Ghost Riders
View chords used in this chart
Am
E|1|-----------------0----|
B|2|-----------------1----|
G|3|-----------------2----|
D|4|-----------------2----|
A|5|-3--2--0------0--0----|
E|6|----------3------0----|
Am
Well, he sat down right in front of me, and I said
C G Am
It looks like you got a story to tell
Am
He offered up a friendly smile
C G Am
Said I'm just a ghost rider on this train
F
So I pressed him just a little bit harder
G Am
There's got to be more to it than that
Am
He said, son I was there in '45
C
When my mother was burned
G Am
And my sister was shot in the back
F C
It had started with a rumor
G Am
Then it happened fast
F C
We're shuffled into box cars
G Am
And rolled on down the track
F C
There was nothing we could do
G Am
Just roll across the plains
F G
We were all just ghost riders
Am
Ghost riders on the train
Am
When he turned to watch the fields roll by
C G
I saw a single tear
Am
Reflect off the glass
Am
And for a while he disappeared
C G
To a distant rainy night
Am
Then he came right back
F
I didn't know what to say or do
G Am
But he pressed on, there's more to it than that
Am
I can still feel the cuts from the barbed-wire fence
C G
Taste the taste of fear
Am
And smell the smell of the rats
F C
It had started with a rumor
G Am
Then it happened fast
F C
We're shuffled into box cars
G Am
And rolled on down the track
F C
There was nothing we could do
G Am
Just roll across the plains
F G
We were all just ghost riders
Am
Ghost riders on the train
( C G F )
( F C G F Am )
( C G F )
( F C G F Am )
Am
When I stood with him outside the gates
C G
Some three hundred-fifty miles southeast of
Am
Berlin
Am
A wicked wind blew from the west
C G Am
And a chill rippled up under my skin
F
He closed his eyes and asked dear God
G Am
What the hell was the sense of all of this
Am
Was it all part of your grand design
C G
Or just a speck in time
Am
Something that you missed
F C
It had started with a rumor
G Am
Then it happened fast
F C
Were shuffled into box cars
G Am
And rolled on down the track
F C
There was nothing we could do
G Am
Just roll across the plains
F G
We were all just ghost riders
Am
Ghost riders on the train
F G
We were all just ghost riders
Am
Ghost riders on the train
Final C G F
F C G F Am
C G F
F C G F Am
How to play Ghost Riders
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 Am. 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.