Chords
The River

The River by Bruce Springsteen was inspired by the economic downturn of the 70s in the US and his sister-in-law’s early pregnancy. It reflects on lost innocence and the challenges of young adulthood, symbolized by the river.

Key: E

Introduction: Em    G    D    C    Am    G    C    C    C    

difficulty
very easy |||||
  Em                             G                    D                          C  
I come from down in the valley    Where mister, when you' re young
         Em                  G    C                     G  
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
          C                                             G                D      Em  
Me and Mary we met in high school  When she was just seventeen
        Am                                            G                             C  
We' d drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green

            Em              C            D                            G  
We' d go down to the river And into the river we' d dive
     Em              C              D    C  
Oh down to the river we&rsquo d ride
     Em                      G          D                              C  
Then I got Mary pregnant  And man, that was all she wrote
     Em                G                              C                         G  
And for my 19th birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
     C                                                 G                D          Em  
We went down to the courthouse  And the judge put it all to rest
     Am  
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
      G                          C  
No flowers, no wedding dress

                         Em              C  
That night we went down to the river
     D                            G  
And into the river we' d dive
     Em              C                 D     C  
Oh down to the river we did ride

     Em      G        D        C  
     Em      G        C        G  
     C              G  D      Em  
     Am              G        C  
e -------------------------------------10-10--12--10-12-10--12--10-12-10-------------------
B --------------12-10-8------12--12-12------------------------------------12--12-10-8------

  Em                             G                     D                     C  
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
      Em                              G                    C                        G  
But lately there ain' t been much work on account of the economy
     C  
Now all them things that seemed so important
                  G                        D                 Em  
Well mister they vanished right into the air
              Am                                          G                            C  
Now I just act like I don' t remember    Mary acts like she don' t care

            Em                              G                                D  
But I remember us riding in my brother' s car    Her body tan and wet down at
      C                     Em                              G  
the reservoir     At night on them banks I' d lie awake
                    C                              G  
And pull her close just to feel each breath she' d take
              C  
Now those memories come back to haunt me
        G            D         Em  
They haunt me like a curse
         Am                                                 G                      C  
Is a dream a lie if it don' t come true     Or is it something worse

                    Em              C                        D                      G  
That sends me down to the river    Though I know the river is dry
                    Em              C          D     C  
That sends me down to the river tonight
 Em              C            D          G  
Down to the river my baby and I
     Em              C            D    C  
Oh down to the river we ride      Ooh..

Em    C    D    G          Em    C  
C  
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  b  Bend