Chords for Bill Staines - The Black Fly Song
Tempo:
125.4 bpm
Chords used:
Cm
Eb
Ab
Gm
Bb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
This is a [Bb] piece that was actually written back in the early 1950s by a Canadian fellow
by the name of Wade Hemsworth.
We have a lot [F] of great songs.
And you know, she was an agent,
Kate Manning McGregor was early album.
[Ebm]
Anyway, he [Bb] was employed one spring season in a [Eb] survey
place called the Little Abitibi River in Ontario.
And being that it was the springtime [C] of the
black fly season.
This is what [Ab] the song is all about.
The piranha [Eb] of the air.
[Cm] Flying
[Gm] miles to the north.
[Ab]
I thought of a [F] t-shirt sometime back that said the black fly, defender
of the lives.
[Eb] [Ab] I [Bb] saw this [G] great bumper sticker recently that [F] said, fasten your seatbelts.
It makes it harder for the [Gm] aliens to suck you out of your car.
Makes the road worthwhile.
[Bb] I can't remember where I was.
[F]
I was like, so I was sitting up there and there were all
these tables in the front.
And there was one fellow sitting right at one of the front tables
and he was bald on top and he had [G] hair on the side of his head.
[Eb] And I looked down and
he had a tattoo of somebody mowing [Bb] across the stairs.
Okay.
Well, I digress.
Anyway, there's a chorus that [Cm] happens right after the first verse.
[Ab] I'm sure you'll all be able [Bb] to pick it up.
The black fly [Eb] song.
It was early [Cm] in the spring when I decided to go [Ab] over to work up in the [Bb] woods in the
[Eb] unemployment.
I'm sure [Cm] they'll put me through [Ab] little, little [Gm] epitome of certainty.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black [Fm] flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
That's the [Cm] chorus.
Got it?
Let's try it.
And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always [Cm] the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
[G] Don't worry, you've got about [Cm] seven chances.
[Eb] Now the man in black, [C] Toey, was the captain of the [Ab] crew.
And he said, I'm going [Gm] to tell you boys what we're going to do.
[Eb] We're going to build a [Cm] power dam.
We're going to find [Ab] a way.
We're going to make a little railroad [Gm] around the other way.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the black [Cm] flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm [Bb] not going to North Ontario.
[Cm]
[Eb] So we're surveyed to the [Cm] east and we're surveyed to the [Ab] west.
Trying to make [Gm] our minds up how to do it.
[Eb] That's a little lab, little [Cm] lab, but you cannot [Ab] do them all.
We're going crazy on this thick [Cm] crew.
And the black flies, little black flies, [Eb]
always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when [Fm] the black flies picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
[Bb]
[Eb] Black flies, black flies everywhere.
[Ab] The corals in your [Gm] whiskers and the truffles in your [Eb] hair.
They're swimming [Cm] in the soup, they're swimming [Fm] in the tea.
The [Ab] devil take the black flies, [Gm] that may be [Cm] a crime.
Black flies, little black flies, always the black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the [Fm] bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going [Bb] to North Ontario.
[Cm] [Gm] [Cm]
[Eb] Black girls be pulling the swings because the workers are getting slow.
[Ab] And the state of our [Gm] morale is getting mighty low.
And [Eb] the flies form ten [Cm] easy staggers [F] at the trail.
They've been walking up and down the trail, [Gm] packing all themselves [Cm] with the work.
Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up [Db] the bones of North [C] Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Hey Steve!
A little spot quiz.
We thought you forgot the [Eb] words.
Yeah, but [Cm] no more.
[Ab] We're through.
[Gm] It [Eb] was a wonderful experience.
[Cm] I know, [Ab] I'll never go [Gm] again to North Ontario.
[Cm] Black flies, little [Eb] black flies, always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the bones of [C] North Ontario.
I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Fm] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to [Bb] North [Cm] Ontario.
[C] [N]
by the name of Wade Hemsworth.
We have a lot [F] of great songs.
