As If He Knows Chords

[Intro]
A
 
[Verse 1]
                   A
 It’s as if he knows
D              A
 he’s standing close to me
D                A
 his breath warm on my sleeve
E                A  E
 his head hung low.
                    A
 It’s as if he knows
D          A
 what the dawn will bring
D            A
 the end of everything
E              A
 for my old Banjo.
 
[Chorus]
     D                            A
 And all along the picket lines beneath the desert sky,
           D
 the Light Horsemen move amongst their mates
    A                E
 to say one last goodbye.
          D                        A             D
 And the horses stand so quietly, row on silent row,
E                  A  D A
 it’s as if they know.
 
[Interlude]
D E A
 
[Verse 2]
             A
 Time after time
D                  A
 we rode through shot and shell,
D                A
 we rode in and out of hell
E                A      E
 on their strong backs.
             A
 Time after time
D                 A
 they brought us safely through,
D                  A
 by their swift, sure hooves
E                 A
 and their brave hearts.
 
[Chorus]
    D                                A
 Tomorrow we will form up ranks and march down to the quay,
      D                                        A               E
 and sail back to our loved ones in that dear land across the sea.
            D
 While our loyal and true companions
               A                  D       D
 who asked so little and gave so much
E                      A   D A
 will lie dead in the dust.
 
[Interlude]
D E A
 
[Verse 3]
                 A
 For the orders came,
D          A
 no horses to return,
D             A          E
 we were to abandon them
         A
 to be slaves.
E                 A
 After all we’d shared,
D         A
 and all we’d been through
D             A
 a nation’s gratitude
E             A
 was a dusty grave.
 
[Chorus]
               D
 For we can’t leave them to the people here,
       A
 we’d rather see them dead,
          D
 so each man will take his best mate’s horse
         A                  E
 with a bullet through the head.
          D                                A                  D     D
 For the people here are like their land, wild and cruel and hard,
E                         A   D A
 so Banjo, here’s your reward.
 
[Outro]
                 A
 It’s as if he knows,
D               A
 he’s standing close to me,
D                A
 his breath warm on my sleeve,
E              A
 his head hung low,
     E      A
 as if he knows.
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