C/B : x20010
[Verse 1]
C F C
Mama, dear mama, look in yonder tree
C C/B Am F C
See that pretty little sparrow, a-lookin' back at me
C F C
She can soar above the clouds, way up in the sky
C G Am F C
She can fly away from here, why, o why, can't I?
[Verse 2]
C F C
Daughter, dear daughter, I'll tell you something true
C C/B Am F C
Remember Gran Eliza, well, every night she flew
C G Am F C
They tried to keep her down but there was nothing they could do
[Chorus]
C Am G C
She could fly, she could fly
F C G
She could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high
C F C
She could fly across the river
C G Am
Her spirit in her hand
F C G F C
Searchin', always searchin' for the promised land
[Verse 3]
C F C
Mama, dear mama, mama tell me more
C C/B Am F C
I feel a trembling in my arms, I've never felt before
C F C
Daughter, dear daughter, listen what I say
C G Am F C
Your granny always told me you'd feel that way some day
C C/B Am F C
Every time she looked at you she saw the old-time ways
[Chorus]
C Am G C
When we could fly, we could fly
F C G
We could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high
C F C
We could fly across the mountains
C G Am
Together, hand in hand
F C G F
Searchin', always searchin' for the promised land
[Instrumental]
C F C
C C/B Am F C
C F C
C G Am F C
[Verse 4]
C F C
Mama, dear mama, come and stand by me
C G Am F C
I feel a lightness in my feet, a longing to be free
C F C
My heart, it is a-shakin' with an old, old song
C C/B Am F C
I hear the voices sayin', it's time for moving on
[Verse 5]
C F C
She took her mama by the hand, they rose up in the air
C C/B Am F C
They held each other tight and then they flew away from there
C C/B Am F C
They held each other tight and then they flew away from there
[Chorus]
C Am G C
They could fly, they could fly
F C G
They could slip the bonds of earth and rise so high
C F C
They could fly across the ocean
C G Am
Together, hand in hand
F C G F C
Searchin', always searchin' for the promised land