Johnny Cash - The Wreck of the Old '97: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "The Wreck of the Old '97" 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 The Wreck of the Old '97 Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Johnny Cash

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 "The Wreck of the Old '97" smoothly on your guitar.

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

           A#                      D#
Well, they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
        A#                       F
Sayin' Steve you're way behind time
        A#                         D#
This is not Thirty Eight, this is Old Ninety-Seven
          A#            F         A#
You must put her into Spencer on time

He turned around and said to his black greasy fireman
"Shovel on a little more coal
And when we cross that White Old Mountain
Watch old 97 roll"

And then a telegram came to Washington station
This is how it read:
It said, "That brave engineer that has run old 97
Is lying down in Danville, dead"

He was going down the grade making 90 miles an hour
His whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
Scalded to death by the steam

So now all you pretty ladies you better take a warning
From this time on and learn
Don't you speak hard words to your true lover husband
He may leave you and never return


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

D#

Guitar chord D#

F

Guitar chord F

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 "The Wreck of the Old '97" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The Wreck of the Old '97" by Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Song List