the big chill	caffeine blues	canaan's shore trad., arranged by s slade	choose me	the companion song	family farm
simple song of sorrow	solid land	i believe i believe	i would walk on water	jenny	little scars

feels like a good thing	flying into inuvik	soul sister	valentines & candy
love will grow krista austad & steve slade	my lovely saskatchewan rose	sound of one hand holding cm powers & steve slade	virginia

Virginia
steve slade (socan)

It was in the year of '84,
I laid my tools down
And walked away from the mine
The ore was thin, the price was low
The company said we're down to skin and bones
Tempered by the times.

Virginia, What can I say?
I promised you a life something's gone astray.
Virginia, What can I say?
I promised you a life something's gone astray.

With wife and kids, dog and cat
We headed on the road back, east, living with the folks.
She slung beer in the bar, I worked fixing cars
Tried to save enough for a "poke".

But all those heads under one roof
I started to become aloof
I realize now my temper often flared.
I watched my dreams turn into dust
Started in to drink too much
But Virginia, even then you know I cared

Virginia, What can I say?
I promised you a life something's gone astray.
Virginia, It's easy lookin' back,
We were tempered by the times and the monkey on my back -

Virgina ---

I started stayin' out late at night
Come home drunk and start a fight
For reasons I don't know or understand.
But I never thought I'd sink so low
Lash out and strike a blow
My heart lost control of my hands.
For a year or two, we lived like this
Emotions on a precipice
Domestic violence was the norm
Then one morning I came back
From an all night drunk and I found her packed
She said; "you're not gonna do us any more harm".

Virgina ---

Virginia ---

Virginia's in Toronto now,
She's got the kids, made a home
Tryin' to make a life for them that's stable.
Me I'm still here fixin' cars,
I try to stay out of the bars
I send them love and money when I'm able

Virginia, What can I say?
I promised you a life something's gone astray.
Virginia, It's easy lookin' back,
We were tempered by the times and the monkey on my back -

Virgina, you know I take the blame,
I done things to you of which I'm so ashamed ---

Virigina --- what can I say?
Virginia --- what can I say?
Virginia --- what can I say? ---

On the Caribou recording of this song, i capo on the fourth fret of the guitar which puts the song into the key of C#m.
Lately, when i play the song, i've been capoing on the second fret, which puts me into the key of Bm.
On Bruce & Deb Bergman's recording of the song, I believe they too are in the key of Bm.
This a four chord song - a bar each of - Am - C - G - Am -
with the odd E chord thrown in the stops.