Chords for The Late, Great Dave Van Ronk: "Green Green Rocky Road"
Tempo:
137.95 bpm
Chords used:
E
A
Bb
B
G
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Now Green Rocky Road was a thing that [Bb] I picked up when [B] I was working in a club on McDougal
Street in the village called the Commons.
And that was the earliest period of the coffeehouse phase as a great American folk scare, around 1960.
And the headliners for the shows at that point were poets, beat poets.
And I was working with a guy named Bob Kaufman, Robert Kaufman, one of the best [D] of the poets
of that period.
[G] And I was sitting with him and we had a performance table up near the stage.
And as I like to say on stage, he whispered in my ear a song, he whispered in my ear a
phrase that's guaranteed to make any singer's blood run cold.
He said, boy, have I got a song for you.
And he proceeded to sing this thing to me in my ear.
And [Bb] Bob was borderline tone deaf.
I couldn't make head or tail of the melody that he was trying to get across to me.
But Len Chandler was there.
And Len Chandler, very, very well trained, highly trained musician, used to play in the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
And he deciphered the [B] melody from Bob's
[E] mooing.
[G] And I mean, had it not been for Len, there's no way I would have been able to do that.
I couldn't reconstruct it.
Len also recorded it.
He recorded it for Columbia.
But it's become so embedded in my repertory now that [E] I suppose if I have a theme song, that's it.
[A]
[E]
[A]
[E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
He don't walk, no, he just fly.
He don't walk, no, he don't run.
Keep on flapping to the sun.
Green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, [A] promenade [E] in green.
Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love.
Little Miss Jane run to the wall.
Don't you stumble, don't you fall.
Don't you sit, don't you shout when I sing.
Come running out, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, [A] [E] promenade in green.
Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love.
Yeah.
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] Whoa!
[E] Yeah.
[A] [E]
Yeah.
Ooga dooga soda cracker, does your mama [A] [E] chew tobacco?
If your mama chews tobacco, ooga dooga soda cracker.
How [A] are you going [E] to argue with a position like that?
[A] [E]
Yeah.
[A] [E]
When I go by the bottom, I need [A] no carpet [E] on the floor.
Come along, follow me.
There's a [A] man [E] in Galilee, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road,
[A] promenade [E] in green.
Tell me who you love, tell me who you love.
[A] [E] [N]
Street in the village called the Commons.
And that was the earliest period of the coffeehouse phase as a great American folk scare, around 1960.
And the headliners for the shows at that point were poets, beat poets.
And I was working with a guy named Bob Kaufman, Robert Kaufman, one of the best [D] of the poets
of that period.
[G] And I was sitting with him and we had a performance table up near the stage.
And as I like to say on stage, he whispered in my ear a song, he whispered in my ear a
phrase that's guaranteed to make any singer's blood run cold.
He said, boy, have I got a song for you.
And he proceeded to sing this thing to me in my ear.
And [Bb] Bob was borderline tone deaf.
I couldn't make head or tail of the melody that he was trying to get across to me.
But Len Chandler was there.
And Len Chandler, very, very well trained, highly trained musician, used to play in the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
And he deciphered the [B] melody from Bob's
[E] mooing.
[G] And I mean, had it not been for Len, there's no way I would have been able to do that.
I couldn't reconstruct it.
Len also recorded it.
He recorded it for Columbia.
But it's become so embedded in my repertory now that [E] I suppose if I have a theme song, that's it.
[A]
[E]
[A]
[E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
He don't walk, no, he just fly.
He don't walk, no, he don't run.
Keep on flapping to the sun.
Green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, [A] promenade [E] in green.
Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love.
Little Miss Jane run to the wall.
Don't you stumble, don't you fall.
Don't you sit, don't you shout when I sing.
Come running out, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, [A] [E] promenade in green.
Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love.
Yeah.
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] [E]
[A] Whoa!
[E] Yeah.
[A] [E]
Yeah.
Ooga dooga soda cracker, does your mama [A] [E] chew tobacco?
If your mama chews tobacco, ooga dooga soda cracker.
How [A] are you going [E] to argue with a position like that?
[A] [E]
Yeah.
[A] [E]
When I go by the bottom, I need [A] no carpet [E] on the floor.
Come along, follow me.
There's a [A] man [E] in Galilee, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road,
[A] promenade [E] in green.
Tell me who you love, tell me who you love.
[A] [E] [N]
Key:
E
A
Bb
B
G
E
A
Bb
_ Now Green Rocky Road was a _ thing that _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ I picked up when [B] I was working in a club on McDougal
Street in the village _ _ called the Commons.
_ And that was the earliest period of the coffeehouse _ phase as a great American folk scare, around 1960.
