Take Me Home, Country Roads | TAB
Let’s take a look at each section using TAB, make sure you practice these exactly as written, along with the original recording.
Here’s verse idea 1, it is extremely repetitive and simple. The same concept has been applied to all chords.
This is the same pattern as Blowin’ In The Wind btw. For the chords and lyrics, I decided to not write G G/D G G/D, and instead, G (G/D) to remind you that the bass needs to alternate from root to 5th.
Should you play with a bass player, you don’t want to do this!
Here’s the chorus using the exact same concept.
When you can play both the verse and chorus along with the original recording using these two TAB examples (ignore the middle 8 for now), move on and try these rhythms instead.
Here’s verse idea 2.
As you can see, the second half has a new rhythm, now the alternating bass only happens over beats 1 and 2.
Here’s chorus idea 2, this one is flipped!
Now the alternating bass is over beats 3 and 4. Again, practice idea 2 for the entire song, be very strict with yourself.
Once you can do this, try the middle 8.
Here we have mixed things up a bit, I’ve written what I felt sounded the most natural.
When you can play this along with the original, ignore all this TAB and just allow the different rhythms to appear naturally as you play along with John.
Finally, let’s remove the capo and try this in the key of A instead. I’ve only done the verse for you and things are mixed up. Notice how the A chord is ended early so you can switch to F#m.
Below you find chords and lyrics for the entire tune in the key of A. I’ve not written the alternating bass, put it in as you see fit.
Take Me Home, Country Roads | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
| A | A |
Verse 1
| A | F#m |
Almost heaven, West Virginia.
| E | D A |2/4 A |
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
| A | F#m |
Life is old there, older than the trees.
| E | D A |
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.
Chorus 1
| A | E |
Country roads, take me home.
| F#m | D |
To the place, I belong.
| A | E |
West Virginia, Mountain Mama.
| D | A |
Take me home, country roads.
Verse 2
| A | F#m |
All my memories, gather ’round her.
| E | D A |2/4 A |
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water.
| A | F#m |
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky.
| E | D A |
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye.
Chorus 2
| A | E |
Country roads, take me home.
| F#m | D |
To the place, I belong.
| A | E |
West Virginia, Mountain Mama.
| D | A |
Take me home, country roads.
Middle 8
| F#m E/G# | A A/E |
I hear her voice in the mornin’ hour, she calls me.
| D A | E E/B |
The radio reminds me of my home far away.
| F#m G G/D | D D/A A | E E/B | E7 |
Drivin’ down the road, I get a feelin’ that I should’ve been home yesterday. Yesterday.
Chorus 3
| A | E |
Country roads, take me home.
| F#m | D |
To the place, I belong.
| A | E |
West Virginia, Mountain Mama.
| D | A |
Take me home, country roads.
Chorus 4
| A | E |
Country roads, take me home.
| F#m | D |
To the place, I belong.
| A | E |
West Virginia, Mountain Mama.
| D | A |
Take me home, country roads.
Outro
| E | A |
Take me home, (down) country roads.
| E | A | A |
Take me home, (down) country roads.
Take Me Home, Country Roads TAB | Related Pages
Take Me Home, Country Roads | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn to play Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | Em |
Almost heaven, West Virginia…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
John Denver tunes
Country legend John Denver had his golden years during the late 60s and early 70s as he was recording other people’s tunes and writing his own.
His best work includes Leaving, on A Jet Plane, Take Me Home, Country Roads, Annie’s Song, and Thank God I’m a Country Boy.
John Denver on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm features TAB and covers Take Me Home Country Roads. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.