Verse 1:
D
It was just startin' to drizzle as I walked out the door
G Em
But I've delivered papers in the rain like that before
D
3:30 in the morning, I was happy as a lark
G A D
As I grabbed my bike and rode into the dark
D
I peddled through the neighbourhood, the weather on my mind
G Em
The wind was pickin' up and howling louder all the time
D
The sky turned like a cauldron and the distant thunder roared
G A D
And I knew that I was in for quite a storm
G A
a little rain never hurt no one, so I kept pressing on
D G A
And I tried to tell myself, "It's always darkest before the dawn"
Verse 2:
D
Lightning struck an oak tree as I left off my bike
G Em
The siren started wailing but there was no good place to hide
D
I knew without a doubt, there was a twister touching down
G A D
So I crawled into a culvert to wait it out
G A
The little bit of courage I had left was almost gone
D G A
But I tried to tell myself, "It's always darkest before the dawn"
Verse 3:
G Bm
And then the nightmare started, it got deafeningly loud
D A
Every fibre in me screamed out but I couldn't make a sound
G Gb Bm
The whirling of a vortex, a violent carousel
G A
It sounded like a freight train was dragging me to hell
Instrumental:
G F Gb Bm
G F Gb
Bb Ab A D
Bb Ab A
Dm Eb A
And this was my prayer
C Bb G A Em D G A
Save me from this terrible nightmare
Verse 4:
G D A
That was when I saw my family with my eyes shut real' tight
G Bm A
Would they know how much I loved them if this was how I died?
G D A Em D A
No, I vowed I'd not be murdered by a monster in the sky that night
G A
But if I went home to heaven, at least that's where I'd belong
D G A
Yeah, I tried to tell myself, "It's always darkest before the dawn"
D Bm G D Bm G
So I kept hanging on
D Bm G
I kept hanging on
Instrumental: D Bm G A
Verse 5:
E
The shadows slowly melted as I was hunkered down
A Gbm
'Till at last, the worst was over, the storm was dying out
E
I crept out of that covert and I went weak in the knees
A B E
'Cause what I saw, was a somber sight to see
E
There was nothing but destruction and wreckage in that town
A Gbm
Cars were upside down and houses levelled to the ground
E
a twisted trampoline was hangin' from the power line
A B E
I blinked a tear back as I felt lucky to be alive
A E B
And that was how I learned to live when you can run but you can't hide
A Dbm B
How to feel trapped in a tunnel but come out the other side
A E
'Cause with all the stormy weather in the world
B Dbm A B
You learnt to take life one storm at a time, you don't have to be afraid
A B
And now, when there's bad weather on the way, I stay calm
E A B E Dbm A E Dbm A
And I keep hanging on because it's always darkest before the dawn
Outro:
E Dbm A E A
And I keep hanging on
E Dbm A E A E
I keep hanging on
