F              C
A mist halos the meadow
      F                    C                   G
And a soft wind breathes a whisper through the trees
     F              C
As I lean against a hickory
  F                 C            G
I close my eyes and I can almost see
    Am               G
The ghostly forms of blue and gray
C                                 F
And I can almost hear the cannons blast
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

    F                    C
The first few waves came cheerin'
F                C                     G
Fear and hatered runnin' through their blood
         F               C
When the day was finally over
      F                C                 G
Those left were wadin' through a crimson flood
   Am               G
To think I could be right here
       C                                          F
In the spot where some young soldier breathed his last
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

F                C
Brother fightin; brother
F               C
Father fightin' son
       F                C
By the time the sun was settin'
       Am                 C
Looked like the South had won
       F                 C
Now my mouth's as dry as cotton
       F                Am
And my heart is beatin' fast
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

C       F                 C
Sunrise caught the rebels sleepin'
         F              C            G
And they woke to hear a Yankee bugle blow
        F               C
Bullets flew like angry hornets
         F                   C                 G
Till the peach tree blossoms drifted down like snow
Am                     G
It must have been like hell on earth
C                                      F
What happened here is more than we can grasp
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

F                C
Brother fightin' brother
F               C
Father fightin' son
       F                  C
By the time the smoke had lifted
     Am                 C
They knew the North had won
F                  C
Lord my soul feels empty
      F                  Am
As my tears fall on this grass
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

F               C
Brother killin' brother
F              C
Father slayin' son
         F                 C
From the looks of this old graveyard
     Am            C
Hell nobody really won
F                  C
Somethins' changed inside me
   F               Am
It sure can happen fast
Dm              G               C
Standin' in the presence of the past

  F              C
A mist halos the meadow
      F                    C                   G
And a soft wind breathes a whisper through the trees