Take Me Home, Country Roads
Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, & John Denver
John Denver
Poems, Prayers, and Promises
1971
All this song requires are some quick picking fingers,
so warm up those hands and get started! This is a great
to help you learn picking! Most of those strange chords
you see are bass changes and runs, so don't worry too
much about it. Notice that this is played both in drop D
tuning and with capo 2nd. Good luck and keep playin'!
Lyrics
Chords
Drop D Tuning: DADGBE (low to high)
Capo 2nd
Here's the intro:
G G/D G G/D G G/D G G/D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|
B:-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D:-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|
Here is the verse tab (repeats twice per verse):
Almost heaven West Virginia
G G/D G G/D Em Em/B Em Em/B
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|-------0-------0-|-------0-------0-|
B:-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-----------------|-----------------|---------2-------|---------2-------|
D:-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|-2---------------|-2---------------|
Blue Ridge Mountains Shenan- do- a Ri - ver
D D/A D D/A C G G/D G G/D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------0---------|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|
B:-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----1-----------|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
G:---2-------2-----|---2-------2-----|---0-------------|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|
D:-0---------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:---------0-------|---------0-------|-3-------2---0---|-----------------|-----------------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|
Here is the chorus:
roads take me home to the
G G/D G D D/A D D/A
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3-------3-|-------3---------|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|
B:-----0-------0---|-----0-----------|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------------|---2-------2-----|---2-------2-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|
A:-----------------|---------2---3---|---------0-------|---------0-------|
D:-5-------0-------|-5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
place I be - long West Vir-
Em/B Em Em/B C
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------0-------0-|-------0-------0-|-------0-------0-|-------0---------|
B:-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----1-------1---|-----1-----------|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-2---------------|-2-------2-------|-3-------3-------|-3-------2---0---|
D:---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
ginia Mountain momma take me
G G/D G D D/A D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3-------3-|-------3---------|-------2-------2-|-------2---------|
B:-----0-------0---|-----0-----------|-----3-------3---|-----3-----------|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------------|---2-------2-----|---2-------------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|
A:-----------------|---------2---3---|---------0-------|---------0---2---|
D:-5-------0-------|-5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
home country roads
C G G/D G G/D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------0-------0-|-------0---------|-------3-------3-|-------3-------3-|
B:-----1-------1---|-----1-----------|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------------|---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-3-------3-------|-3-------2---0---|-----------------|-----------------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-5-------0-------|-5-------0-------|
Here is the bridge:
I hear her voice in the morning hour she calls me
Em Em/B D D/A G G/D G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------0-------0-|-------2-------2-|-------3-------3-|-------3---------|
B:-----0-------0---|-----3-------3---|-----0-------0---|-----0-----------|
G:---0-------0-----|---2-------2-----|---0-------0-----|---0-------------|
D:-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:---------2-------|---------0-------|-----------------|---------0---2---|
D:-2---------------|-----------------|-5-------0-------|-5---------------|
radio reminds me of my home far away
C G G/D D D/A D D/A
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------0-------0-|-------3-------3-|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|
B:-----1-------1---|-----0-------0---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|
G:---0-------0-----|---0-------0-----|---2-------2-----|---2-------2-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-3-------3-------|-----------------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
D:-----------------|-5-------0-------|-0---------------|-0---------------|
drivin' down the road I get a feelin' that I shoulda been home
Em Em/B F C G G/D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------0-------0-|-------1-------1-|-------0---------|-------3-------3-|
B:-----0-------0---|-----1-------1---|-----1-----------|-----0-------0---|
G:---0-------0-----|---2-------2-----|---0-------------|---0-------0-----|
D:-----------------|-3-------3-------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:---------2-------|-----------------|-3-------2---0---|-----------------|
D:-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-5-------0-------|
yesterday yesterday country
D D/A D D/A D7 D7/A D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-------2-------2-|-^2---------------|
B:-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----1-------1---|-^3---------------|
G:---2-------2-----|---2-------2-----|---2-------2-----|-^2---------------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-^0---------------|
A:---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|-^0---------------|
D:-0---------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|-^0---------------|
For the end, repeat the chorus then play this:
Take me home country roads
G G/D D D/A D G G/D
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3-------3-|-------2-------2-|-------2---------|-------3-------3-|
B:-----0-------0---|-----3-------3---|-----3-----------|-----0-------0---|
G:---0-------0-----|---2-------2-----|---2-------------|---0-------0-----|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A:-----------------|---------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|
D:-5-------0-------|-0---------------|-0-------2---4---|-5-------0-------|
take me home country roads
G D D/A D G G/D G
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
e:-------3---------|-------2-------2-|-------2---------|-------3-------3-|---------^3-------|
B:-----0-----------|-----3-------3---|-----3-----------|-----0-------0---|---------^0-------|
G:---0-------------|---2-------2-----|---2-------------|---0-------0-----|---------^0-------|
D:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------^0-------|
A:-----------------|---------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|---------^x-------|
D:-5-------4---2---|-0---------------|-0-------2---4---|-5-------0-------|-5---0---^5-------|
LYRICS:
Almost Heaven: West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there older than the trees
Younger than the mountains rollin' like a breeze
CHORUS
Country roads take me home to the place
I belong West Virginia
Mountain momma take me home country roads
All my mem'ries gather round her
Miner's lady stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine teardrop in my eye
CHORUS
BRIDGE
I hear her voice in the mornin' hour she calls me
Radio reminds me of my home far away
Drivin' down the road I get a feelin' that I should have been home yesterday
Yesterday
CHORUS 2x
Take me home country roads
Take me home country roads
CHORDS (drop D tuning):
G 5x0003
G/D 0x0003
D 000232 or xx0232
D/A x00232
Em 222000
Em/B x22000
C x32010
F xx3211
D7 000212 or xx0212
To learn why these chords are named this way, check out Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.
Created on 6-4-97 by Daniel E. Smith.