And you know, she was an agent,
Kate Manning McGregor was early album.
[Ebm]
Anyway, he [Bb] was employed one spring season in a [Eb] survey
place called the Little Abitibi River in Ontario.
And being that it was the springtime [C] of the
black fly season.
This is what [Ab] the song is all about.
The piranha [Eb] of the air.
[Cm] Flying
[Gm] miles to the north.
[Ab]
I thought of a [F] t-shirt sometime back that said the black fly, defender
of the lives.
[Eb] [Ab] I [Bb] saw this [G] great bumper sticker recently that [F] said, fasten your seatbelts.
It makes it harder for the [Gm] aliens to suck you out of your car.
Makes the road worthwhile.
[Bb] I can't remember where I was.
[F]
I was like, so I was sitting up there and there were all
these tables in the front.
And there was one fellow sitting right at one of the front tables
and he was bald on top and he had [G] hair on the side of his head.
[Eb] And I looked down and
he had a tattoo of somebody mowing [Bb] across the stairs.
Okay.
Well, I digress.
Anyway, there's a chorus that [Cm] happens right after the first verse.
[Ab] I'm sure you'll all be able [Bb] to pick it up.
The black fly [Eb] song.
It was early [Cm] in the spring when I decided to go [Ab] over to work up in the [Bb] woods in the
[Eb] unemployment.
I'm sure [Cm] they'll put me through [Ab] little, little [Gm] epitome of certainty.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black [Fm] flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
That's the [Cm] chorus.
Got it?
Let's try it.
And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always [Cm] the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
[G] Don't worry, you've got about [Cm] seven chances.
[Eb] Now the man in black, [C] Toey, was the captain of the [Ab] crew.
And he said, I'm going [Gm] to tell you boys what we're going to do.
[Eb] We're going to build a [Cm] power dam.
We're going to find [Ab] a way.
We're going to make a little railroad [Gm] around the other way.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the black [Cm] flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm [Bb] not going to North Ontario.
[Cm]
[Eb] So we're surveyed to the [Cm] east and we're surveyed to the [Ab] west.
Trying to make [Gm] our minds up how to do it.
[Eb] That's a little lab, little [Cm] lab, but you cannot [Ab] do them all.
We're going crazy on this thick [Cm] crew.
And the black flies, little black flies, [Eb]
always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when [Fm] the black flies picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
[Bb]
[Eb] Black flies, black flies everywhere.
[Ab] The corals in your [Gm] whiskers and the truffles in your [Eb] hair.
They're swimming [Cm] in the soup, they're swimming [Fm] in the tea.
The [Ab] devil take the black flies, [Gm] that may be [Cm] a crime.
Black flies, little black flies, always the black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the [Fm] bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going [Bb] to North Ontario.
[Cm] [Gm] [Cm]
[Eb] Black girls be pulling the swings because the workers are getting slow.
[Ab] And the state of our [Gm] morale is getting mighty low.
And [Eb] the flies form ten [Cm] easy staggers [F] at the trail.
They've been walking up and down the trail, [Gm] packing all themselves [Cm] with the work.
Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up [Db] the bones of North [C] Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Hey Steve!
A little spot quiz.
We thought you forgot the [Eb] words.
Yeah, but [Cm] no more.
[Ab] We're through.
[Gm] It [Eb] was a wonderful experience.
[Cm] I know, [Ab] I'll never go [Gm] again to North Ontario.
[Cm] Black flies, little [Eb] black flies, always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the bones of [C] North Ontario.
I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Fm] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to [Bb] North [Cm] Ontario.
[C] [N]
Key:
Cm
Eb
Ab
Gm
Bb
Cm
Eb
Ab
This is a [Bb] piece that was actually written back in the early 1950s by a Canadian fellow
by the name of Wade Hemsworth.
We have a lot [F] of great songs.
And you know, she was an agent,
Kate Manning McGregor was early album.