_ _ _ _ And the headliners _ for the shows at that point were poets, beat poets. _ _ _
_ And I was working _ with _ _ a guy named Bob Kaufman, Robert Kaufman, _ one of the best [D] _ _ of the poets
of that period. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] And I was _ sitting with him _ and _ _ we had a performance table up near the stage. _ _
And as I like to say on stage, he _ whispered in my ear a song, _ _ he whispered in my ear a
phrase that's guaranteed to make any singer's blood run cold.
He said, boy, have I got a song for you. _
_ And he proceeded to sing this thing to me in my ear.
_ And _ _ [Bb] Bob was _ _ _ _ borderline tone deaf. _ _ _
I couldn't make head or tail of the melody that he was trying to get across to me.
_ But _ Len Chandler was there.
_ _ And Len Chandler, very, very well trained, highly trained _ _ musician, used to play in the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
_ _ And he deciphered _ the _ [B] melody _ _ _ _ _ from _ _ _ _ Bob's _ _ _ _
_ [E] mooing. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] And I mean, had it not been for Len, there's no way I would have been able to _ do that.
I couldn't reconstruct it.
Len also recorded it.
He recorded it for Columbia.
_ _ But _ _ _ it's become so embedded in my repertory now that [E] _ _ I suppose if _ I have a theme song, that's it. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
He don't walk, no, he just fly.
He don't walk, no, he don't run.
Keep on flapping to the sun. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _ _ _ [A] promenade [E] in green.
_ _ _ _ Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love. _ _ _
_ _ Little Miss Jane run to the wall.
Don't you stumble, don't you fall.
Don't you sit, don't you shout when I _ sing.
_ Come running out, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _ _ _ [A] _ [E] promenade in green.
_ _ _ _ _ Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love. _ _
Yeah. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [A] Whoa!
[E] Yeah.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
Yeah.
_ Ooga dooga soda cracker, _ does your mama [A] [E] chew tobacco?
If your mama chews tobacco, _ ooga dooga soda cracker. _ _ _
How _ _ [A] are you going [E] to argue with a position like that?
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ Yeah. _ _ _ _
[A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ When I go by the bottom, I need [A] no carpet [E] on the floor.
Come along, follow me.
There's a [A] man [E] _ in Galilee, _ howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _
_ _ [A] promenade [E] in green. _ _
_ _ Tell me who you love, tell me who you love.
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _
Street in the village _ _ called the Commons.
_ And that was the earliest period of the coffeehouse _ phase as a great American folk scare, around 1960.
_ _ _ _ And the headliners _ for the shows at that point were poets, beat poets. _ _ _
_ And I was working _ with _ _ a guy named Bob Kaufman, Robert Kaufman, _ one of the best [D] _ _ of the poets
of that period. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] And I was _ sitting with him _ and _ _ we had a performance table up near the stage. _ _
And as I like to say on stage, he _ whispered in my ear a song, _ _ he whispered in my ear a
phrase that's guaranteed to make any singer's blood run cold.
He said, boy, have I got a song for you. _
_ And he proceeded to sing this thing to me in my ear.
_ And _ _ [Bb] Bob was _ _ _ _ borderline tone deaf. _ _ _
I couldn't make head or tail of the melody that he was trying to get across to me.
_ But _ Len Chandler was there.
_ _ And Len Chandler, very, very well trained, highly trained _ _ musician, used to play in the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
_ _ And he deciphered _ the _ [B] melody _ _ _ _ _ from _ _ _ _ Bob's _ _ _ _
_ [E] mooing. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] And I mean, had it not been for Len, there's no way I would have been able to _ do that.
I couldn't reconstruct it.
Len also recorded it.
He recorded it for Columbia.
_ _ But _ _ _ it's become so embedded in my repertory now that [E] _ _ I suppose if _ I have a theme song, that's it. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
He don't walk, no, he just fly.
He don't walk, no, he don't run.
Keep on flapping to the sun. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _ _ _ [A] promenade [E] in green.
_ _ _ _ Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love. _ _ _
_ _ Little Miss Jane run to the wall.
Don't you stumble, don't you fall.
Don't you sit, don't you shout when I _ sing.
_ Come running out, howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _ _ _ [A] _ [E] promenade in green.
_ _ _ _ _ Tell me who you love, [A] tell me [E] who you love. _ _
Yeah. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [A] Whoa!
[E] Yeah.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
Yeah.
_ Ooga dooga soda cracker, _ does your mama [A] [E] chew tobacco?
If your mama chews tobacco, _ ooga dooga soda cracker. _ _ _
How _ _ [A] are you going [E] to argue with a position like that?
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ Yeah. _ _ _ _
[A] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ When I go by the bottom, I need [A] no carpet [E] on the floor.
Come along, follow me.
There's a [A] man [E] _ in Galilee, _ howling green, [A] green, [E] rocky road, _
_ _ [A] promenade [E] in green. _ _
_ _ Tell me who you love, tell me who you love.
_ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _