Songbook

The Crane Wife 1 & 2

By The Decemberists

Key of G

[Intro]
G

[Verse]
G
It was a cold night
                 Em
And the snow lay low
I pulled my coat tight
                    C
Against the falling down
And the sun was all
                    G     Em
And the sun was all down
And the sun was all
                    C     G
And the sun was all down

[Verse]
G
I am a poor man
                     Em
I haven't wealth nor fame
I have my two hands
                  C
And a house to my name
And the winter's so
                    G     Em
And the winter's so long
And the winter's so
                    C     D
And the winter's so long

[Chorus]

And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found

[Verse]

It was a white crane
                  Em
It was a helpless thing
Upon a red stain
                  C
With an arrow its wing
And it called and cried
                        G     Em
And it called and cried so
And it called and cried
                        C     D
And it called and cried so

[Chorus]

And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
                        Em    C
My crane wife, my crane wife
                        G
My crane wife, my crane wife

[Verse]

Now I helped her
                  Em
And I dressed her wounds
And how I held her
                   C
Beneath the rising moon
And she stood to fly
                     G     Em
And she stood to fly away
And she stood to fly
                 C     D
She stood to fly away

[Chorus]

And all the stars were crashing 'round
                           G
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
                        Em    C
My crane wife, my crane wife
                        G
My crane wife, my crane wife

G            Em              C              G
Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da
G            Em              C              G
Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da

D Bm D G
D Bm D G

D Bm D G
D Bb D G

D Bm D G
D Bb D G

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[Intro]
D

[Verse]
                 C          G           D
My crane wife arrived at my door in the moonlight
    C               G                      D
All star-bright and tongue tied I took her in

[Verse]
D                   C          G             D
We were married and bells rang sweet for our wedding
        C           G                  D
And our bedding was ready when we fell in

[Chorus]
Em                  A                       Em
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red
             A                        G
Soft as fontanel, the feathers in the thread
                  A      C         G
When all I ever meant to do was to keep you
    D              G              D           C D
My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife

[Verse]
                    C        G      D
We were poorly, our fortunes fading hourly
    C       G                           D
And how she vowed me she could bring it back

[Verse]
D                        C        G             D
But I was greedy I was vain and I forced her to weaving
   C            G                     D
On cold loom in closed room with down wove

[Chorus]
Em                  A                       Em
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red
             A                        G
Soft as fontanel, the feathers in the thread
                  A      C         G
When all I ever meant to do was to keep you
    D              G              D           C D
My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife

[Outro]
Em                                F
There's a bend in the wind and it rakes at my heart
Em                                  F
There is blood in the thread and it rakes at my heart

G             C    G   C  G   C  G   C  G   C
Rakes at my heart, heart, heart, heart, heart

G C G C

G      C      G      C      G      C     G      C
Heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart

   D
My crane wife