America - Don't Cross the River: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Don't Cross the River" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Em                            A
There's a little girl out lyin' on her own
F#m                Bm
She's got a broken heart
Em                            A
She's not the kind to take you down for long
F#m                     Bm
She knows and plays it smart

 Em                A       F#m            Bm
(Ah) And if she's comin' she's showed no mark
Em               A             F#m       Bm
She's heard no whistle blowin' from the dark
Em               A             F#m         Bm
She feels like leavin' and she don't know why
Em                                 A
Without no bridges she's trapped, so I sigh

Chorus:
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide
D            G           D             G
Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side
          A
All your life
         G   C   G
You were on your own

Bm                   G        D
If you want you can ride my train
    F#m                                 D
And soon forget the reason that you're leaving
 G        Em7       A       D
Lose yourself and then sometime
 D          D7                  G
Maybe even save yourself some grievin'

Chorus:
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide
D            G           D             G
Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide
D            G           D             G
Don't try denyin' livin' on the other side
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide
D                G            D              G
Don't cross the river if you can't swim the tide



You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

Bm

Guitar chord Bm

C

Guitar chord C

D

Guitar chord D

D7

Guitar chord D7

Em

Guitar chord Em

Em7

Guitar chord Em7

F#m

Guitar chord F#m

G

Guitar chord G

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Don't Cross the River" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Don't Cross the River" by America.

America Song List