The Field Behind The Plow

From: Barrie McCombs 

THE FIELD BEHIND THE PLOW  Time: 2/2 (sync)  Tenor: G  Bass: C
- Stan Rogers: 1981, on: Northwest Passage


INTRO: 1,   1


          1                *             5        4    1
Watch the field behind the plow, turn to straight dark rows
         2m              *                 4                  5
Feel the trickle in your clothes, blow the dustcake from your nose
         1                *            5     4    1
Hear the tractor’s steady roar, oh you can’t stop now
          2m              57              1     *
There’s a quarter section more or less to go


       1                *               5   4     1
And it figures that the rain keeps it’s own sweet time
        2m                *              4                  5
You can watch it come for miles, but you guess you’ve got a while
            1              *           5      4  1
So ease the throttle out a hair, every rod’s  a  gain
        2m         57            1      *
There’s victory in every quarter mile


CHORUS ONE:
         5              *
Poor old Kuzyk down the road
    6m                   4                   1
The heartache, hail, and hoppers brought him down
           *      2       5
He gave it up and went to town
*             *                 *
... And Emmet Pierce, the other day
       6m               4             1
Took a heart attack and died at forty-two
          *      2      5             *                 1   *  6m  *
You could see it coming on, ’cause he worked as hard as you


CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO


NOTES:
- Instrumental break after first chorus
- Ending for last chorus: 2m-57-1  or 1-4-57-1

THE FIELD BEHIND THE PLOW     PAGE TWO


      1           *               5   4     1
In an hour, maybe more, you’ll be wet clear through
    2m            *              4                5
The air is cooler now, pull your hat brim further down
              1                *            5        4    1
And watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows
      2m              57             1        *
Put a-nother season’s promise in the ground


CHORUS TWO:
           5             *
And if the harvest’s any good
    6m               4             1
The money might just cover all the loans
       *         2       5
You’ve mortgaged all you own
*           *             *
... Buy the kids a winter coat
         6m                 4                1
Take the wife back east for Christmas if you can
    *      2         5               *              1     *  6m  *
All summer she hangs on, when you’re so tied to the land


        1                   *          5     4       1
For the good times come and go, but at least there’s rain
        2m              *                4              5
So this won’t be barren ground, when Sep-tember rolls a-round
              1                *             5        4    1
And watch the field behind the plow, turn to straight dark rows
      2m              57             1        *
Put a-nother season’s promise in the ground

ENDING: NO CHORUS, REPEAT LAST VERSE

SYMBOLS:
- Asterisk (*) =  new measure, play same chord
- Period (.)   =  1/8 note rest at start of a measure
- Underline(_) =  sustain note into next measure

CHORDS (Number System):
- Example:     1    2    3    4    5    6    7
- Key of C:    C    D    E    F    G    A    B
- Detailed description: /pub/guitar/other_stuff/numbering_system.txt

- Submitted by:  Barrie McCombs (bmccombs@acs.ucalgary.ca)