King Of California chords by Dave Alvin (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

Gsus2
C
Am7
C/G
G/B
Em7
Fadd9
Em

Intro 1

Gsus2

Am7

Verse 1
C 
C/G 
Well, I left my home and my one true love
C 
G/B 
Am7 
East of the Ohio  River
C 
C/G 
My father said we'd never wed
C 
G/B 
Am7 
For I had neither gold  nor silver

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Chorus 1

Em7

Fadd9

But my darling dear, please shed no tears

G/B

Am7

Oh, I think that it's fair to warn you

Fadd9

G/B

Am7

That I'll return to claim your hand

Em7

Fadd9

As the King of Ca lifornia

Am7

Verse 2
C 
C/G 
Over deserts hot and mountains cold
C 
G/B 
Am7 
I traveled the Indian country
C 
Whispering your name
C/G 
under lonesome skies
C 
G/B 
Am7 
Remembering my only  company

Chorus 2
Em7 
Fadd9 
But my darling dear, please have     no fear
C 
G/B 
Am7 
For I think that it's fair  to warn you
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
That I'll     return to claim your hand
Em 
Fadd9 
C 
As the King of Ca       lifornia
C 
C 
Am7 
Am7 

Verse 3

C/G

I went up from Sacramento town

G/B

Am7

To the Sierra gold fields

C/G

And I worked my stake on a riverbank

G/B

Am7

Dreaming just how a rich man feels

Chorus 3
Em7 
Fadd9 
Now my darling dear, listen   here
C 
G/B 
Am7 
For I think that it's fair  to warn you
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
That I'll     return to claim your hand
Em7 
Fadd9 
C 
As the King  of Ca       lifornia
C 
C 
Am7 
Am7 

Solo 1
Em7 
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
Em7 
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
Am7 
Em 
Fadd9 
C 
C 
Gsus2 
Gsus2 
Gsus2 
Gsus2 

Verse 4

C/G

Now the dead man's lying at my feet

G/B

Am7

Who tried to steal my earnings

C/G

Yet I still recall your tender kiss

G/B

Am7

Though this bullet in my chest is burning

Chorus 4
Em7 
Fadd9 
Oh, my darling dear, please shed     no tears
C 
G/B 
Am7 
'Cause I think that it's fair  to warn  you
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
That I'll     return to claim your hand
Em7 
Fadd9 
C 
As the King  of Ca       lifornia
C 
C 
Am7 
Am7 
Fadd9 
C 
G/B 
Am7 
That I'll     return to claim your hand
Em7 
Fadd9 
C 
As the King  of Ca       lifornia

Outro 1

Gsus2

1994Country

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GuitarPianoUkulele

Gsus2
C
Am7
C/G
G/B
Em7
Fadd9
Em

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: IntermediateKey: Eb majorBPM: 132

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

Gsus2: 3-x-0-2-3-3
C: x-3-2-0-1-0
Am7: x-0-2-0-1-0
C/G: 3-x-2-0-1-0
G/B: x-2-0-0-0-3
Em7: 0-2-2-0-3-0
Fadd9: x-x-3-2-1-3
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

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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

Even perfectly fretted chords sound wrong on an out-of-tune guitar. Get in tune in seconds, right in your browser, with the free online guitar tuner

This is the original studio version of King Of California by Dave Alvin, capturing how the song was actually played on the recording. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart keeps the exact chord voicings and capo position in the original key of Eb major. It is designed for guitarists ready to move past the basics and capture the true feel of Dave Alvin's performance.