Neil Young - Down by the River: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Down by 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.

Em7                  A                   Em7
Be on my side, I'll be on your side, baby,
                    A             Em7
there is no reason for you to hide.
                  A                       Em7
It's so hard for me stayin' here all alone
                          A            Cmaj7
when you could be takin' me for a ride,

  Bm
Yeah, yeah.
Cmaj7           Bm                C
She could drag me over the rainbow
              Bm D
and send me away.

Chorus:
G     D      D A
Down by the river,
G   D      D A
I shot my baby.
G     D      D A
Down by the river,
Em7  A  Em7          A
dead, ooh, shot her dead.

You take my hand, I'll take your hand
Together we may get away
This much madness is too much sorrow
It's impossible to make it today

(Ooh la la lah la la lala) Yeah, ooh, yeah
(Ooh la la lah la la lala)
She could drag me over the rainbow
(Ooh la la lah la la lala)
And send me away, yeah

Chorus:
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead, dead, ooh
Ooh, shot her dead
Shot her dead

Be on my side, I'll be on your side
There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride

(Ooh la la lah la la lala) Ooh, yeah
(Ooh la la lah la la lala)
She could drag me over the rainbow
(Ooh la la lah la la lala)
And send me away, yeah

Chorus:
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river


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

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

Cmaj7

Guitar chord Cmaj7

Cmaj

Guitar chord Cmaj

D

Guitar chord D

Em

Guitar chord Em

Em7

Guitar chord Em7

G

Guitar chord G

Bm

Guitar chord Bm

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 "Down by the River" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Down by the River" by Neil Young.

Neil Young Song List