The River chords by Bruce Springsteen

Chords with lyrics (Ver. 2)

The River chords
Bruce Springsteen

E minorEm G+G D MajorD C majorC E minorEm G+G C majorC

 E minorEm          G+G
I come from down in the valley,
   D MajorD         C majorC
where mister when you're young
   E minorEm       G+G  C majorC        G+G
They bring you up to do, like your daddy done
    C majorC
Me and Mary we met in high school,
   G+G      D MajorD  E minorEm
when she was just seventeen
   A minorAm                G+G           C majorC
We'd drive out of this valley, down to where the fields were green

    E minorEm     C majorC
We'd go down to the river,
  D MajorD          G+G
and into the river we'd dive
  E minorEm     C majorC     D MajorD C majorC
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

   E minorEm     G+G
Then I got Mary pregnant,
  D MajorD          C majorC
and man that was all she wrote
  E minorEm        G+G            C majorC          G+G
And for my nineteenth birthday, I got a union card, and a wedding coat
  C majorC
We went down to the courthouse,
    G+G      D MajorD   E minorEm
and the judge put it all to rest
  A minorAm
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle,
  G+G          C majorC
no flowers, no wedding dress

          E minorEm     C majorC
That night we went down to the river
  D MajorD          G+G
and into the river we'd dive
  E minorEm     C majorC     D MajorD C majorC
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

E minorEm G+G D MajorD C majorC  E minorEm G+G C majorC G+G  C majorC G+G D MajorD E minorEm A minorAm G+G C majorC

 E minorEm          G+G         D MajorD       C majorC
I got a job working construction, for the Johnstown Company
  E minorEm           G+G        C majorC         G+G
But lately there ain't been much work, on account of the economy
   C majorC
Now, all them things that seemed so important,
         G+G       D MajorD    E minorEm
well, mister they vanished right into the air
      A minorAm
Now I just act like I don't remember;
   G+G          C majorC
Mary acts like she don't care

    E minorEm           G+G
But I remember us riding in my brother's car,
     D MajorD            C majorC
her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
  E minorEm           G+G
At night on them banks I'd lie awake,
       C majorC            G+G
and pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
     C majorC           E minorEm
Now those memories come back to haunt me,
   G+G    D MajorD   E minorEm
they haunt me like a curse
   A minorAm
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true,
  G+G        C majorC
or is it something worse?

       E minorEm     C majorC
That sends me down to the river,
     D MajorD         G+G
though I know the river is dry
       E minorEm     C majorC    D MajorD  C majorC
That sends me down to the river tonight
E minorEm     C majorC     D MajorD    G+G
Down to the river, my baby and I,
  E minorEm     C majorC    D MajorD C majorC
oh, down to the river we ride


E minorEm C majorC  D MajorD  G+G   E minorEm C majorC  D MajorD  C majorC
ooh ooh ooh ooh  ooh ooh ooh ooh 2x

The River chords

The River is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most known songs, released in 1979 and still often heard on the radio. The song marked a new direction musically with ballads full of hopelessness instead of happiness and joy. Learn to play The River in the style of Bruce Springsteen with these guitar chords.

The song starts with a moody harmonica part which is also played by Bruce before the guitar intro follows. Recorded in 1979 but not released on album before 1981. It was never released as a single in the US, while it became a hit in some parts of Europe. The river in the song is a symbol for the dreams of the future, dreams that are passing by. Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street band has done many different versions of the song live, some short while others very long. Use these Bruce Springsteen “The River” guitar chords to make your own version.

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