[Intro]
(Drone on Am, adding 4ths, 5ths, 7th, octaves, diminished chords)
Am
F C G Am
F C G Am
[Verse 1]
F C G Am
It's been rainy and windy for seven days straight
F C G Am
I've been going to bed early and getting up late
F C G Am
I look out my window and it's one shade of gray
F C G Am
Oh, my wife and my kids don't have much to say
F C G Am
A man out of work only gets in the way
[Verse 2]
F C G Am
Oh, the river is rising now, one inch an hour
F C G Am
And tonight we'll be lucky if we still have power
F C G Am
But I got a flashlight, an oil lamp and I'm ready to go
F C G Am
And a fresh set of batteries for my son's radio
F C G Am E7
If the dam really breaks, least we'll know where to go
[Chorus]
Am C Am C
River take me, river take me
Am C F C G Am
River take me far from trouble time
Am C Am C
River take me, river take me
Am C F F C
River take me far from trouble tiiiiiime
G D F C E7
Ohhhhhh Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
[Verse 3]
F C G Am
If I had a boat you know what I'd do?
F C G Am
I'd float me and my family down to Baton Rouge
F C G Am
I wouldn't work in no factory, I'd live off the land
F C G Am
And live within means of my own two hands
F C G Am E7
Dance Saturday nights to a Zydeco band
[Instrumental]
F C G Am
F C G Am
Am
[Verse 3]
F C G Am
Oh, the river flows and a young man dreams
F C G Am
And the river can drown you or it can wash you clean
F C G Am
It can take you away to some far away place
F C G Am
It can power your cities, carry your waste
F C G Am
And give all that you drink a peculiar taste
[Verse 4]
F C G Am
Oh, don't look to me, I've done my time
F C G Am
You see I've had too many dreams for this one heart of mine
F C G Am
And I've stood on the bridge with the river below
F C G Am
Feeling all of the sadness that a proud man could hold
F C G Am E7
Oh, the river is full but there's no way to go
[Chorus]
Am C Am C
River take me, river take me
Am C F C G Am
River take me far from trouble time
Am C Am C
River take me, river take me
Am C F C G Am
River take me far from trouble time
Am C Am C
River take me, river take me
Am C F F C
River take me far from trouble tiiiiiime
G D F C E7
Ohhhhhh Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
F C G D F C E7
Ohhhhhh Ohhhhhh Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
[Optional Ending]
(Instrumental break in E major)
E