Ten Strings and a Goat Skin - The Uniform

      The Uniform

Standard tuning
No capo
Standard chord fingerings

( * - denotes a chord played only once)

[Intro]
G C G C G C G C
G C Em D G

[Verse 1]
  G
Dear brother, oh, dear brother,
  C
I hope you're feeling fine,
      Em               D
And I pray this letter finds you
       C
For my family's sake and mine

     G
Dear brother, oh, dear brother,
         C
Feel the darkness closing fast;
       Em                D
I must recount to you my story,
         C
While my dwindling life does last

G C Em D 

[Verse 2]
         G
Well I'm certain you remember
   C
The beginning of last spring;
      Em              D
I was poor, alone, and broken
        C
But the army took me in

          G
Here they promised me good fortune,
      C
And a new life I would find,
        Em                D
So they shipped me off to war,
           C
Leaving my homeland far behind

[Chorus]
     D                     
This uniform grows heavy 
      C
On my body, heart, and soul
      D                             
And I long to see my family,
         C
But this war's taking its toll

      Em              D
Every day I grow more tired
         C
My knees buckle, my hands shake
D*                   D                   C 
Just take care of my loved ones when I'm gone
N.C.
For heaven's sake

G C Em D G

[Verse 3]
   G
We marched for many months
   C
To cold and foreign lands
       Em           D
It was on those icy riverbanks
    C
The foe had made their stand

            G
And I could feel their burning hatred
      C
As we marched down to the shore
      Em                D
And I closed my eyes in terror
     C
As I heard those cannons roar

[Chorus]
     D
This uniform grows heavy 
      C
On my body, heart, and soul
      D
And I long to see my family,
         C
But this war's taking its toll

      Em              D
Every day I grow more tired
         C
My knees buckle, my hands shake
D*                   D                   C 
Just take care of my loved ones when I'm gone,
N.C.
For heaven's sake

[Break]
D C D C D C 
Em* D* C* D* G

[Verse 4]
     G
They fired their guns and hit
      C
About forty men or so
           Em                   D
Those poor souls, they fell down bleeding
C
Staining the white snow

              G
And soon they fired their second volley
      C
And a lead ball pierced my breast
       Em           D
I fell down upon my knees
        C
I could barely grasp a breath

[Verse 5]
G
Soon I had awoken 
             C
Found myself laying on my back
Em             D
Far behind the firing line,
     C
On a bloody surgeon's mat

      G
And I write to you this letter,
        C
Ring of battle in my ears
       Em              D
Just a poor and lonely soldier boy
C                  
Alone with all his fears

[Pre-Chorus]
C*
I will have no hero's death
N.C.
To me, that much is clear

[Final Chorus]
     D
This uniform grows heavy 
      C
On my body, heart, and soul
      D
And I long to see my family,
         C
But this war's taking its toll

      Em              D
Every day I grow more tired
         C
My knees buckle, my hands shake
D                    D                   C
Just take care of my loved ones when I'm gone,
C
For heaven's sake

      Em              D
Every day I grow more tired
         C
My knees buckle, my hands shake
D*                                       C*
Just take care of my loved ones when I'm gone...