Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Highway Patrolman" 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.

  C#                   F#                 C#
My name is Joel Roberts I work for the state
I'm a sergeant out of Perrineville barracks
        G#
number eight
C#                         F#              C#
I always done an honest job as honest as I could
                       G#
I got a brother named Frankie and Frankie
          C#
ain't no good

Now, ever since we was young kids,
it's been the same comedown
I get a call on the shortwave:
Frankie's in trouble downtown
Well, if it was any other man,
I'd put him straight away
But when it's your brother, sometimes,
you look the other way

Chorus:
     F#                            C#
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin'
        F#                          C#
Nothin' feels better than blood on blood
        F#                  C#
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria as the band
                                 G#
Played "Night of the Johnstown Flood"
C#
I catch him when he's strayin'
F#                C#
like any brother would
                           G#
Man turns his back on his family well
                  C#
he just ain't no good

Well, Frankie went in the army back in 1965
I got a farm deferment, settled down,
took Maria for my wife
But them wheat prices kept on dropping
till it was like we were getting robbed
Frankie came home in '68, and me, I took this job

Chorus:
Yeah, we're laughing and drinking
Nothing feels better than blood on blood
Taking turns dancing with Maria
As the band played "Night of the Johnstown Flood"
I catch him when he's straying
Teach him how to walk that line
A man turns his back on his family
He ain't no friend of mine

Well, the night was like any other,
I got a call 'bout quarter to nine
There was trouble in a roadhouse out
on the Michigan line
There was a kid lying on the floor,
looking bad, bleeding hard from his head
There was a girl crying at a table,
and it was Frank, they said

Well, I went out and I jumped in my car,
and I hit the lights
Well, I must've done a hundred and
ten through Michigan County that night
It was out at the crossroads,
down round Willow Bank
Seen a Buick with Ohio plates,
behind the wheel was Frank

Well, I chased him through them county roads
Till a sign said "Canadian border,
five miles from here"
I pulled over on the side of the highway
And watched his taillights disappear

Chorus:
Me and Frankie laughing and drinking
Nothing feels better than blood on blood
Taking turns dancing with Maria
As the band played "Night of the Johnstown Flood"
I catch him when he's straying
Like any brother would
A man turns his back on his family
Well, he just ain't no good


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

C#

Guitar chord C#

F#

Guitar chord F#

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 "Highway Patrolman" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Highway Patrolman" by Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen Song List