• Song:

    Forest Lawn

  • Artist:

    John Denver

  • Album:

    An Evening With John De...

Intro:

             E        B7     E
G   4 
B     5   7      7    5   4   5
E            4


           E                               B7      
Oh, lay me down in Forest Lawn in a silver casket,
           B7                               E
Put golden flowers over my head in a silver basket.
        A                         E        E/D#     C#        
Let the drum and bugle corps blow taps while cannons roar,
    F#                                  B7
Let sixteen liv'ried employees pass out souvenirs from the funeral store.
  E         B7             E
I want to go simply, when I go,
            Ab                               C#m
And they'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know,
       A
With a casket lined in fleece,
    E       E/D#          C#
And fireworks spelling out "Rest In Peace."
   F#                B7               E            B7
Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn.

           E                               B7      
Oh, lay me down in Forest Lawn – they understand there,
         B7                                   E
And they have a heavenly choir and a military band there.
                                       E       E/D#     C#        
Oh, just put me in their care and I'll find my comfort there,
     F#                               B7
With sixteen planes in a last salute, dropping a cross in a parachute.
E            B7            E
I want to go simply, when I go,
   Ab                                        C#m
And they'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know,
      A
With a hunderd strolling strings,
    E      E/D#        C#
And topless dancers in golden wings,
   F#                B7               E           F#
Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn ...

    B
Oh, come, come, come, come,
                              F#   
Come to the church in the wildwood,
       F#7            B                 B7
Kindly leave a contribution in the pail.
      E                           B
Be as simple and as trusting as a child would,
         F#                         B
And we'll sell you the church in the dale.

         E                          B7      
To find a simple resting place is my desire,
          B7                                          E
To lay me down with a smiling face comes a little bit higher.
  A                              E      E/D#     C#        
My likeness, done in brass, will stand in plastic grass,
    F#                                       B7
And weights and hidden springs will tip its hat to the mourners filing past.
  E          B7                 E
I want to go simply, when I go,
            Ab                               C#m
And they'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know.
      A
I'll sleep beneath the sand,
     E        E/D#     C#
With piped-in tapes of Billy Graham.
    F#                B7              E
Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn.
        E     A         E          B7             E
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, for a slightly higher fee.
    F#               B7               E      A E
Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn. 
A E    (optional E7 for flourish)
Amen
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