Ry Cooder - How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to D key to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
[Opening]
[G] [D7] [G] [G]
Well, the doctor comes ar[D]ound with his face all [G]bright [G]
And he [G]says, “In a little [G]while you’ll be all [D]right!” [D7]
Well, all he [G]gives is a humbug [G7]pill
Dose of [C]dope and a great big [Am]bill
Tell me, [G]how can a poor man [D7]stand such times and [G]live? [G]
[verse 2]
[G]There once was a time when [D]everything was [G]cheap
But now [G]prices nearly [G]puts a man to [D]sleep [D7]
When we [G]get our grocery [G7]bill
We just [C]feel like making our [Am]will
Tell me, [G]how can a poor man [D7]stand such times and [G]live ? [G]
[verse 3]
[G] [D] [G] [G] [G] [D] [D7] [G] [G7] [C] [Am] [G] [D7] [G] [G]
Well I remember when dry [D]goods was cheap as [G]dirt [G]
You could [G]take two bits and [G]buy a dandy [D]shirt [D7]
Now we [G]pay three bucks or [G7]more
Maybe get a [C]shirt that another man [Am]wore
Tell me, [G]how can a poor man [D7]stand such times and [G]live? [G]
[Closing]
Most preachers well they preach for [D]gold and not for [G]soul [G]
Well, that’s what [G]keeps us poor folks always in a [D]hole [D7]
Now, we can [G]hardly get our [G7]breath
Taxed and [C]schooled and preached to [Am]death
Tell me, [G]how can a poor man [D7]stand such times and [G]live? [G]
Tell me, [G]how can a poor man [D7]stand such times and [G]live? [G]
How to play How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Ry Cooder - How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? uses these transitions most often: D7 → G (12), G → D (10), and G → D7 (7). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with G - D7 chord transition.
1. G → D7 chord transition
To move from G to D7;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.
2. G → D chord transition
To move from G to D;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
3. D → D7 chord transition
To move from D to D7;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.
4. G → G7 chord transition
To move from G to G7;
- Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
- Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.
5. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
6. C → Am chord transition
To move from C to Am;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
7. Am → G chord transition
To move from Am to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?.
- How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? includes 59 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
- G → D: 24%
- G → G7: 2%
After D7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (51%), G7 (18%), and C (6%).- D7 → G: 51%