Ballad Of Oxford

Am                           Dm                      G             Am
I'll sing you a song about a southern town where the devil had his rule
Am                      Dm           G               Am
When marshalls faced an angry mob to send one man to school
Am                 G
His name was Jimmy Meredith
    Am                G
the tide he helped to turn
       Am                    G
For he chose to stay on that terrible day
     Am      G       Am
The land was soon to learn

[Chorus]
          Am                         Dm
There was blood, red blood, on their hands,
G                    C
Yellow dirt on their clothes
Am                           G
What they thought they were doing,
     F                 E
Only god and the devil knows
          Am                        Dm
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,
G                            C
Shot from their souls like a gun
    Am                  G
And as they threw their stones and bricks,
     F                   E        Am
They screamed, "see what you have done!"

[Verse 2]
Am                  Dm               G                Am
The governor made a promise he would keep the trouble down
Am                   Dm      G                 Am
But when the mob got ugly no troopers could be found
    Am                   G
And men were filled with hate and fear,
     Am                G
They screamed into the night
    Am         G
The rebel flag waved in the air
    Am        G       Am
The symbol of state's rights

[Chorus]
          Am                         Dm
There was blood, red blood, on their hands,
G                    C
Yellow dirt on their clothes
Am                           G
What they thought they were doing,
     F                 E
Only god and the devil knows
          Am                        Dm
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,
G                            C
Shot from their souls like a gun
    Am                  G
And as they threw their stones and bricks,
     F                   E        Am
They screamed, "see what you have done!"

[Verse 3]
Am            Dm           G          Am
Gas was fired into the mob after each attack
Am                     Dm                G           Am
And though the gas was running low, they never fired back
    Am                 G
And when the smoke had cleared away
        Am            G
And the fury felt its pain
Am                      G
Two men were dead and a hundred bled
Am            G     Am
The south had risen again

[Verse 4]
Am        Dm             G          Am
So listen Mr Barnet, and Mr Walker, too
Am                     Dm                   G               Am
The times are changing mighty fast, they'll roll right over you
    Am                          G
But someday you'll head for the south,
       Am              G
to the southern tip of hell
         Am              G
And it's hot down there, white-hot down there
Am              G     Am
Let's hear your rebel yell!

[Chorus]
          Am                         Dm
There was blood, red blood, on their hands,
G                    C
Yellow dirt on their clothes
Am                           G
What they thought they were doing,
     F                 E
Only god and the devil knows
          Am                        Dm
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts,
G                            C
Shot from their souls like a gun
    Am                  G
And as they threw their stones and bricks,
     F                   E        Am
They screamed, "see what you have done!"