May162020

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – River Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression and Tab

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[Verse 1]
G G/B
The river is my savior
C G
Cause she used to be a cloud
G G/B
She’s happy just to lay there
Dsus4 D
When she used to be so proud
G G/B C G
And even when she dries up a thousand years from now
G Em D G
I’ll lay myself beside her and call her name out loud

[Verse 2]
G G/B
The river is my savior
C G
The only one I’ll ever need
G G/B
Wash my head when I’ve been sinning
Dsus4 D
Wash my knuckles when they bleed
G G/B
Protect me from my neighbor
C G
All this jealousy and greed
G Em
Take the body to the delta
D G
Hide the weapon in the weeds

[Chorus]
Am7 C
But now I’m tired and a little bit confused
G D
Regarding what I meant to do and what I did
Am7 C
The men I’ve hired they all seem to be afraid of me
G D
They turn their eyes away from me like kids

[Verse 3]
G G/B
The river hears my secrets
C G
Things I cannot tell a soul
G G/B
Like the children that I’ve orphaned
Dsus4 D
And the fortune that I stole
G G/B
The neighbor who asked questions
C G
Until he washed up on the shore
G Em
But I’ve done the law some favors
D G
So nobody has to know

[Chorus]
Am7 C
Now I’m tired and I just can’t get to sleep
G D
I’ve been awoke from all these sheep for all my life
Am7 C
The lake of fire it consumes me in my dreams
G D
And last night I woke up screaming at my wife

[Verse 4]
G G/B
The river is my savior
C G
She’s running to the sea
G G/B
And to reach her destination
Dsus4 D
Is to simply cease to be
G G/B
And running until you’re nothing
C G
Sounds a lot like being free
G Em
So I’ll lay myself inside her
D G
And I’ll let her carry me

How to play River: key, chords and progression

This is the chords of River by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.

River by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is written in G major (one sharp: F♯) and moves through 7 chords: G, G/B, C, Dsus4, D, Em and Am7.

Most of the song cycles through G – G/B – C – G (I – I – IV – I in G major). In solfa, that is doh – doh – fah – doh. Get these 4 changes smooth and the rest comes quickly.

Beginner-friendly: every chord here is an open shape on guitar: no capo, no barre chords needed.