We (G/D)ducked inside the (C/G)doorway as (D)thunder went (C)crashing.
As (G/D)majestic bells of (C/G)bolts struck (G/D)shadows in the (C/G)sounds,
(G/D)Seeming to be the (C/G)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 (Amin)unarmed road of (D)flight.
An' for (G)each an' ev'ry (C)underdog (G)soldier in the (C)night,
An' we (G)gazed upon the (C)chimes of (D)freedom (G)flashing.
Through the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly
we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the mad mystic
hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the
breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An' for the poet and the painter far behind his rightful
time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Through the wild
cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their
thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled
prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chained an' cheated by
pursuit
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Even though a cloud's
white curtain in a far-off corner flared
An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for
the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless,
seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a
jail
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
Starry-eyed an'
laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last
look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching, whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out
ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
