One More Cup Of Coffee | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Am | G | F/C | E |
| Am | G | F/C | E E7 | Amadd9 | Am7 |
Verse 1
| Am | G |
Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
| F/C | E |
Your back is straight your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie.
| Am | G |
But I don’t sense affection, no gratitude, or love.
| F/C | E |
Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above.
Chorus 1
||: F/C | E E7 :||
One more cup of coffee for the road.
One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go, to the valley below.
Instrumental 1
| Amadd9 | G | Fsus2/C F | E E7 |
Verse 2
Your daddy he’s an outlaw and a wanderer by trade.
He’ll teach you how to pick and choose and how to throw the blade.
He oversees his kingdom so no stranger does intrude.
His voice it trembles as he calls out for another plate of food.
Chorus 2
One more cup of coffee for the road.
One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go, to the valley below.
Instrumental 2
| Amadd9 | G | Fsus2/C F | E E7 |
Verse 3
Your sister sees the future like your mama and yourself.
You’ve never learned to read or write, there’s no books upon your shelf.
And your pleasure knows no limits, your voice is like a meadowlark.
But your heart is like an ocean, mysterious and dark.
Chorus 3
One more cup of coffee for the road.
One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go, to the valley below.
Outro
||: Am | G | Fadd9 | E7 :|| Amadd9 |
One More Cup Of Coffee Chords: Repetition, Tension, and Flow
The verse progression in One More Cup Of Coffee is simple, consisting of just four chords: Am, G, F, and E.
In Roman numerals, this translates to VI – V – IV – IIIx. The E chord should technically be Em to stay diatonic in A minor, but using E instead creates extra tension.
The chorus is even more straightforward, alternating between F/C and E7 (IV – IIIx).
However, that doesn’t mean playing One More Cup Of Coffee is easy—while the chords are few and repetitive, capturing the song’s feel takes finesse.
Try playing along with the original recording, as well as with me and the singer.
Once you’ve got the tune down, a chord chart can serve as a handy reference for the gig. Here’s one I made for you!
One More Cup Of Coffee Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Since the song uses so few chords, I’ve included the intro and instrumental sections, which follow the verse but with added extensions.
I’ve also included the outro—where I chose to end on an Amadd9 chord. Bob himself doesn’t do this, but I felt it was a nice touch.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: One More Cup Of Coffee chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s the file: One More Cup Of Coffee chord chart iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can easily change the key.
Members get an in-depth look at multiple ways to play each section—below is a preview.
One More Cup Of Coffee TAB | Course Preview
The strumming pattern in One More Cup Of Coffee is highly repetitive—maintain it, and you’ll create a meditative feel.
By keeping the rhythm steady while varying chord shapes, extensions and dynamics, we can craft an arrangement that provides a secure foundation for the singer.
In the Beginner Acoustic Course, I demonstrate three ways to play the verse using TAB and play-along loops.
Here’s the TAB for the first example (play along with the video above for best results).
Members can explore three additional examples, which, once absorbed, can be blended to create subtle dynamic shifts for the singer.
We practise these using loops and TAB, while the course also incorporates modified chromatic exercises to refine accuracy.
In step 7, we develop a second guitar part. Mastering this means that in step 8, you, me, and the singer can perform One More Cup Of Coffee together—just like a trio.
Here’s a link to the full 8 step-by-step lesson series: One More Cup Of Coffee – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
One More Cup of Coffee: The Chaos and Genius of Desire
One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) is a song by Bob Dylan from his 1976 album Desire. Since its release, it has been covered by numerous artists, including The White Stripes, Calexico, Roger McGuinn, and Robert Plant.
Desire marked a departure from Dylan’s earlier work, as it was his first album created through a large-scale collaboration. He had experimented with different approaches to album-making before, but this was his most ambitious collective effort.
What felt collaborative to Dylan, however, often felt chaotic to the musicians involved. Violinist Scarlet Rivera, for example, was spotted walking down the street with her violin case when Dylan, passing in a limo, invited her to join the sessions—she ended up playing on most of the album.
Produced by Don DeVito, Desire featured a rotating cast of acclaimed musicians. Eric Clapton briefly joined but left after one session, advising Dylan to scale down the band—on the day Clapton was there, five guitarists were in the room.
Emmylou Harris improvised her harmonies on One More Cup of Coffee, a contribution that helped propel her career. At the time, she had just released Pieces of the Sky, her second album and first successful one.
Dylan’s personal life may have influenced the chaotic nature of the sessions—his marriage was falling apart. Sara, the album’s closing track, is his only explicitly autobiographical love song, recorded as he sang directly to his wife in the studio. Two years later, they divorced.
The most controversial track on Desire is undoubtedly Hurricane, which tells the true story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in 1966. Carter’s charges were finally dropped 22 years later. Since Desire‘s release, Dylan has never performed the song live.
Alongside Time Out of Mind (1997), Desire stands as my favourite Bob Dylan album.
One More Cup Of Coffee Chords: Continue Learning
Before diving into One More Cup of Coffee, the 8 step-by-step lesson series begins with essential chromatic exercises to refine your technique.
From there, you’ll work through each section of the song using loops, gradually piecing everything together until you can play the full song.
Finally, you’ll build a second guitar part to complement the arrangement.
Start learning with the full lesson series: One More Cup Of Coffee – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: