[Verse 1] Sunday came on hard and dry Over O'Leary's lantern light Sparks ran fast through the barn board walls And the whole night leaned to the sky By the lake, the bark and tar Held that heat like a hidden scar [Pre-Chorus] First it crawled, then it roared Windowpanes gave up the door Buckets formed a losing line Against a tongue of pine and shine [Chorus] Chicago burned, Chicago burned The whole block learned, the whole block learned Ash on the river, ash on the street Chicago burned, and the wind won't sleep [Verse 2] Men in coats with blackened faces Ran from alleys, ran from places Mothers tied the children tight Past the wagons in the night Church bells cracked from tower to tower Calling names in smoke and cinders [Pre-Chorus] Cattle stamped through mud and flame Rail yards turned into a frame The courthouse clock went red and blind And morning came without a sign [Chorus] Chicago burned, Chicago burned The whole block learned, the whole block learned Ash on the river, ash on the street Chicago burned, and the wind won't sleep [Bridge] Three days later, shore by shore They counted less than they'd had before But nails still shone in the dirt And hands kept moving, still hurt Stone by stone, board by board They raised a city from the scorch [Final Chorus] Chicago burned, Chicago burned The whole block learned, the whole block learned Ash on the river, ash on the street Chicago burned, and the wind won't sleep Chicago burned, Chicago burned From the cinders came the beat Ash on the river, ash on the street Chicago burned, and the wind won't sleep
