American Remains

Capo 1

Am                                       F
I am a shotgun rider for the San Jacinto line
    C                                            G
The desert is my brother, my skin is cracked and dry
      Am                                        F
I was riding on a folk coach and everything was fine
        C                                G
'Til we took a shorter road to save some time
    F                             C
The bandits only fired once, they shot me in the chest
C                                                  G
They may have wounded me but they'll never get the best
          Am                  C
Of better men cause I'll ride again


I am a river gambler, I make a livin' dealin' cards
My clothes are smooth and honest, my heart is cold and hard
I was shufflin' for some delta boys on a boat for New Orleans
I was the greatest shark they'd ever seen
But the Captain bumped a sandbar, and an ace fell from my sleeve
They threw me overboard as I swore I didn't cheat
But I could swim and I'll ride again.
       C                                  G
We are heroes of the homeland, American remains
   F                      Am
We live in many faces and answer many names
   C                                         G
We will not be forgotten, we won't be left behind
    F                          G
Our memories live on in mortal minds
          Am               C
And poets pens we'll ride again
I am a mid-west farmer, I make a livin' off the land
I ride a John Deere tractor, I'm a liberated man
But the rain it hasn't fallen, since the middle of July
And if it don't come soon my crops will die
The bank man says he likes me, but there's nothin' he can do
He tells me that he's comin' but the clouds are comin' too
He ain't my friend and I'll ride again


I am an American Indian, my tribe is Cherokee
My forefathers loved this land they left it here for me
But the white man came with boats and trains and dirty factories
And poisoned my existence with his deeds
Nature is our mother, we are sucklings at her breast
And he who trys to beat her down will lose her to the rest
They'll never win I'll ride again

Chorus