Bill Miller
Every Mountain I Climb
from the album Ghostdance (1999)

Bill Miller is a Mohican writer and performer, winner of the 2005 Grammy for Best Native 

American Music Album, and has won 6 Native American Music Awards including Lifetime 

Acheivement (2007). His recent works include a Christian/spiritual albnum and a full 

symphony. However he is best know for his distinctive style combining folk, rock, 

classical, and Native Americn elements, with some very unique musical and lyrical 

phrasing, and performing solo or with minimal backing. When I was broadcasting a Native 

American music radio show, due to his unique style I came up with the phrase "the Bob 

Dylan of Turtle Island" (that being a common Native term for North America). This is the 

song that prompted me to do so.


      C
I saw Judas Iscariot, with a bottle of wine

       Am7
talkin suicide with an old friend of mine.

     F
They gathered a crowd down at the end of the tracks,

      C                                  C - E7
and a woman cried out when is god comin' back?

        F
They pretended not to notice

                           C
they came down hard on the weak.

        F
Causing war and starvation, refusing

            G
to let them speak.


C         F          G
For every mountain i climb,

C         F          G
for every river that winds,

C         F              G
for every wind that will blow,

       F                           G          C
I will send out my prayers for the children below.
[second verse starts on last beat of chorus]  I


        C                   Am7
... saw crazy horse walkin' alone in the dark

           F
on streets paved with the blood oF his broken heart.

C                                          G
   He never dreamed it would turn out like this.


        C
They pretend that they just don't see.

         Am7
They are blinded in their own mediocrity.

               F
They got their trophies and their cars and their houses on the hill,

         C                                                C - E7
and they don't really care that their wars are a killin' me


F                                C
For every child that follows the dream

             F           G
ten thousand angels will fly.

F
No one will force them to run.

          C
They will stand up and fight,

         F         G 
till the battle is won.


C         F          G
For every mountain i climb,

C         F          G
for every river that winds,

C         F              G
for every wind that will blow,

       F                           G          C
I will send out my prayers for the children below.


C         F          G
For every mountain i climb,

C         F          G
for every river that winds,

C         F              G
for every wind that will blow,

       F                           G          C
I will send out my prayers for the children below.

    F   G      C
the children below

    F   G      C
the children below

    F   G      C
the children below