Longest Night of the Year

Copyright Doc Pablo and Devon Cohn, Cambridge, winter 1996

[Capo up 3]

G D C -> G

Winter time, northern lights,

C -> Am C/G D

How'd they find me here?

G D C -> G

Spinning rhymes and holding tight,

C -> Am C/G D

As midnight's drawing near

C G

Life is a question, love is the answer,

Em D ->

Hope is the reason that we share

G D C -> G

A song with friends by candlelight

C -> Am G G/F# G

On the longest night of the year

Thinking back to summer's end,

when days were warm and long

Between the tracks, we'd gladly spend

the evening for a song

Life is a dark road that lies ahead

Friends light the way to make it clear

And lead us on, around the bend

On the longest night of the year

<bridge>

C G

We have been gathered by circumstances,

C D

Asking the question Why

C G

We can't expect that we'll get an answer,

Em D ->

But who's to say we shouldn't try?

And so each year, in wintertime,

With friends all gathered round

We ring in strains of Auld Lang Syn

As snow comes falling down

Tales of the old ways, love for the taking,

Songs for the younger ones to share:

The old refrain begins again

On the longest night of the year

Songs of the old ways, tales in the making,

Love for the younger ones to share:

The song goes on without an end

On the longest night of the year

---------------------------

With (experimental) descant:

Thinking back to summer's end

When I think back to sum mer

When days were warm and long

days so warm and long - summer went on and on

Between the tracks, we'd gladly spend

Between the tracks we'd gladly

The evening for a song

spend the evening on - love we could count upon

And so each year, in wintertime

Each year in winter time

With friends all gathered round

As friends all gather round - warm embers on the coals

We ring in strains of Auld Lang Syne

We sing of days gone by

As snow comes falling down

to make a joyful sound - and talk of days of old

- draw new love/life from the old