The Band - The River Hymn: Guitar Chords
Learn to play "The River Hymn" 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.
A# F Dm C The ladies would put the baskets on the table A# F Dm C And the men would sit 'neath a shady tree A# F Dm C The children would listen to a fable A# Am G7 While something else came through to me F A# F A# F A# F The river got no end, just rollin' 'round the bend A# F A# F A# F Then pretty soon the women would all join in A# F On the river hymn... Chorus: C F The whole congregation was standing on the banks of the river G F C F We are gathered here to give a little thanks thanks The voice of the rapids will echo And ricochet like an old water well Who d ever want to let go Once you sit beneath its spell It's dark and wide and deep, towards the sea it creeps I'm so glad I brought along my mandolin To play the river hymn G C You can ride on it or drink it F G Poison it or dam it C F Fish in it and wash in it A# C Swim in it and you can die in it C F Run, you river, run You can ride on it or drink it Poison it or dam it Fish in it and wash in it Swim in it and you can die in it Run, you river, run Son, you ain't never seen yourself No crystal mirror can show it clear, come over here instead Son, you ain't never eased yourself Til you laid it down in a river bed If you hear a lonesome drone, it's as common as a stone And gets louder as the day grows dim That's the river hymn Chorus: The whole congregation was standing on the banks of the river We are gathered here to give a little thanks thanks You can simplify chords by removing barre | TransposeReset Font SizeReset Guitar Chord DiagramsAm  A#  C  Dm  F  G  G7  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 River Hymn" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The River Hymn" by The Band.