Chords + Lyrics | Love Train
Intro
| C | D9 | F | Fmaj7/G |
Chorus 1
| C | D9 |
People all over the world (everybody). Join in (join).
| F | Fmaj7/G |
Start a love train, love train.
| C | D9 |
People all over the world (all the world, now). Join in (love ride).
| F | Fmaj7/G |
Start a love train (love ride), love train.
Verse 1
| G | G6 G | F | F6 F |
The next stop that we make will be England.
| G | G6 G | F | F6 F |
Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too.
| G | G6 G | Am7 | G/A Am7 |
Don’t you know that it’s time to get on board.
| Dm7 | Dm7 | G G/F | G/E G/D |
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through. Well, well.
Chorus 2
People all over the world (you don’t need no money) Join in (come on).
Start a love train, love train (don’t need no ticket, come on).
People all over the world (join in, ride this train) Join in (ride this train, y’all).
Start a love train (come on, train), love train.
Verse 2
All of you brothers over in Africa.
Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too.
Please don’t miss this train at the station.
‘Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you. Well.
Chorus 3
People all over the world (sisters and brothers). Join in (join, come on).
Start a love train (ride this train, y’all), love train (come on).
People all over the world (don’t need no tickets). Join in (come on, ride).
Start a love train, love train.
Middle 8
| Eb Ebmaj7 | Eb6 Eb | C C6 | Cmaj7 C |
Ride, let it ride.
| Eb Ebmaj7 | Eb6 Eb | Dm7/G | G7 |
Let it ride. Let it ride. People, ain’t no war.
Chorus 4 (x3)
People all over the world (on this train). Join in (ride the train).
Start a love train, love train (ride the train, y’all).
People all over the world (come on). Join in (you can ride or stand, yeah).
Start a love train, love train (makin’ love).
People all over the world (’round the world, y’all). Join in (come on).
Start a love train, love train.
Outro
||: C | D9 | F | Fmaj7/G :||
||: People all over the world. Join in. Start a love train, love train. :||
Love Train Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Love Train. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 442Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
In the key of C, The O’Jays Love Train features some clever chord changes. Let’s break it down using Roman Numerals to find out when we venture outside the key.
Intro + Chorus
The intro which soon turns into a chorus looks like this:
| C (I) | D9 (IIx) | F (IV) | Fmaj7/G (V) |
In this progression, C is chord I, D9 is the IIx chord, F is IV, and Fmaj7/G is chord V. We could refer to the last chord as G13, but I prefer the sound of a small Fmaj7 on the guitar.
Notably, the D chord’s 3rd is the only note outside the key of C. The IV – V movement at the end is a common progression.
Verse
Next, let’s look at the verse, which features one of my favourite chord progressions. It moves beautifully, and the six chords are perfectly chosen. Here’s the first part:
||: G (V) | G6 G | F (IV) | F6 F :||
This progression moves between IV and V, with 6th extensions. We then vary it by replacing F with Am.
The A11 doesn’t have a 3rd, so we’re still staying within the key. I prefer calling it a G/A, even though it’s technically the same chord, because it makes it clearer that it’s not an A major chord.
Here’s the middle part of the verse:
| G (V) | G6 G | Am7 (VI) G/A (V/9 | Am7 |
Finally, the last line shifts to a Dm7 (II) chord, similar to the D9 from the chorus. The final bar features a V chord with a descending bass line:
| Dm7 (II) | Dm7 | G (V) G/F | G/E G/D |
Middle 8
The last section to explore is the middle 8, which introduces modal interchange. Up until this point, we’ve been in C major (Ionian), but the middle 8 starts on Eb, as if we were in Cm (Aeolian)!
| Eb Ebmaj7 | Eb6 Eb | C C6 | Cmaj7 C |
| Eb Ebmaj7 | Eb6 Eb | Dm7/G | G7 |
The descending extensions on the Eb chord lead back to C, where we ascend from the 5th, 6th, maj7, and root—a clever progression. After returning to Eb, we finish with a II – V in C (Dm7 – G7).
If you’d like TAB for how I would play this classic wedding tune, check it out further down this guitar lesson.
Having worked through the TAB, don’t forget to use this chord chart when you head to the wedding gig to witness the Love Train in action!
Love Train Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Love Train chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Love Train iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which is useful if you want other instruments to play with you.
Love Train | TAB
Let’s walk through all of Love Train‘s sections using TAB to help you play this classic hit with style and confidence—perfect for wedding gigs!
The intro also serves as the chorus in Love Train, and this first approach is all about providing a steady rhythm with minimal movement. Here’s the TAB:
Here’s idea 2. Now, we add some licks and extend the chords to the 6th.
This version is the third idea and is closer to the original recording.
Here’s a transcription of what happens on the actual recording. In my opinion, this works best with a big band, where someone else is playing the chords.
Verse
Let’s move on to the verse. I really like this part—it’s not directly transcribed, I developed it. Should probably have written G6 to G in the TAB, but I did include that in the chord chart for Love Train.
My favourite part is the Am to G/A, then back to Am. It’s subtle but signals to everyone else in the band that you’ve done your homework, which is always a good plan when getting paid!
Middle 8
Finally, here’s the middle 8, complete with a modal interchange.
I feel it’s important to hold it down here with 8th-note chord stabs, as the rest of the band will likely “open up”—meaning the drummer might switch to the ride cymbal, abandoning the hi-hat.
When you can play all this TAB, scroll back up to the backing track and put it all together using only a simple chord chart.
Love Train Chords: Continue Learning
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