River - Joni Mitchell
Version 5 of 7
- River (Chords) (v1)Rating: 4.53 / 5.00
- River (Chords) (v2)Rating: 4.58 / 5.00
- River (Chords) (v3)Rating: 4.76 / 5.00
- River (Chords) (v4)Rating: 4.83 / 5.00
- River (Chords) (v6)Rating: 4.73 / 5.00
- River (Ukulele Chords) (v1)Rating: 4.67 / 5.00
Capo: Fret 5
Tuning: Standard, E A D G B E
Song: River
Artist: Joni Mitchell
Composer: Joni Mitchell
Album: Blue
Tabbed by DJ 7th Nov 2015
To hear the track, copy and paste this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHxxBTl71I
This is my own interpretation for acoustic guitar to try to reflect an
element of Joni's piano arrangement. The intro and coda are not a literal
transcription of the piano, but intended to just give a flavour of those
Christmas riffs for those who may want to include them.
Played fingerstyle. For the C/G to G changes, play the G using the ring
finger on the 6th string, little finger on the 1st string, middle finger
on the 5th string. Then for the C/G chord move the middle finger to the
4th string and the index finger to the 2nd string. The ring and little
fingers stay where they are when alternating between the two chords.
CAPO: 5th fret (Will then sound in the recorded key of C)
[Descending riff Verses 3 & 6]
I made m
y ba----
by...
e |---3------2
B |---0------0
G |-----------
D |-----------
A |---3------3
E |-----------
--------0-----
--------0-----
--------------
--------------
--------3-----
--------------
----|
-3--|
-0--|
----|
-3--|
----|
Chord names and fret positions are relative to the capo:
= 320003 = 022200 = x02210 = 020002
= 022000 = xx0233 = x0443x = 020202
= x32000 = xx0230 = x02213 = xx0010
= xx0232 = x32010 * = x32003 = x32030
= 3x2013 = x22000 = x32002 = xx0235
= x3003x = x02030
h = hammer-on note
Please take a second to scroll down to the bottom of the page
and select a star rating for my tab, it would be very much appreciated
========================================================================
[Intro]
e |-----------
B |--0--0-0---
G |--0--0-0---
D |-----------
A |-----------
E |--3--3-3---
--------|-----
0--0-0--|--0--
0--0-0--|--0--
--------|-----
--------|-----
3--3-3--|--3--
-------------|
-3-----------|
-0---0---2---|
-----0---0---|
-------------|
-3---3---3---|
e |-----------
B |--0-0--0---
G |--0-0--0---
D |-----------
A |-----------
E |--0-0--0---
--------|-----
0-------|--0--
0--2-2--|--0--
---4-4--|-----
--------|-----
0--0-0--|--0--
-------------|
-3-----------|
-0---0---2---|
-----0---0---|
-------------|
-0---0---0---|
e |-----------
B |--0-0--0---
G |--0-0--0---
D |-----------
A |--3-3--3---
E |-----------
--------|-----
0-------|--0--
0-0--0--|--0--
--0--0--|-----
3-3--3--|--3--
--------|-----
-------------|
-3-----------|
-0---0---2---|
-----2---2---|
-3---3---3---|
-------------|
e |--2------2-
B |--3------3-
G |------2----
D |--0--------
A |-----------
E |-----------
---2---|--2--2
---3---|--3--3
-2-0---|------
-------|--4--4
-------|------
-------|------
----2---2----|
----3---3----|
-------------|
----2---0----|
-------------|
-------------|
[Verse 1]
It's coming on
Christmas, th
ey're cutting
down trees,
They're puttin
g up reindeer,
and singing s
/
ongs of joy an
d peace,
Oh, I wish I h
ad a ri - ver-
---- I could s
kate--- away o
n!| / / /
/ |
[Verse 2]
But it don't s
now here, stay
s pretty green
,
I'm gonna make
a lot of mone
y, then I'm go
nna quit this
crazy---- scen
e,
Ah, I wish I h
ad a ri - ver-
--- I could sk
ate--- away on
! | / / /
/ |
[Verse 3]
I wish I had a
river so long
-------, I wo
uld...
...Teach my f
eet to ...fly-
/
--------------
--------------
/
--,
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
Woh, I wish I
had a riv - er
...I could
skate a - way
on, | / / /
/ |
I made my
ba---- b
y ...cry-
--------!
| / / / /
| / / / /
| / / /
/
/ | / / /
/ |
[Verse 4]
He tried hard
to help me, yo
u know, he put
me at ease,
And he loved m
e so naughty,
made me weak i
n the knees,
Oh, I wish I h
ad a river----
--- I could sk
ate--- away on
! | / / /
/ |
[Verse 5]
I'm so h
ard to handle,
I'm selfish a
nd I'm sad,
Now I've gone
and lost the b
est baby that
I------ ever
had,
Oh, I wish I h
ad a ri - ver-
---- I could s
kate---- away
on! | / / /
/ |
[Verse 6]
I wish I had a
river so long
--------, I wo
uld...
...Teach my f
eet to ...fly-
/
--------------
--------------
--------------
--,
| / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |
Oh, I wish
I had a riv -
er ...I cou
ld skate away
on, | / / /
/ |
I made my
ba---- b
y say good
bye--------!
| / / / /
| / / / / |
/ / / / |
/ / / /
|
[Verse 7]
It's coming on
Christmas, th
ey're cutting
down trees,
They're puttin
g up reindeer,
singing songs
of joy and pe
ace,
I wish I h
ad a ri - ver-
--- I could sk
ate------ awa
y----- on----
-!
[Coda]
e |--2--2--2--
B |--3--3--3--
G |-----------
D |--0--0--0--
A |-----------
E |-----------
---|--0--h2---
---|--3-------
---|----------
0--|--0---0---
---|----------
---|----------
2------|--2--5
3------|--3--3
-------|------
0---0--|--0--0
-------|------
-------|------
-----0--|---0-
--3--3--|---1-
--2-----|-----
--0--0--|-----
--------|---0-
--------|-----
---0----|
---1----|
--------|
--------|
---0----|
--------|
e |--0--0--0--
B |--0--0--0--
G |-----------
D |-----------
A |--3--3--3--
E |-----------
----|------0--
----|---3-----
----|---0-----
----|---------
-3--|---3-----
----|---------
----0--|--0--3
3---3--|--0---
-------|------
-------|------
----3--|--3---
-------|------
--------|---0-
--1--3--|---0-
--0-----|-----
--------|-----
--3-----|---3-
--------|-----
--0-----|
--0-----|
--------|
--------|
--3-----|
--------|
e |--0--0--0--
B |--1--1--1--
G |-----------
D |-----------
A |--0--0--0--
E |-----------
---|------0---
---|--3------3
---|--0-------
---|----------
0--|--0-------
---|----------
--0--|--0--3--
--3--|--1-----
-----|--------
-----|--------
--0--|--0-----
-----|--------
------|---0---
1--3--|---1---
0-----|-------
------|---2---
0-----|-----0-
------|-------
--0-----|
--1-----|
--------|
--2-----|
----0---|
--------|
e |---0-------
B |---1-------
G |-----------
D |---2-------
A |-----0-----
E |-----------
0-------|---0-
1-------|---1-
--------|-----
2-------|---2-
----0---|-----
--------|-----
--------------
--------------
--------------
------2-------
--0--------0--
--------------
-||
-||
-||
-||
-||
-||