Wake Up John (Hanging Song) Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Verse 1]
[G]Wake up,
John, it's time to go
Come along,
John, don't be slow
Wake up,
John, it's time to [F]go[C][Eb]
A [G]priest joins procession
just [Eb]to help m[F]e kn[G]eel
With a [Am]warner at my [Bm]elbow and
a [Em]mother at my [Eb]heel
March[G]ing in the morning
down a path [Eb]I've [F]lately [G]seen
I was [Am]sleeping in [Bm]his garden,
I [Em]stood in my [Eb]dream
The [G]echo of my heartbeat is
[Eb]the beat[F]ing of a drum
[G]And all[Am] the earth is sin[Bm]ging
with [Em]life's sweet [Eb]hum
We [G]found in soft silence,
[Eb]shuffled [F]through a door
[G]The pla[Am]ce where life is tak[Bm]en for
the [Em]let ter of t[Eb]he law
[G]Shake the holy water,
[C]set my lamp to [D]guard,
[C]Dying's very [Bm]easy,
[G]wai[Bb]ting's very har[A]d.
[C]A r[Em]ope is hanging from the r[C]oofside, which covers me,
I [Em]thought to give it and a card [A]could make the girls dream.
But [D]now all is revealed,
standing [F]there is just the man,
My [Em]feet are on the trapdoor with
a [A]rope around my hand
[Ab]An d n[G]ow the executioner is
shaking hand[F]s with me
[G]My dut[Am]y I must car[Bm]ry out,
you [Em]poor fellows says [Eb]he
The [G]strap is tied around my feet
and a bag upon [F]my [G]head
And [Am]then the noose we sep[Bm]arates
the [Em]living from the [Eb]dead
[G]Shake the holy water,
[C]summon up the [D]dead
Dy[C]ing's very [G]easy, [Bb]waiting's very [A]hard
[C]Fai[Em]ry whispers to me,
[C]have you anything to say?
My [Em]mouth is dry, my throat's tight,
[A]I answer, drop away
[D]Silence now surrounds me,
my [F]heart is beating on
The [Em]trap, the herd, the boot, all my [A]life is still my [Ab]own[G]
[Eb][F][G][Eb][F][G]
[Eb][F][G][Eb][F][G]
[Eb][F][G][Eb][F][G]
[Eb][F][G][Eb][F]
[G]They stand me in a corner with my
[Eb]hands and [F]feet still [G]bound
While the [Am]carpenters call [Bm]for
an ex[Em]planation [Eb]found
The [G]rain has worked the timbers,
I hear the hang[F]man say
[G]It's fun[Am]ny but it worked wel[Bm]l,
I [Em]tried it yester[Eb]day
[Em]All is ended,
now they [C]say it all goes nerdy over
Your [Em]life's as good as ended
But [A]I hear their voices waver
Once [D]more the boat is shaken,
then again [F]I hang in limbo
With a [Em]gauntlet on the trapdoor
and my [A]body stands on tiptoe
[Ab]Shake [G]the holy water,
[C]summon up the [D]guard
Dy[C]ing's very [G]easy,
[Bb]waiting's very [A]hard
[G]They stand me in a corner with
my [Eb]hands and feet [F]still tied
[G]A war[Am]der holds onto the[Bm] noose,
the [Em]trapdoor opens [Eb]wide
Is it ma[G]gic or coincidence
that keeps me [F]on the brink?
[G]It see[Am]ms to work without me,[Bm]
would it kill [Em]me now I t[Eb]hink?
Oh!
[Em]Days I'm tired of living,
[C]and I really want to die
I was [Em]taken to the scaffold,
and [A]I heard that my friend cry,
[D]Leave, I'm truly sorry,
forgive [F]these hands are fine
Be [Em]true to both,
and I'll flood the job for the [A]third and final time
My [Em]life was spread that morning,
[C]but it wasn't theirs to take
To increase [Em]the votes that law requires
[A]A man should build a s[D]tate[F][Em][A]
[Ab]Shake [G]the holy water
Sum[C]mon up the [D]gods
Dy[C]ing's very [G]easy
[Bb]Waiting's very [A]hard
[Ab]Shak[G]e the holy water
Sum[C]mon up the [D]gods
[C]Dine's very [G]easy, [Bb]waiting's very [A]hard
[A]Sha[Ab]ke the[G] holy water, summon[C] up the
[D]God
[C]Dine's very [G]easy,
[Bb]waiting's very [A]hard
[A]Shake [Ab]the [G]holy water, summon u[C]p the
[D]God
Dy[C]ing's very [G]easy,
[Bb]waiting's very [A]hard
you