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Jimmy Nail - Big River Chords

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ChordsC, F, Am, Em, Dm, G, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Walking on [F]cobble stone, [C]little bits of [F]skin and bone
[Am]Jumping on a [Em]tramcar for a [Dm]ride [G]
[C]I can [F]remember when, [C]I was just a [F]boy of ten,
[Am]Hanging ar[Em]ound the old quay [Dm]side [G]

[verse 2]
[F]Now all the cap[C]stans and the [Am]cargo boats and [F]stevedores are gone
[Am]to where the [C]old ships go, but [Dm]memories
just [G7]like the seas live [C]on

[verse 3]
[C]That was when coal [F]was king, [C]the river was a [F]living thing
[Am]and I was just a [Em]boy but it was [Dm]mine, [G7]the coaly [C]Tyne [F]

[chorus]
[G]For this was a [C]big [F]river
I want [Am]you all to [Em]know that I was [Dm]proud
[G]this was a [C]big [F]river but [Am]that was long a[Em]go,
that’s not [Dm]now, [G7], that’s not [C]now

[interlude]
[C] [F] [G] [G]

[verse 4]
[C]My father was a [F]working man, [C]he earned our living [F]with his hands
[Am]he had to cross the [Em]river every [Dm]day [G]
[C]he picked up the [F]union card
[C]out of the [F]Neptune yard
[Am]mouths to [Em]feed and bills to [Dm]pay [G7] [F]
then came a [C]time for him to [Am]sail across the sea and [F]far away
finally [C]when that war was [Dm]won
they brought him [G7]home and home he [C]stayed

[verse 5]
[C]and when his [F]days were done [C]under a [F]golden sun
[Am]they took him back to [Em]where he longed to [Dm]be
[G7]back to the sea [C] [F]

[chorus]
[G]For this was a [C]big [F]river
I [Am]want you all to [Em]know that I was [Dm]proud
[G]this was a [C]big [F]river but [Am]that was long a[Em]go,
that’s not [Dm]now [G], that’s not [C]now

[verse 6]
[C]The Neptune was the [F]last to go, [C]I heard it on my [F]radio
[Am]then they played the [Em]latest number [Dm]one [G]
[C]But what do they [F]do all day?
[C]what are they [F]supposed to say?
[Am]what does a [Em]father tell his [Dm]son? [G7] [F]

[verse 7]
if you be[C]lieve that there’s a [Am]bond between our future [F]and our past,
try to hold [C]on to what we have
[Dm]we build them [G7]strong we build to [C]last
‘cause this is a [F]mighty town
[C]built upon [F]solid ground
[Am]and everything they [Em]tried so hard to [Dm]kill
[G7]we will re[C]build

[Closing]
[G]For this was a [C]big [F]river
I [Am]want you all to [Em]know I’m so very [Dm]proud
[G]this is a [C]big big [F]river
[Am]and in my heart I [Em]know it will rise [Dm]again [G]
[G]the river will rise [C]again!!!

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistJimmy Nail
AlbumBig River
GenresCountry, Soul
Year1995
KeyC

How to play Big River on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Jimmy Nail - Big River on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

Big River uses these transitions most often: C → F (27), F → Am (16), and Am → Em (15). 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 C - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
C to F

2. F → Am chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from F to Am;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
F to Am

3. Am → Em chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from Am to Em;

  1. While playing Am, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
Am to Em

4. Em → Dm chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from Em to Dm;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
Em to Dm

5. Dm → G chord transition

To move from Dm to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

6. G → C chord transition

To move from G to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

7. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

8. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

9. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

10. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.

11. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

12. G7 → F chord transition

To move from G7 to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

Big River chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Big River.

  • Big River includes 141 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Big River contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Big River connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.