The Chimes of Freedom ---  Bob Dylan

 

Far be-[G]tween the finished [D]sundown and [G]midnight’s broken [C]toll,
We [G]ducked inside the [C]doorway as [D]thunder went [G]crashing.
As ma-[G]jestic bells of [D]bolts struck [G]shadows in the [C]sounds,
[G]Seeming to be the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing.

            [D]Flashing for the warriors whose [G]strength is not to fight.
            [C]Flashing for the [G]refugees on the [Am]unarmed road of [D]flight.
            And for [G]each and every [D]underdog [G]soldier in the [C]night
            And we [G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing. 

Through the [G]city’s melted [D]furnace, unex-[G]pectedly we [C]watched,
With [G]faces hidden [C]as the [D]walls were [G]tightening.
As [G]echo of the [D]wedding bells be-[G]fore the blowin’ [C]rain
Dis-[G]solved into the [C]bells [D]of the [G]lightning.

            [D]Tolling for the rebel, [G]tolling for the rake.
            [C]Tolling for the [G]luckless, the a-[Am]bandoned, and for-[D]saked.
            [G]Tolling for the [D]outcast, burnin’ [G]constantly at [C]stake.
            And we [G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing. 

Through the [G]mad mystic [D]hammering of the [G]wild ripping [C]hail,
The [G]sky cracked its [C]poems in [D]naked [G]wonder.
That the [G]clinging of the [D]church bells blew [G]far into the [C]breeze,
Leaving [G]only bells of [C]lightning [D]and its [G]thunder

            [D]Striking for the gentle, [G]striking for the kind,
            [C]Striking for the [G]guardians and pro-[Am]tectors of the [D]mind.
            And the [G]poet and the [D]painter far be-[G]hind his rightful [C]time,
            And we [G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing. 

In the [G]wild cathedral [D]evening the [G]rain unraveled [C]tales
For the
[G]disrobed faceless [C]forms of [D]no po-[G]sition.
[G]
Tolling for the [D]tongues with no [G]place to bring their [C]thoughts,
All
[G]down in taken-for-[C]granted [D]situ-[G]ations.

            [D]Tolling for the deaf and blind, [G]tolling for the mute,
            And the mis-
[C]treated, mateless [G]mother, the mis-[Am]titled prosti-[D]tute.
            For the
[G]misdemeanor [D]outlaw, chained and [G]cheated by pur-[C]suit.
            And we
[G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing.

 Even [G]though a cloud’s white [D]curtain in a [G]far-off corner [C]flashed,
And the hyp-
[G]notic splattered [C]mist was [D]slowly [G]lifting.
E-
[G]lectric light still [D]struck like arrows, [G]fired but for the [C]ones
Con-
[G]demned to drift or [C]else be [D]kept from [G]drifting.

            [D]Tolling for the searching ones, on their [G]speechless, seeking trail,
            For the
[C]lonesome-hearted [G]lovers with too [Am]personal a [D]tale.
            And for
[G]each unharmful [D]gentle soul mis-[G]placed inside a [C]jail.
            And we
[G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freedom [G]flashing.
 
[G]
Starry-eyed and [D]laughing as I re-[G]call when we were [C]caught,
Trapped
[G]by no track of [C]hours for they [D]hanged sus-[G]pended.
As we
[G]listened one last [D]time and we [G]watched with one last [C]look,
Spell-
[G]bound and swallowed [C]‘til the [D]tolling [G]ended.

            [D]Tolling for the aching ones whose [G]wounds cannot be nursed,
            For the
[C]countless confused, [G]accused, misused, [Am]strung-out ones and [D]worse.
            And for
[G]every hung-up [D]person in the [G]whole wide uni-[C]verse.
            And we
[G]gazed upon the [C]chimes of [D]freesom [G]flashing.

 

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