[C]In the [Am]spring[F] of forty- [C]seven
So the [Am]story[F] it is [C]told
Old John [Am]Sutter[F] went to the Mill [C]site [Am]
Found a [Dm7]piece[G7] of shinin' [C]gold.
Well, he [Am]took it[F] to the [C]city
Where the [Am]word[F] like wildfire [C]spread
Old John [Am]Sutter[F] soon came to [C]wishin' [Am]
He'd left that [Dm7]stone[G7] in the river [Am]bed.
Oh, they [F]came like herds of [C]locusts
Every [F]wo-[C]man, child and [Am]man
In their [F]lumberin' connes- [C]togas [Am]
They left their [Dm7]track[G7] upon the [Am]land.
REFRAIN:
Some would [F]fail and some would [C]prosper
Some would [F]die[C] and some would [Am]kill
Some would [F]beg the Lord for their de-[C]liverance [Am]
Some would [Dm7]curse[G7] John Sutter's [C]Mill.
Well, they [Am]came[F] from New York [C]City
And they [Am]came[F] from Ala-[C]bam'
With their [Am]dream[F] of findin' for-[C]tune [Am]
In this [Dm7]wild[G7] unsettled [C]land.
Well, some fell [Am]prey[F] to hostile [C]arrows
As they [Am]tried[F] to cross the [C]land
And some were [Am]lost[F] in the Rocky [C]Mountains [Am]
With their [Dm7]hands[G7] froze to the [Am]reins.
REFRAIN
Some pushed [Am]on[F] to Cali-[C]fornia
Others [Am]stopped[F] to take their [C]rest
And by the [Am]spring[F] of eighteen-[C]sixty [Am]
They had [Dm7]opened[G7] up the [C]west.
And then the [Am]railroad[F] came be-[C]hind them
And the [Am]land[F] was plowed and [C]tame
When old John [Am]Sutter[F] went to meet his [C]Maker [Am]
With not one [Dm7]penny[G7] to his [Am]name.
REFRAIN
Some would [Dm7]curse[G7] John Sutter's [C]Mill [Am]
Some men's [Dm7]thirsts[G7] are never [C]filled.
