California Cottonfields
View chords used in this chart
G D7 F C
My drifting memory goes back to the spring of '43
G D7
When I was just a child in momma's arms
G D7 F C
My daddy plowed the ground and promised someday we would leave
G D7 G
This run-down mortgaged Oklahoma farm
D7 C G
Then one night I heard my daddy saying to my momma
A7 D7
That he'd finally saved enough to go
G D7 F C
California was his dream a paradise for he had seen
G D7 G
Pictures in magazines that told him so
G C D7
California Cottonfields
C D7 C G
Where labor camps were filled with weary men with broken dreams
C D7
California Cottonfields
C D7 G
As close to wealth as daddy ever came
D7 F C
Nearly everything we had was sold or left behind
G D7
From my daddy's plow to the soup that momma canned
G D7 F C
Some folks came to say farewell or see what all we had to sell
G D7 G
Some just came to shake my daddy's hand
D7 C G
That model A was loaded down and California bound
A7 D7
A change of luck was just 4 days away
G D7 F C
But the only change that I remember seeing in my daddy
G D7 G
Was when his dark hair turned to silver gray
D7 C G
Then one night I heard my daddy saying to my momma
A7 D7
That he'd finally saved enough to go
G D7 F C
California was his dream a paradise for he had seen
G D7 G
Pictures in magazines that told him so
How to play California Cottonfields
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is G. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.