Johnny Cash – Im A Drifter Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Johnny Cash – Im A Drifter Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated

ChordsEABEsus4

Key
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[Intro]
E

[Verse 1]
      E      A
I'm a drifter
           E      A
A lonesome drifter
  A      E        A
I got no place to call
           E
my home no more

[Verse 2]
      E       A
I'm a wanderer
           E       A
A lonesome wanderer
A      E      A              E
Got no one to call my own no more

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[Chorus]
A                 E
Got no strings to tie me down
A               E
Got no cause to hang around
     A
What difference does it
                 E
make which way I go
       A             E
Got an empty feelin' deep inside
 A               E
Still I need to stay alive
    A
And who can tell what waits
            B
beyond this road

[Verse 3]
      E      A
I'm a drifter
           E      A
A lonesome drifter
A      E      A              E
Got no one to call my own no more

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Chorus]
A                 E
Got no strings to tie me down
A               E
Got no cause to hang around
     A
What difference does it
                  E
 make which way I go
       A             E
Got an empty feelin' deep inside
 A               E
Still I need to stay alive
    A
And who can tell what waits
            B
beyond this road

[Outro]
      E      A
I'm a drifter
           E      A
A lonesome drifter
A      E      A              E
Got no one to call my own no more
A                            E
Got no one to call my own no more
Esus4  E  Esus4  E  Esus4  E

How to play Im A Drifter: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Im A Drifter by Johnny Cash on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Im A Drifter by Johnny Cash is built around E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯), with 4 chords in all: E, A, B and Esus4.

The progression the song keeps returning to is A – E – A – B (IV – I – IV – V in E major). In solfa, that is fah – doh – fah – soh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes D, G, A, Dsus4 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

E chord on guitar (022100)
EE G♯ B
A chord on guitar (x02220)
AA C♯ E
B chord on guitar (x24442)
BB D♯ F♯
Esus4 chord on guitar (022200)
Esus4E A B

Im A Drifter chords: questions

What key is Im A Drifter in?

Im A Drifter by Johnny Cash is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

What chords are in Im A Drifter?

Im A Drifter uses 4 chords: E, A, B, Esus4.

What is the chord progression of Im A Drifter?

The main progression is A – E – A – B (IV – I – IV – V).

Is Im A Drifter easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes D, G, A, Dsus4 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo).

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