Cold Cold Ground chords by Tom Waits (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

Intro 1

Verse 1
C 
Am 
A crestfallen sidekick in an old café
C 
Never slept with a dream
Am 
before he had to go away
C 
There's a bell in the tower,
Am 
Uncle Ray bought a round
F 
Don't worry about the army
G 
C 
in the cold cold ground
Am 
Cold cold ground
C 
Cold cold ground
Am 
Cold cold ground

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Verse 2
C 
Now don't be a crybaby
Am 
when there's wood in the shed
C 
There's a bird in the chimney
Am 
and a stone in my bed
C 
When the road's washed out,
Am 
we pass the bottle around
F 
And wait in the arms
G 
C 
of the cold cold ground
Am 
The cold cold ground
C 
The cold cold ground
Am 
The cold cold ground

Verse 3
C 
There's a ribbon in the willow,
Am 
there's a tire-swing rope
C 
There's a briar patch of berries
Am 
takin' over the slope
C 
The cat'll sleep in the mailbox
Am 
and we'll never go to town
F 
Till we bury every dream
G 
C 
in the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground
C 
In the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground

Solo 1

In the cold cold

(ground)

Verse 4
C 
Give me a Winchester rifle
Am 
and a whole box of shells
C 
Blow the roof off the goat barn,
Am 
let it roll down the hill
C 
The piano is firewood,
Am 
Times Square is a dream
F 
I find we'll lay down together
G 
C 
in the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground
C 
The cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground

Verse 5
C 
We'll call the cops on the Breedloves,
Am 
bring a Bible and a rope
C 
And a whole box of Rebel
Am 
and a bar of soap
C 
Make a pile of trunk tires
Am 
and burn 'em all down
F 
Bring a dollar with you, baby,
G 
C 
in the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground
C 
In the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground

Outro 1
C 
Take a weathervane rooster,
Am 
throw rocks at his head
C 
Stop talking to the neighbors
Am 
until we  all go dead
C 
Beware of my temper
Am 
and the dog that I've found
F 
Break all the windows
G 
C 
in the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground
C 
In the cold cold ground
Am 
In the cold cold ground
[Repeat and fade]

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GuitarPianoUkulele

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: BeginnerKey: C majorBPM: 67

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Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

C: x-3-2-0-1-0
Am: x-0-2-2-1-0
F: x-3-3-2-1-x
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

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This is the definitive original version of Cold Cold Ground by Tom Waits, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of C major. It suits players who want to learn Cold Cold Ground the way Tom Waits intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.