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User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Joe Offer Aine's Mudcat Songbook PermaThread (442* d) SB: Valley Of The Towering Shadows (Genie) 12 May 11


Valley Of The Towering Shadows by Genie
(sheet music available upon request via email -- geniesings@yahoo.com)
(2/4 time - moderate pace)

G             F          C                         D
On our / journey / to the promised / land, /
G                         Em          C          D
Ambushed by an / unseen / outlaw / band, /
Em                                             Am
Most of us sur- / vived, but so / many fell that / day,
             D          D7          C          D          G
Many / sisters, / brothers / perished in the / fray. /

         F         C             F               G
In / shock, / anguish, / terror and / dread, /
G          Em                           C                       D
Vision / blurred -- couldn't / see the road a- / head--,
          Em                                        Am                                   D
We / knew it was a / crossroads; / nothing more was / clear. /
                         D                         C          D          G
Couldn't find our / way through the/ smoke / and our / tears. /     /

                    G                    F               G
Through The / Valley Of the / Towering / Shadows, /
               G#                    G                    D          D7
Could we / move ahead in / spite of our / fears? /
                  Em                                             Am
Could we / feel beyond the / hate? Could we / see our way / clear?
                    D                    D7                       C     D7             G
Could we / reach beyond our / rage, / See the way through our / tears? /

(Repeat melody of last line of chorus instrumentally)

                G               F            C                         D
We'd been / living in a / garden, / rich beyond com- / pare. /
                    G                 Em                       C                       D7
Some had / called it the / promised land and / wanted to stay / there. /
                Em                                                  Am
But there / is no promised / land when there is / want outside the / wall
               D               D7             C          D          G
And the / dream is / "liberty and / just-i- / ice* for / all,"     /     /     /

                      G                         F                    G
So we said, / "Even through the / Valley Of the / Shadow,
          G#             G                    D7
We'll / move a- / head in spite of / fear--     /     /
Em               Am
Dust in our / eyes, / eyes on the / prize--
          D                            C        D7             G
The / promised land worth / all our toil and / tears." /     /     /

                  F               C             F                     G                    G
Then the / skyline on / fire, the / smoke and the / screams!  /     /
                  Em            C                              D7
Buildings / crumbling / with our hearts and / dreams!/     /
          Em                                   Am
Now / some of us are / cowering, /     frozen in our / tracks.     /
D                                        D7            C            D               G
Many cry for / vengeance!  /     Some /  say we / must turn / back. /     /

                      G                    F               G
Through The / Valley Of The / Towering / Shadows, /
               G#                     G                    D7
Can we / move ahead in / spite of all our / fears? /
               Em                                        Am
Can we / feel beyond the / hate? Can we / see our way / clear, /
   D                         D7                    C     D7             G
Reach beyond our / rage, / See the way / through our / tears? /

(Repeat melody of last two lines of chorus instrumentally.)

G                                   F          C                 D
Now, once more we're / moving, / anger justi- / fied,
          G               Em        C          D7
As- / sured that / God is / on our / side, /
          Em                                        Am                                   D
But / have we got our / bearings e- / nough to compre- / hend /
                              D7        C         D                G
Just where we're / going, / where / it all might / end?  /

             G                      F                    G
Is the / garden now the / Valley Of The / Shadow? /
                G#               G               D7
Will to- / morrow be / hostage to / fear? /
               Em                                      Am
Are we / guided more by / hate or by / all we hold so / dear?*
                D                 D7                  C        D7               G
Can we / channel this / rage, see the / way / through our / tears? /

            G                         F                    G
Yes,  / even through The /Valley Of The /  Shadow, /
             G#                   G               D7
We'll / move a- / head in spite of / fears. /     /
  Em                         Am
Tears in our / eyes, / Eyes on the / prize, /
          D                            C        D7          G
The / promised land, the /  hope of all the /years.
  Em                         Am
Tears in our / eyes, /  Eyes on the / prize, /     /
          D                           C          D7          G
The / promised land, / the hope /  of all the / years. /     /     /



* With each measure getting 2 beats, the word "justice" uses 3 beats and the word "for" uses one.
**Alternate lyrics:
     Verse four: "Then our world crashed down, as from a great earthquake,
     Would our faith now shatter like the buildings in its wake."
     Next to last chorus: "Are we greater than this hate?
     Will the dream again be clear?

Words and music by Jeanene Pratt ©2001, 2002; All rights reserved.


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