Rio Grande
View chords used in this chart
A7sus4 x02033
A7sus4* x02030
[Verse 1]
Em7 G
Somewhere down south of here
Em7 G C2
There's a woman with an armload of grass
D Em7
Weaving a basket
D Em* A7sus4 C2
That'll float the Rio Grande
G C2
She'll send her baby on it
G C2 A7sus4
The river running wild and fast
D G
To curry the favor
D G C A7sus4
Of whatever Pharoah owns the land
[Chorus]
A7sus4*
A seed of an idea
(Bass G - B - A)
Like mustard greens
(Bass G - B - A)
Like newborn fingers
Curled and half asleep
G
Awake
Em7
[Verse 2]
Em7 G
From her mouth, a vineyard
Em7 G C2
Of swears and hallelujahs entwined
D Em7
A new wine is vinted
D Em* A7sus4 C2
A blend of sweet commandment
G C2
Oh, to hell with the semantics
G C2 A7sus4
The camel and the cable confide
D G
The eye of a needle
D G C2 A7sus4
Is tall enough to stand inside
[Chorus]
A7sus4*
A seed of an idea
(Bass G - B - A)
Like mustard greens
(Bass G - B - A)
Like newborn fingers
Curled and half asleep
G
Awake with a thunder
C2 G
From underneath
C2 G
Stretch up and reach through
C2 G
The hardest part of me
[Verse 3]
Em7
May all our tinfoil idols
G C2 D
Lay crumpled on the ground
D G
And our pre-fab Olympus
D G C2
Divided by the thousand
G C2
Oh, maybe I'm naive for thinking
G C2 D
That a mountain so stubborn can move
D Em7
But if I'm a mountain moving
Em7 G
I think maybe you can be, too
How to play Rio Grande
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 A. 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.