_ _ _ [Ebm] _ _
Anyway, he [Bb] was employed one spring season in a [Eb] survey
place called the Little Abitibi River in Ontario.
_ And being that it was the springtime _ [C] of the
black fly season.
This is what [Ab] the song is all about.
The piranha [Eb] of the air. _
_ _ [Cm] Flying
[Gm] miles to the north.
[Ab] _
I thought of a [F] t-shirt sometime back that said the black fly, defender
of the lives.
_ [Eb] _ _ _ _ [Ab] I _ _ [Bb] saw _ this [G] great bumper sticker recently that [F] said, _ fasten your seatbelts.
It makes it harder for the [Gm] aliens to suck you out of your car. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Makes the road worthwhile.
[Bb] _ _ _ I can't remember where I was.
_ [F] _ _ _ _
I was like, _ _ so I was sitting up there and there were all
these tables in the front.
And there was one fellow sitting right at one of the front tables
and he was bald on top and he had [G] hair on the side of his head.
[Eb] And I looked down and
he had a tattoo of somebody mowing [Bb] across the stairs. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Okay.
Well, I digress.
_ Anyway, there's a chorus that [Cm] happens right after the first verse.
[Ab] I'm sure you'll all be able [Bb] to pick it up.
The black fly [Eb] song. _ _ _ _ _
It _ was early [Cm] in the spring when I decided to go [Ab] over to work up in the [Bb] woods in the
[Eb] unemployment.
I'm sure [Cm] they'll put me through [Ab] little, little [Gm] epitome of certainty.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black [Fm] flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ _ That's the [Cm] chorus.
Got it?
Let's try it.
And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always [Cm] the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ [G] _ Don't worry, you've got about [Cm] seven chances. _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] Now the man in black, [C] Toey, was the captain of the [Ab] crew.
And he said, I'm going [Gm] to tell you boys what we're going to do.
[Eb] We're going to build a [Cm] power dam.
We're going to find [Ab] a way.
We're going to make a little railroad [Gm] around the other way.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the black [Cm] flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm [Bb] not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] So we're surveyed to the [Cm] east and we're surveyed to the [Ab] west.
Trying to make [Gm] our minds up how to do it.
[Eb] That's a little lab, little [Cm] lab, but you cannot [Ab] do them all.
We're going crazy on this thick [Cm] crew.
And the black flies, little black flies, [Eb]
always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when [Fm] the black flies picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
[Eb] Black flies, black flies everywhere.
[Ab] The corals in your [Gm] whiskers and the truffles in your [Eb] hair.
They're swimming [Cm] in the soup, they're swimming [Fm] in the tea.
The [Ab] devil take the black flies, [Gm] that may be [Cm] a crime.
Black flies, little black flies, always the black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the [Fm] bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going [Bb] to North Ontario.
[Cm] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _
[Eb] Black girls be pulling the swings because the workers are getting slow.
[Ab] And the state of our [Gm] morale is getting mighty low.
And [Eb] the flies form ten [Cm] easy staggers [F] at the trail.
They've been walking up and down the trail, [Gm] packing all themselves [Cm] with the work.
Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up [Db] the bones of North [C] Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Hey Steve!
A _ little spot quiz.
_ _ We thought you forgot the [Eb] words.
Yeah, but [Cm] no more.
[Ab] We're through. _ _
[Gm] It [Eb] was a wonderful experience.
[Cm] I know, [Ab] I'll never go [Gm] again to North Ontario.
_ _ _ [Cm] Black flies, little [Eb] black flies, always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the bones of [C] North Ontario.
I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] _ _ Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Fm] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to [Bb] North [Cm] Ontario. _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [N] _ _
by the name of Wade Hemsworth.
We have a lot [F] of great songs.
And you know, she was an agent,
Kate Manning McGregor was early album.
_ _ _ [Ebm] _ _
Anyway, he [Bb] was employed one spring season in a [Eb] survey
place called the Little Abitibi River in Ontario.
_ And being that it was the springtime _ [C] of the
black fly season.
