Johnny Cash - Big River: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Big 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.

    F
Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
                                            G         C7
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
F                                                    A#
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood
you Big River.
     F                    C7           F
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die

I met her accidentally in St. Paul, Minnesota
And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl
Then I heard my dream went back downstream, cavorting in Davenport
And I followed you, Big River, when you called

Then you took me to St. Louis later on down the river
A freighter said she's been here, but she's gone, boy, she's gone
I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the bluff
She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone

Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on
Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans
Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues down in the gulf
She loves you, Big River, more than me

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood
you, Big River
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

A#

Guitar chord A#

C7

Guitar chord C7

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 "Big River" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Big River" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List