I'd Rather Be A Cowboy (Lady's Chains) chords by
John Denver (Official Version)

1973Country260 views

Key: D majorDifficulty: Intermediate

Intro 1

D

G/D

D

D

G/D

D

Verse 1
D D 
 
Jessie went away last summer
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
a couple of months ago
After all our time together
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
it was hard  to see her go
D D 
 
She called me right up when she arrived
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
asked me one   more time to come
Living on a L.A. freeway
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
ain't my kind  of having fun

Chorus 1

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

G

D

I think I'd rather ride the range

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

A

Asus4

Than to lay me down in love and lady's chains

Interlude 1

D

G/D

D

D

G/D

D

Verse 2
D D 
 
When we were just beginning
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
it was such  an easy way
Layin' back up in the mountains
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
making songs for sunny days
D D 
 
But she got tired of pickin' daisies
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
and cooking my meals for me
She can live the life she wants to, yes,
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
and it's  all right with me

Chorus 2

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

G

D

I think I'd rather ride the range

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

A

Asus4

D

Than to lay me down in love and lady's chains

Bridge 1
A A 
 
G G 
 
D D 
 
I'd rather live on the side of the mountains
A A 
 
Than wander though canyons
G G 
 
D D 
 
of concrete and steel
A A 
 
I'd rather laugh
G G 
 
D D 
 
with the rain and the sunshine
C C 
 
G/B G/B 
 
G G 
 
G/F# G/F# 
 
And lay down  my sundown
E7 E7 
 
A7 A7 
 
in some starry field

Verse 3
D D 
 
Oh, but I miss her in the mornin'
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
when I     awake alone
And the absence of her laughter
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
is a cold  and empty sound
D D 
 
But her memory always makes me smile
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
and I     want you to know
I love her, yes, I love her
G/D G/D 
 
D D 
 
just enough to let her go

Chorus 3
G G 
 
D D 
 
I think I'd rather be a cowboy
G G 
 
D D 
 
I think I'd rather ride the range
G G 
 
D D 
 
I think I'd rather be a cowboy
A A 
 
Than to lay me down
Asus4 Asus4 
 
D D 
 
D7 D7 
 
in       love and lady's chains

Chorus 4

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

G

D

I think I'd rather ride the range

G

D

I think I'd rather be a cowboy

A

Asus4

Than to lay me down in love and lady's chains

Outro 1

D

G/D

D

D

G/D

D

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsD G/D G A Asus4...

Chords

D
G/D
G
A
Asus4
C
G/B
G/F#
E7
A7
D7

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

D: x-x-0-2-3-2
G/D: x-x-0-0-0-3
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
A: x-0-2-2-2-0
Asus4: x-0-2-2-3-0
C: x-3-2-0-1-0
G/B: x-2-0-0-0-3
G/F#: 2-x-0-0-0-x
E7: 0-2-0-1-0-0
A7: x-0-2-0-2-0
D7: x-x-0-2-1-2

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Sus2 and sus4 swap the third in a chord for a second or fourth. The sus course covers the shapes and how to drop them into a progression. Practice sus chords

When a song moves through a lot of chords, the strumming hand has to stay steady through every switch. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and the timing that make changes easier. Smooth out your strumming

This is the definitive original version of I'd Rather Be A Cowboy (Lady's Chains) by John Denver, 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 D major. It is designed for guitarists ready to move past the basics and capture the true feel of John Denver's performance.

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