John Brown
I can hear your cornstalks sigh,
Underneath your prairie sky.
Southern swamps have footsteps filled,
And hound dogs howl at freedom’s will.
Conscience drives us mad sometimes,
We tell our sons, if we die, we’re gonna die.
So we start where we can
And hope it spreads across the land.
Its not easy taking prisoners;
Harder yet is to convert them to your cause.
John Brown left his red brick engine house bound up in chains.
Leaving five men dead he said, “The good Lord was to blame.”
John Brown, your twenty sons,
Why don’t you tell me what you’ve done?
You don’t think you’re men no more,
You’re God’s machines and holy wars.
And by some strange irony,
That night you shot dead harmony,
The angry mob came into play,
The Lord moves in mysterious ways.
Its not easy taking prisoners;
Harder yet is to convert them to your cause.
John Brown left his red brick engine house bound up in chains.
Leaving five men dead he said, “The good Lord was to blame.”
I’m a reasonable man, yeah I am,
And I understand the problem.
Sometimes you’ve got to take the world, and hold it in your hand
And bring it to tomorrow! (tomorrow)
Freedom’s just a silly word
That keeps us bound-up pretty good.
With peace of mind for tired hands.
Is a cold heart what the Lord demands?
Don’t be fooled by bravery.
We’re all in chains of slavery.
John Brown, your twenty sons
Are dead now, face down in the mud.
It’s not easy taking prisoners;
Harder yet is to convert them to your cause.
John Brown left his red brick engine house bound up in chains.
Leaving five men dead….
Leaving five men dead he said….
Leaving five men dead he said, “The good Lord….
Leaving five men dead he said, “The good Lord was to blame.”
Tea Leaf Green – John Brown left his red brick engine-house map
March 25th, 2006
Tabs – help me out, i have most of it, but still working on the “i’m a reasonable man yeah i am” part.
verse: G Cm G Cm
chorus: G Dm Em C
G Dm Em D C
G Dm Em D C
G Cm G Cm
i think it sounds best in barre chords.
namirshaba
January 24th, 2007
This song presents a true gem of Trevor Garrod’s song writing abilities. Through these lyrics, he weaves the story of John Brown, a figure from the period of our country’s history where conflict lay over slavery, in a way that brings its issues to today. It also establishes a bit of a conversation, with the “I’m a reasonable man…” section, showing some sympathy.
By relating the story of a historical figure, Garrod uses one of his gifts – the universality of his music. You can draw so much meaning from these verses, and as a result it will never lose its poignancy.
September 3rd, 2007
one of my favorites
Verse
Em Cm G Cm G Cm G Cm
chorus
G D Em C
G D Em D C
G Cm slide up to Em C G
Bridge
Am C F C
Am C F
Am C F C Am
Bb C B Bb C
Em D C#m
Em D C#m
G A B C F# B E (all single notes)
AADAADAADAA
AADAADAADAA
Em Cm G Cm G Cm G Cm
September 7th, 2007
ramos…..those are the slight changes we talked about….plus i think the C in the bridge should be a Bb….see below………nice work
Em Cm G Cm G Cm G Cm
chorus
G D Em C
G D Em D C
G Cm slide up to Em C G
Bridge
Am C F C
Am C F
Am Bb F C Am
Bb C B Bb C
Em D C#m
Em D C#m
G A B C F# B E (all single notes)
AADAADAADAA
AmAmDAmAmDAmAmDAmAmD
AADAADAADAA
AmAmDAmAmDAmAmDAmAmD
Em Cm G Cm G Cm G Cm
December 11th, 2008
Here is a Google map of John Brown’s fort, which is a red-brick engine-house in Harper’s Ferry, WV. Visit Google’s link for street-level photography of the site. Read Wikipedia John Brown’s fort and other sites for the full, fascinating story and draw your own connections with Tea Leaf’s lyric.
Tea Leaf Green – John Brown left his red brick engine-house map
Also see this Panoramio link for more about this place where John Brown holed up in the end.
It is a very good song!
December 11th, 2008
Illustration of the final moments of John Brown’s stand in the engine house.
August 14th, 2009
I love this song! It shows Garrod’s great great talent of writing lyrics. It has a good melody and meaningful lyrics! This is one of my favorites