Chords + Lyrics | Long Train Runnin’
Intro
||: Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) :|| x3
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Dm7 :||
Verse 1
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
Down around the corner, half a mile from here.
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
You see them long trains runnin’, and you watch them disappear.
| Cm7 Cm6 | Cm6 | Gm7 (Dm7) |Gm7 (Dm7) |
Without love, where would you be now?
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Gm7 (Dm7) |Gm7 (Dm7) |
Without love.
Verse 2
You know I saw Miss Lucy, down along the tracks.
She lost her home and her family and she won’t be coming back.
Without love, where would you be right now?
Without love.
Verse 3
| Gm7 N.C Gm Dm7 | Gm7 N.C Gm Dm7 |
Well, the Illinois central and the Southern Central Freight.
| Gm7 N.C Gm Dm7 | Gm7 N.C Gm Dm7 |
Got to keep on pushin’, mama, you know they’re runnin’ late.
| Cm7 Cm6 | Cm6 | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
Without love, where would you be now-na-na-now?
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
Without love.
Solo
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
| Cm7 Cm6 | Cm6 | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 Dm7 |
Verse 4 (as verse 3)
Well, the Illinois Central and the Southern Central Freight.
Got to keep on pushin’ mama, ’cause you know they’re runnin’ late.
Without love, where would you be now?
Without love.
Verse 5 (as verse 3)
Well, pistons keep on churnin’ and the wheels go ’round and ’round.
And the steel rails are cold and hard on the mountains they go down.
Without love, where would you be right now?
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Cm | Cm |
Without love ooh, where would you be now?
Outro
||: Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) :||
Mmm, got to get you, baby, baby, won’t you move it down?
Won’t you move it down? Baby, baby, baby, baby, won’t you move it down?
When the big train run, when the train is movin’ on, I got to keep on movin’.
Keep on movin’, won’t you keep on movin’? Gonna keep on movin’.
Long Train Runnin’ Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find two backing tracks for playing Long Train Runnin’. I’ve used AI to extract the chords while keeping the drums and bass intact, with vocals included on the first track in the playlist.
After studying the chords and TAB, use these backing tracks to prepare for playing Long Train Runnin’ with a band.
There is also a third backing track where the vocals are removed but the chords remain, so you can solo—more on this later.
In some countries, the backing tracks with chords and vocals are restricted due to copyright.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
There’s plenty happening in the chord progression of The Doobie Brothers’ Long Train Runnin’. Let’s break it down, starting with the intro.
The main chord riff opens the tune with Gm7, followed by a quick Dm7 leading back to Gm7. To show that the Dm7 comes late in the bar, it’s written in brackets.
This riff is repeated seven times before moving to Dm7 for one bar:
||: Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) :|| x3
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Dm7 :||
Verse
Guitar 1 maintains the intro riff for four bars as the verse begins, while Guitar 2 plays a G minor pentatonic arpeggiated lick.
Next, we move to Cm, where the two guitars outline different extensions. Guitar 1 plays Cm7–Cm6, while Guitar 2 plays Cm9.
We then move to Eb – Gm/D – D7, before returning to the Gm7 riff.
It took me decades to spot the Gm/D chord—most players I’ve seen use either Eb or Dsus4 instead.
Here’s the full verse progression:
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
| Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
| Cm7 (Cm9) Cm6 | Cm6 (Cm9) | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Gm7 (Dm7) | Gm7 (Dm7) |
In the course, we cover both guitar parts in detail. Once you’ve learned them, you can combine ideas to create a part that works for a single guitarist in a band.
→ Long Train Runnin‘ – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse (Stops)
The stopped verse follows the same structure, except for the first four bars. Here, we play Gm7, stop, hit a short Gm, then Dm7, before stopping again on Gm7:
||: Gm7 N.C Gm Dm7 :||
Ritardando
At the end of the final verse, there’s a ritardando (gradual slowing down). Instead of returning to the main riff after D7, we move to Cm and play a lick (see TAB):
| Eb | Gm/D D7 | Cm | Cm |
Outro
The outro features multiple guitar layers playing the chord vamp introduced in the intro. Having studied both parts, you’ve got several options for how to approach this in a band setting.
To keep things tight, bring this chord chart to the gig.
Long Train Runnin’ Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart, share it with your bandmates, and point out that the chord after Eb is actually Gm/D—saving the day in the process.
Here are the files as a PDF and for iReal Pro:
Long Train Runnin’ TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we study two guitar parts taken from the original recording. As you’re unlikely to perform live with a second guitarist who’s equally prepared and has split the parts, you’ll need to learn both, then find a way to combine them into something that works.
Luckily, this is great fun, as both parts on the record are incredibly cool. As a preview, here’s the opening of Guitar 2 in the verse—check out that G minor pentatonic loop!
Soloing over Long Train Runnin’
If you remove the vocals from the original recording, you’ve got an excellent backing track for practising your solos. You can try this now, as that’s exactly what I’ve done in the video above.
I’ve laso tuned these backing tracks as the original recording is a little bit flat. To play with the original (with vocals), tune your guitar slightly flat with my online tuner (438z).
Start with these blanket scales:
- G minor pentatonic
- G minor blues scale
- G Conspirian
- G Aeolian
Once that feels comfortable, begin thinking in terms of modes, aiming to target key notes. Over Cm, highlight the minor 3rd, 9th, and 6th as you play Dorian.
For Eb, Lydian fits naturally—focus on the 3rd, major 7th, and #4 to bring out the sound.
Finally, try using G Dorian over Gm. Technically, it’s not “correct”, but it works beautifully. When you move to Cm and C Dorian, only one note changes—E becomes Eb.
This is the real advantage of understanding modes: you can bend the rules and create tension in a musical way, rather than sounding like you’ve made a mistake.
Long Train Runnin’ Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Long Train Runnin’ (The Doobie Brothers) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
