Tom Russell

Santa Fe At Midnight

Tom Russell


Tom: G

                                  Bm
I’m standing on Salteo Tile on an old adobe porch
  C                                             D    G
Across the street the Baptist church, God’s own neon torch
                                           Bm
With my baby sleeping safe inside, I’m the shadow she’s the light.
         C                      D           G
Now here comes the sound of the Santa Fe at midnight.


[Verse 2]
                                     Bm
Baby wakes up and calls to me: “What is that lonesome sound?
   C                                     D         G
It echoes off the mountains out near the lights of town.”
                                     Bm
And I say, “Hush now, I come to you, hold you oh so tight
    C                            D           G
And rock you to the sound of the Santa Fe at midnight.”


[Chorus]
C                     F      C                    C4         G
Blowing through those cotton fields near the Cana’tior river breaks
         Em              Bm
Past the shanty towns of old Juarez,
    F             D
The eagle and the snake
C                        D               Em
Blowin across West Texas rattlin' out of sight
    G            D           C      
The music of the Santa Fe at midnight,
       Em                       D           G 
Making love to the sound of the Santa Fe at midnight.


[Instrumental Break]
C   Bm   Am   C   Bm   D

[Verse 3]
     G                                  Bm                   
Well look where we have ended up on the edge of the Great South West
C                                         D     G
Starin’ at those restless trees along the water ditch
                                      Bm
And up the Street the Rio Grande like Egypt’s old Blue Nile
         C                                   D      G
With the memory of the early ones who rested here a while.


[Verse 4]
                                                    Bm
But now the freight trains and the long haul trucks, they’re passin’ through
    C                                                D      G
And they don’t have the urge to wink at the likes of me and you
                                            Bm
It’s all just diesel smoke, iron rail and a running string of lights
    C            D           G
The music of the Santa Fe at midnight.


[Chorus]
C                     F      C                      C4       G
Blowing through those cotton fields near the Cana’tior river breaks
         Em              Bm
Past the shanty towns of old Juarez,
    F             D
The eagle and the snake
C                        D               Em
Blowin across West Texas rattlin' out of sight
    C            D           G       
The music of the Santa Fe at midnight,
       Em                       D           G
Making love to the sound of the Santa Fe at midnight.
C    Bm    Am    C    Bm    D    G