It Could Have Been Me Chords by Holly Near

_ _ _ In May of 1974, I was invited to sing at a memorial event for the poor students.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[N] Jeff and I stood there in a field and listened to this bell toll very quietly for a long time. _ _ _
It could have been me, but instead it was you.
So I'll [G] keep doing the work you were doing as if I [N] were too.
_ _ _ I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs, a farmer of food, and a writer of rock.
It could have been me, but instead it was you.
And it may be me, dear sisters and brothers, before we are through. _ _
But if you can work for freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom,
if you can work for freedom, I [G] can too.
_ _ Students in Ohio, 200 yards away,
shot [N] down by a nameless fire one early day in May.
Some people cried out angry, you should have shot more of them down.
But you can't bury youth, my friend, youth grows the whole world around.
It could have been me, _ but instead it was you.
So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were too.
_ _ I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs, a farmer of food, and a writer of rock.
It could have been me, but instead it was you.
And it may be me, dear sisters and brothers, before we are through.
_ _ But if you can die for freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom,
if you can die for [G] freedom, I can too. _
_ [E] The junta took fingers [N] from Victor Hart's hands.
They said to the gentle poet, play your guitar now if you can.
Well, Victor started singing until they shot his body down.
You can kill a man, but not a song when it's sung the whole world around. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ So I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were too.
_ _ I'll be a student of life, a singer of songs, a farmer of food, and a writer of rock.
It could have been me, _ but instead it was you.
_ And it may be me, dear sisters and brothers, before we are through. _ _
But if you can sing for freedom, _ freedom, freedom, freedom,
if you can sing for freedom, [D#] I can too.
_ [D] A woman in [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ the night defends a village in the day.
Although her skin is golden, like mine will never be.
[D#] Her song is heard and I know the words and [Bm] I'll sing them cautiously.
_ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [D] So [E] I'll keep doing the work you were _ [A] _ _ _
_ doing as if I were too.
I'll be a student of life, [F#] a singer of songs, a farmer of food, and a writer of [C#m] rock.
[F#] It could have been [E] [Em] me, _ [A] but instead [D] it was you.
_ And it [B] may be [Em] me, dear sisters and brothers, before [A] we are through.
_ _ [D] But if you can [B] live for freedom, _ freedom, [E] freedom, freedom,
if [Em] you can live for freedom, [D] I can too.
Come sing with me.
It could have [Em] been [A] me, but instead [D] it was you.
_ So [Em] I'll keep doing the work you were doing as if I were [A] too. _ _
I'll [Em] be a student of life, a singer of [F#m] songs, a farmer of food, and a writer of rock.
It could [Em] have been _ me, but [D] instead it was you.
And it may [Em] be me, dear sisters and brothers, before [A] we are through.
_ _ [D] But if you can [Bm] live for freedom, _ freedom, freedom, freedom,
[Em] if you can live for freedom, I [D] can too.
_ [Am] _
[D] I can too.
_ [Am] _ I [D] can too.
[A] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _