On the Road Again | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: E | E :||
Verse 1
| E | E | G# |
On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.
| G# | F#m |
The life I love is making music with my friends.
| A B7 | E |
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
Verse 2
On the road again, goin’ places that I’ve never been.
Seein’ things that I may never see again.
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
Bridge 1
||: A | A | E :||
On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway.
We’re the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way.
| B7 N.C |
And our way.
Verse 3
Is on the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is makin’ music with my friends.
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
Solo
||: E | E | G# |
| G# | F#m | A B7 | E :||
Bridge 2
On the road again, like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway.
We’re the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way.
And our way.
Verse 4
Is on the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is makin’ music with my friends.
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
| A B7 | E | A B7 | E |
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
On the Road Again Chords: Learn the progressions
Played in the key of E, On The Road Again features a chord progression of unusual length. The verse is 7 bars long and goes like this:
| E (I) | E | G# (IIIx) |
| G# | F#m (II) |
| A (IV) B7 (V) | E (I) |
In Roman numerals, we start on chord I, move to IIIx, or the mediant major, as it’s sometimes called. This is followed by II – IV – V – I.
The bridge starts on chord IV, giving the feeling of hitting the road toward new adventures. It then moves to chord I, repeats, and finishes on chord V with a stop:
||: A (IV) | A | E (I) :||
| B7 (V) N.C |
The 7-bar structure is also used in the bridge.
I’ve designed three pieces of TAB for playing the verse and three for the bridge. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: On The Road Again – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
As you play along with Willie, you’ll notice his band has tuned slightly lower to 434Hz. Use my online guitar tuner to match their frequency.
Once you’ve studied the chords, lyrics, and TAB enough to feel organised, this chord chart will be all you need to take with you as you go on the road again.
On The Road Again Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: On The Road Again chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: On The Road Again chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Use On The Road Again to Improve Your Picking!
It’s a common misconception that you need to practice exercises until you’re technically perfect and can “play anything.” I’ve seen hundreds of students attempt this and fail.
What happens when you practice in isolation is that you become stiff, mechanical, and even unmusical.
After years of experimenting with guitar lessons, I discovered that the best approach is to take a song and use it as your exercise. This way, you stay musical while developing a repertoire.
In the lesson, members look at three examples for the verse and three for the bridge. These are highly repetitive, with the same idea adapted to each chord.
Practice these individually, then along with the song, and you’ll get better at playing fast country rhythms like this. Once you’ve mastered it in one song, the next will be easier.
Once you’ve built up enough songs, find a band and get out there to see what all the fuss is about!
As Willie Nelson says: “The life I love is makin’ music with my friends.” He didn’t say, “practising exercises at home!”
On the Road Again Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: On The Road Again (Willie Nelson) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: