Joan Baez has recorded this in varying keys, most of them lower than this, such as in Bb.
The (Em F G) sections in the fifth line of every verse can be optional.
If you prefer not to use those, simply use the same chords as the third lines (G and C).
Oh my name it is nothin
My age it means less
And the country I come from
Is called the Midwest
( )
I was taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that the land that I live in
Had God on its side.
Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
( )
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.
Well the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
( )
And the names of the heroes
I was made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.
Well the First World War, boys
It came and it went
And the reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
And accept it with pride
For you don t count the dead
When God s on your side.
And Second World War
It came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And called them our friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
So the Germans now too
Have God on their side.
Now I ve learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It s them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.
And now we ve got weapons
Of the chemical dust
And if fire them we re forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And it s shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God s on your side.
For many dark hours
I thought about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can t do it for you
You ll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
And now as I m leavin
I m weary as Hell
The confusion I m feelin
Ain t no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
They fall to the floor
If God is on our side
He ll stop the next war.