This is what [Ab] the song is all about.
The piranha [Eb] of the air. _
_ _ [Cm] Flying
[Gm] miles to the north.
[Ab] _
I thought of a [F] t-shirt sometime back that said the black fly, defender
of the lives.
_ [Eb] _ _ _ _ [Ab] I _ _ [Bb] saw _ this [G] great bumper sticker recently that [F] said, _ fasten your seatbelts.
It makes it harder for the [Gm] aliens to suck you out of your car. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Makes the road worthwhile.
[Bb] _ _ _ I can't remember where I was.
_ [F] _ _ _ _
I was like, _ _ so I was sitting up there and there were all
these tables in the front.
And there was one fellow sitting right at one of the front tables
and he was bald on top and he had [G] hair on the side of his head.
[Eb] And I looked down and
he had a tattoo of somebody mowing [Bb] across the stairs. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Okay.
Well, I digress.
_ Anyway, there's a chorus that [Cm] happens right after the first verse.
[Ab] I'm sure you'll all be able [Bb] to pick it up.
The black fly [Eb] song. _ _ _ _ _
It _ was early [Cm] in the spring when I decided to go [Ab] over to work up in the [Bb] woods in the
[Eb] unemployment.
I'm sure [Cm] they'll put me through [Ab] little, little [Gm] epitome of certainty.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black [Fm] flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ _ That's the [Cm] chorus.
Got it?
Let's try it.
And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always [Cm] the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ [G] _ Don't worry, you've got about [Cm] seven chances. _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] Now the man in black, [C] Toey, was the captain of the [Ab] crew.
And he said, I'm going [Gm] to tell you boys what we're going to do.
[Eb] We're going to build a [Cm] power dam.
We're going to find [Ab] a way.
We're going to make a little railroad [Gm] around the other way.
[Cm] And the black flies, little black [Eb] flies, always the black [Cm] flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies [Fm] picking up the bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm [Bb] not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] So we're surveyed to the [Cm] east and we're surveyed to the [Ab] west.
Trying to make [Gm] our minds up how to do it.
[Eb] That's a little lab, little [Cm] lab, but you cannot [Ab] do them all.
We're going crazy on this thick [Cm] crew.
And the black flies, little black flies, [Eb]
always the [Cm] black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when [Fm] the black flies picking up the bones of North [Bb] Ontario.
I'm not going to North [Cm] Ontario.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
[Eb] Black flies, black flies everywhere.
[Ab] The corals in your [Gm] whiskers and the truffles in your [Eb] hair.
They're swimming [Cm] in the soup, they're swimming [Fm] in the tea.
The [Ab] devil take the black flies, [Gm] that may be [Cm] a crime.
Black flies, little black flies, always the black flies no matter where you go.
[Ab] Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the [Fm] bones of North Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going [Bb] to North Ontario.
[Cm] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _
[Eb] Black girls be pulling the swings because the workers are getting slow.
[Ab] And the state of our [Gm] morale is getting mighty low.
And [Eb] the flies form ten [Cm] easy staggers [F] at the trail.
They've been walking up and down the trail, [Gm] packing all themselves [Cm] with the work.
Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up [Db] the bones of North [C] Ontario.
[Gm] I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] Hey Steve!
A _ little spot quiz.
_ _ We thought you forgot the [Eb] words.
Yeah, but [Cm] no more.
[Ab] We're through. _ _
[Gm] It [Eb] was a wonderful experience.
[Cm] I know, [Ab] I'll never go [Gm] again to North Ontario.
_ _ _ [Cm] Black flies, little [Eb] black flies, always the black flies no matter where you [Ab] go.
Dying when the black flies picking [F] up the bones of [C] North Ontario.
I'm not going to North Ontario.
[Cm] _ _ Black flies, little black flies, [Eb] always the black flies no matter where you [Fm] go.
Dying when the black flies picking up the bones of North [Gm] Ontario.
I'm not going to [Bb] North [Cm] Ontario. _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [N] _ _