James Bay - Hold Back The River: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Hold Back The River" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Hold Back The River Guitar Chords and Lyrics by James Bay

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Hold Back The River" smoothly on your guitar.

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

Dm7       F          A#     F
Tried to keep you close to me,
    A#       F        C
But life got in between
Dm7        F         A#     F
Tried to square not being there
     A#        F                C
But think that I should have been

Chorus:
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back

Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we crawl against the tide
Those distant days are flashing by

Chorus:
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
                      C
Hold back the river, hold back
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
                      C
Hold back the river, hold back

Dm7  F    A#   F
Ooh oho, oho, oho,
 A#   F    C
Oho, oho, ohooh

F                                     A#
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander
Gm
Let us hold each other
F                                     A#
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander
Gm
Let us hold each other

Chorus:
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I-I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold

Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

Dm7

Guitar chord Dm7

F

Guitar chord F

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

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 "Hold Back The River" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Hold Back The River" by James Bay.