Take That - River: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "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.

Bm                         G
I spent my time yeah just holding on
D                      Em
Afraid to let go, the weight's swinging in my soul
Bm                        G
No time for shaking this heavy load
D                     Em
Before I take myself down, sinking like a stone

      Bm
Gotta get myself together
       G
Gotta wash my body clean
       D
If I try to live forever
      Em
Gonna be the death of me
          Bm
'Cause a ghost is in the water
          G
And it's haunted by the future
       D
Gotta leave himself to nature
       Em
Gotta take me to the sea

Chorus:
       Bm    D
Let me be a river
           G
Won't you carry me?
                G
I can hear you calling me (you calling me)
       Bm                     D
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere
Bm    D
Be a river
           G
Won't you carry me?
                G
I can hear you calling me (you calling me)
       Bm                     D
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere

 Bm
(Be a river, won't you carry me?
                 Bm
(I can hear you calling me)

I'm going down with the waterfall
Heading to places they haven't made a record for
Keep on the good side of every low
Nowhere to hide, no horizon, nowhere to go

Sometimes I feel you with me
Sometimes I go alone
Sometimes you give your blessing
Sometimes I feel the love

That river gonna take me there
That river gonna take me there
That river gonna take me there
Yeah, I know that river gonna take me ther

      Bm          D
That river gonna take me there
      G
That river gonna take me there
      G
That river gonna take me there
         Bm                    D
Yeah, I know that river gonna take me there

Chorus:
Let me be a river
Won't you carry me?
I can hear you calling me (you calling me)
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere
Be a river
Won't you carry me?
I can hear you calling me (you calling me)
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere
Be a river
Won't you carry me?
I can hear you calling me
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere
Be a river
Won't you carry me?
I can hear you calling me
Gotta trust that river gonna lead me somewhere


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

D

Guitar chord D

Em

Guitar chord Em

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 "River" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "River" by Take That.