Red Army Blues
View chords used in this chart
[Verso 1]
Am F
When I left my home and my family
G Em
my mother said to me
Am F
"Son, it's not how many Germans you kill that counts
G Em
it's how many people you set free"
Am F
So I packed my bags brushed my cap
G Em
Walked out into the world
Am F
Seventeen years old
G Em
Never kissed a girl
Interlude
Am F G Em Am F G Em
Uh uh uh uh uh...
[Verso 2]
Am F
Took the train to Voronezh
G Em
that was as far as it would go
Am F
Changed my sacks for a uniform
G Em
Bit my lip against the snow
Am F
I prayed for mother Russia
G Em
In the summer of '43
Am F
And as we drove the Germans back
G Em
I really believed that God was listening to me
{Interlude 2}
Am F G Em Am F G Em
Uh uh uh uh uh...
[Verso 3]
Am F
We howled into Berlin
G Em
Tore the smoking buildings down
Am F
Raised the red flag high
G Em
Burnt the reichstag brown
Am F
I saw my first American
G Em
And he looked a lot like me
Am F
He had the same kinda farmer's face
G Em Am
Said he'd come from some place called Hazzard, Tennessee
{Interlude 3}
Am F G Em Am F G Em
Uh uh uh uh uh...
[Verso 4]
Am F
Then the war was over
G Em
My discharge papers came
Am F
Me and twenty hundred others
G Em
went to Stettiner for the train
Am F
Kiev! said the commissar
G Em
From there your own way home
Am F
But I never got to Kiev
G Em
We never came by home
Am F
Train went north to the Taiga
G Em
We were stripped and marched in file
Am F
Up the great siberian road
G Em
For miles and miles and miles and miles
Am F
Dressed in stripes and tatters
G Em
In a gulag left to die
Am F
All because Comrade Stalin was scared that
G Em
We'd become too westernized!
{Interlude 4}
Am F G Em Am F G Em
Uh uh uh uh uh...
[Verso 5]
Am F
Used to love my country
G Em
Used to be so young
Am F
Used to believe that life was
G Em
The best song ever sung
Am F
I would have died for my country
G Em
In 1945
Am F G Em
But now only one thing remains
Am F G Em
But now only one thing remains
Am F G Em
But now only one thing remains
Am F G
But now only one thing remains
Em Am F G Em
The brute will to survive!
How to play Red Army Blues
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.