Chords + Lyrics | Rich Men North Of Richmond (capo 3)
Verse 1 (breakdown)
| Em | C |
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Overtime hours for bullshit pay.
| Em | C | (start strumming)
So I can sit out here and waste my life away.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Drag back home and drown my troubles away.
Verse 2
It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to.
For people like me and people like you.
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true.
| G (G5) | D5 (D6) |
But it is, oh, it is.
Chorus
| Em | C |
Livin’ in the new world.
| G | D5 (D6) |
With an old soul.
| Em | C |
These rich men north of Richmond.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control.
| Em | C |
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do.
| G | D5 (D6) |
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do.
| Em | C |
‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end.
| G | D5 (D6) |
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
Instrumental
| Em7 | C | G | D5 (Dadd4) |
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
I wish politicians would look out for miners.
And not just minors on an island somewhere.
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat.
And the obese milkin’ welfare.
Verse 4
Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds.
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.
Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground.
| G | D5 | D5 |
‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down.
Verse 5 (as verse 1)
Lord, it’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to.
For people like me and people like you.
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true.
But it is, oh, it is.
Chorus
Livin’ in the new world.
With an old soul.
These rich men north of Richmond.
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control.
(breakdown 2nd half)
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do.
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do.
‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end.
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
Instrumental 2
| Em | C | G | D5 (D6) |
| Em | C | G | D5 |
Outro
| Em | C |
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day.
| G5 | D5 (D6) | Em |
Overtime hours for bullshit pay.
Rich Men North of Richmond Chords: Enhance the Simple Yet Powerful Progressions Using Chord Licks
The chord progression of Rich Men North of Richmond uses simple open-position chords with classic extensions, enabling the raw honesty of the lyrics and vocal performance to truly shine.
Oliver Anthony plays the song with a capo on the 5th fret, and his guitar is tuned slightly differently from standard tuning. If your guitar is in standard tuning, place the capo on the 3rd fret and play the following basic chords on a loop:
||: Em (VI) | C (IV) | G (I) | D5 (V) :||
It’s the extensions that give this part its character, and this can best be described using TAB, so be sure to check that first.
Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Rich Men North of Richmond – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve learned how to apply the chord licks to the progressions, you can use just the chords and lyrics above to remind you when to add each lick.
Additionally, here’s a simplified chord chart I created for you.
Rich Men North Of Richmond Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
The chord chart above is deliberately simple. I didn’t want to specify where to place each chord lick, as this should be left to improvisation.
Instead, I’ve indicated the slightly different extensions in the instrumental section, followed by the arrangement as it appears.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF of the Rich Men North of Richmond chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, and you can find the file here: Rich Men North of Richmond iReal Pro.
Using iReal Pro, you can change the key, though for this tune, I recommend adjusting the capo instead!
Rich Men North Of Richmond TAB | Course Preview
There’s plenty of TAB to help you start improvising a part for Rich Men North Of Richmond—just like Oliver Anthony does!
As a preview, here’s one way you could play it.
Was Rich Men North Of Richmond the song of 2023?
Oliver Anthony may have written the song of 2023 with his straight-to-the-point, brutally honest Rich Men North of Richmond. Well, I thought so—until The Beatles came back with Now and Then!
An overnight worldwide success, thanks to the internet and influential personalities like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, Oliver Anthony became a household name just weeks after the release.
At Spytunes, we’ve known for a long time that the secret behind every famous artist or band is their tunes. In the case of Rich Men North of Richmond, this has never been more evident.
Recorded in the simplest way possible, Oliver Anthony has songs out there captured on his phone. He uploaded the video to YouTube, ripped the audio, and released it on Spotify!
This total disregard for industry standards works in his favour, as he sings about being a normal, ordinary, poor person. It feels more authentic simply because it is.
It’s always been true that the most important thing for an artist is to have something to say.
I try to forget this obvious fact every time I buy another pedal or expensive guitar. How about you?
Rich Men North Of Richmond Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Rich Men North Of Richmond (Oliver Anthony) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
