Refuge of the Roads Chords by Joni Mitchell

[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ _ _ I met a [C] friend of spirit.
_ _ _ [Gm] He _ [C]
drank and _ womanized,
and I sat before his sanity.
I [Am] was [Bb] holding back from crying.
_ _ _ [F] _ _ He saw my [Am] _ [Em] complications,
_ [Am] and [Gm] he [F] mirrored me [C] back, simplified,
_ [Am] [Bb] and will-a _ [F] _ [C] perfection would _ [Bb] always be denied.
[C] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _
_ _ [F] Heart _ _ _ [C] and humor and _ humility,
he said, [F] will lighten up [C] your heavy load. _
[Em] I left him [Am] then for [Bb] the refuge _ _ of [F] the [C] road. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [C] _ [Gm] _ _ _
_ _ _ [F] I _ fell in with [Em] some _ [Am] drifters,
[Gm] _ _
[F] passed [C] upon a beach town,
_ [Gm] when [F] Dixie cold [C] cuts and highway [Bb] hand-me _ [F] _ _ -downs.
And [Dm] I wound up [C] fixing dinner
_ [Gm] for _ [F] them in [C] Boston gin,
_ [Gm] _
with [F] affection,
[C] _ thinking [Am] back [Bb] down the road [F] to them.
_ _ [Bb] _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ [Bb] _ [C] The nets were _ overflowing in [F] the God Mexico.
[C] _ They [F] were [Em] _
[Am] overflowing [Bb] in the refuge _ of [F] _ [C] the roads. _ _ _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Am] _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _
_ [F] There [Dm] was singing [Am] along [Em] the _ [C] ditches.
[Gm] There were good [F] times in [C] the cities.
_ [Gm] Oh, [F] Indian [C] _
happiness,
it [Bb] was all so light and [F] _
easy,
[Dm] till I started [C] _ [Em]
analyzing.
_ [C] And I brought on always,
_ _ _ [Gm] a [F] thunderhead [C] of judgment was [F] [Bb] gathering in my [F] gaze. _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ _ [C] And it made most people nervous.
_ [F] They just didn't want to [C]
know
what [Em] I was seeing [Am] [Bb] in the refuge _ _ _ _ [F] [Am] of the [C] roads.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ _ _ [C] _ _ [F] _ [Bb] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ _ [Db] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F] I pulled up [C] into a forest,
_ [Bb] crickets clicking [F] in the [C] _
_ ferns.
[Bb] Like a wheel [F] [C] of fortune,
I [Bb] heard my fate turn, turn, turn.
[F] And [Dm] I went running [C] down [Em] a white [C] sand road.
[Gm] Last _ [F] _ [C] _
year, _ [Gm] running to [F] _ [C] _
lose to the [Bb] _ innocence [F] in the earth.
[Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ These [C] are the clouds of _ _ Michelangelo,
_ [F] muscular with [C] gods and sun gold,
[Em] shine on your witness _ [Am] [Bb] in the refuge _ of [F] _ [C] the roads.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _
_ _ _ [F] _ [Dm] In a highway [Am] service [Em] station,
[Am] _ _ [Bb] over [F] the mountains of [C] Gilman,
was [Bb] a photograph [C] of the earth,
taken [Bb] calm and back from [F] the moon.
And you [Dm] couldn't [C] see [Em] the city,
_ [C] [Gm] on that mound [F] _ [C]
bowling ball,
[Gm] or a four _ [F] [C]-lane highway,
or me [Bb] at least of all.
[F] You _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ [Bb] couldn't [C] see these cold water rescues,
or this [F] baggage [C] overload,
_ westbound and rolling,
[Bb] seeking refuge _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] in the roads.
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ [Bb] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [Gb] _ _
_ [Db] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Eb] _ [Ab] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Ab] _ _ [Db] _ _ _ [Eb] _
_ _ [C] _ _ [F] _ _ _ _