Simon & Garfunkel - Richard Cory: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Richard Cory" 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#m                                  B
They say that Richard Cory owns one half
of this whole town
     C#m                        G#7
With political connections to spread his
wealth around
F#
Born into society a banker's only child
       C#m    B     E               G#7
He had everything a man could want; power,
grace and style

Chorus:
E                  C#m
But I work in his factory
      F#
And i curse the life I'm living,
And I curse my poverty
                                  E
And i wish that I could be, oh I wish that
       C#m
I could be
      F#               F#7         C#m
Oh I wish that i could be Richard Cory

The papers print his picture
Almost everywhere he goes
Richard Cory at the opera
Richard Cory at a show
And the rumor of his party
And the orgies on his yacht!
Oh he surely must be happy
With everything he’s got

Chorus:
But I...
I work in his factory
And I curse the life I’m living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Richard Cory

He freely gave to charity
He had the common touch
And they were grateful for his patronage
And they thanked him very much
So my mind was filled with wonder
When the evening headlines read
“Richard Cory went home last night
And put a bullet through his head”

Chorus:
But I...
I work in his factory
And I curse the life I’m living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Oh I wish that I could be
Richard Cory


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

C#m

Guitar chord C#m

E

Guitar chord E

F#

Guitar chord F#

F#7

Guitar chord F#7

G#7

Guitar chord G#7

B

Guitar chord B

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 "Richard Cory" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Richard Cory" by Simon & Garfunkel.