C
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
G D G
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies
[Chorus]
C D G
Oh, Montana, give this child a home
C D G
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
C D G C
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
G D G
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies
[Outro]
G C G
Now some say he was crazy and some are glad he's gone
D
But some of us will miss him and we'll try to carry on
G C G
Giving a voice to the forest, giving a voice to the dawn
D G
Giving a voice to the wilderness and the land that he lived on