Truckin' chords by
Grateful Dead (Official Version)

1970Rock1.2K views

Key: E majorDifficulty: Intermediate

Intro 1

E

E

E7

E7

E7

E7

Chorus 1

E

Truckin', got my chips cashed in

A

A7

Keep truckin', like the do-dah man

B

B7

Together, more or less in line

A

Just keep truckin' on

Interlude 1

E7

E7

E7

E7

Verse 1
E7 E7 
 
Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out
on Main Street
Chicago, New York, Detroit
and it's all on the same street
E7 E7 
 
Your typical city involved
in a typical daydream

Chorus 2
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings
E E 
 
Dallas, machine got a soft machine
A A 
 
A7 A7 
 
Houston, too close to New Orleans
B B 
 
B7 B7 
 
New York got the ways and means
A A 
 
But just won't let you be

Interlude 2

E7

E7

E7

E7

Verse 2
E7 E7 
 
Most of the cats that you meet on the street
speak of true love
Most of the time,
they're sittin' and cryin' at home
E7 E7 
 
One of these days they know
they gotta get goin'
Out of the door

Chorus 3
and down to the street all alone
E E 
 
Truckin', like the do-dah man
A A 
 
A7 A7 
 
Once told me, "You've got to play your hand"
B B 
 
B7 B7 
 
Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime
A A 
 
If you don't lay 'em down

Interlude 3

E7

E7

E7

E7

Bridge 1
A A 
 
Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me
G G 
 
D/F# D/F# 
 
A A 
 
D D 
 
A A 
 
G G 
 
D/F# D/F# 
 
A A 
 
Other times, I can barely see
D D 
 
Bm7 Bm7 
 
F# F# 
 
Lately, it occurs  to me
Amaj7 Amaj7 
 
What a long,    strange trip it's been

Interlude 4

E7

E7

E7

E7

Verse 3
E7 E7 
 
What in the world ever became
of sweet Jane?
She lost her sparkle,
you know she isn't the same
E7 E7 
 
Livin' on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine

Chorus 4
All a friend can say is, "Ain't it a shame?"
E E 
 
Truckin', up to Buffalo
A A 
 
A7 A7 
 
Been thinkin', you got to mellow slow
B B 
 
B7 B7 
 
It takes time, you pick a place to go
A A 
 
And just keep truckin' on

Interlude 5

E7

E7

E7

E7

Verse 4

E7

Sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window

Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again

E7

I'd like to get some sleep before I travel

But if you got a warrant,

Chorus 5
I guess you're gonna come in
E E 
 
Busted, down on Bourbon Street
A A 
 
Set up, like a bowlin' pin
B B 
 
B7 B7 
 
Knocked down, it gets to wearin' thin
A A 
 
They just won't let you be

Interlude 6

E7

E7

E7

E7

Verse 5
E7 E7 
 
You're sick of hangin' around
and you'd like to travel
Get tired of travelin', you want to settle down
E7 E7 
 
I guess they can't revoke your soul for tryin'
Get out of the door and light out

Bridge 2
and look all around
A A 
 
Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me
G G 
 
D/F# D/F# 
 
A A 
 
D D 
 
A A 
 
G G 
 
D/F# D/F# 
 
A A 
 
Other times, I can barely see
D D 
 
Bm7 Bm7 
 
F# F# 
 
Lately, it occurs  to me
Amaj7 Amaj7 
 
What a long,    strange trip it's been

Interlude 7

E

E

E

E

Chorus 6

E

Truckin', I'm a goin' home

A

A7

Whoa, whoa, baby, back where I belong

B

B7

Back home, sit down and patch my bones

A

And get back truckin' on

Outro 1

E7

E7

E7

E7

[Repeat and fade]

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsE E7 A A7 B...

Chords

E
E7
A
A7
B
B7
G
D/F#
D
Bm7
F#
Amaj7

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

E: 0-2-2-1-0-0
E7: 0-2-0-1-0-0
A: x-0-2-2-2-0
A7: x-0-2-0-2-0
B: x-2-4-4-4-x
B7: x-2-1-2-0-2
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
D/F#: 2-x-0-2-3-x
D: x-x-0-2-3-2
Bm7: x-2-4-2-3-x
F#: 2-4-4-3-2-2
Amaj7: x-0-2-1-2-0

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Barre chords ask a lot of the fretting hand. The barre course walks through hand position, pressure, and the cleanest way to land each shape. Practice barre chords

Minor 7ths sit between minor and major in feel. The course covers the shapes and the songs they show up in most often. Learn minor 7th chords

This is the definitive original version of Truckin' by Grateful Dead, 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 E major. It is designed for guitarists ready to move past the basics and capture the true feel of Grateful Dead's performance.

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