Riverboat Chords
by Faron Young
Riverboat by Faron Young is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of D# with a capo on the 1st fret. It uses the chords D, G and A. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.
Fiddle Intro:
D G D A
D G D A D
D G
Well I spent the better part of my life
D A
On a Mississippi riverboat
D G
And I used to be known from coast to coast
D A D
As the slickest gambler afloat
G D
I deal the cards from Minnesota
A D
To the harbour at New Orleans
G D
I made alot of big money on a Riverboat
A D
And met a lot of pretty Riverboat queens
G D G D G D
Riverboat, Riverboat I love your whistle’s wail
G D G D
I wish I was back on the Riverboat
A D
Instead of in a Memphis jail
G D
Instead of in a Memphis jail
Well a big man got on the Riverboat
Our last time in St Paul
He had a lot of money but his luck ran out
And the Riverboat crew won it all
He said I dealt from the bottom of the deck
And he pulled a shinny knife
But before that gambler lunged at me
My 44 took his life
Chorus
Well they came on the boat and they took me to jail
When we got to Tennessee
A gambling man has very few friends
Guess nobody cared for me
So I might be here for a many long year
But if I ever get out
I'm going to head straight for that levy
And get me a Riverboat heading south
Chorus