Chords + Lyrics | Proud Mary
Intro
| D | D |
Intro talk
||: D :|| x18
You know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us, nice and easy.
But there’s just one thing you see, we never, ever, do nothing, nice, and easy.
We always do it nice, and rough. So we’re gonna take the beginning of this song and do it, easy.
But then we’re gonna do the finish, rough, the way we do “Proud Mary”.
(And we) rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river. Listen to the story now.
Verse 1 (slow)
| D | D | D | D |
Left a good job (down) in the city, working for my man every night and day.
| D | D | D | D (F# G G#) |
And I never lost one minute of sleeping I was worryin’ ’bout the way the thing might have been.
| A | A | Bm | G |
Big wheel keep on turnin’, oh the Proud Mary keep on burnin’.
| D | D | D | D |
And we rollin’ (rollin’), rollin’ yeah (rollin’). Rollin’ on the river (rollin’ on the river).
Verse 2 (slow)
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis. (And I) pumped a lot of tane down in New Orleans.
But I never saw the good side of the city until I hitched a ride on the Riverboat Queen.
(You know that) big wheel keep on turning, oh the Proud Mary keep on burnin’.
And we’re rollin’ (rollin’), rollin’ yeah (rollin’). Rollin’ on the river (rollin’ on the river).
| D | D | D | D | (slow down)
Say we’re rollin’ (rollin’) rollin’ (rollin’). Rollin on the river (rollin’ on the river).
Instrumental (up-tempo)
||: D | D | D | D :||
Verse 3
| D (D6) | D D6 C G | D (D6) | D (D6) |
Oh, I left a good job in the city. Working for the man every night and day.
| D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) (F# G G#) |
And I never lost one minute of sleepin’, worryin’ ’bout the way the thing might have been.
| A | A | Bm | G |
Big wheel keep on turnin’ (turnin’), Proud Mary keep on burnin’ (burnin’).
| D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) |
Rollin’ (yeah), rollin’ (all right), rollin’ on the river (go ahead now).
| D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) |
Rollin’, say we’re rollin’ (yeah), rollin’ on the river.
Tag 1
| D | D | D | C A | C A | C A G F | F D |
Move up! Du du du…
| D | D | D | D |
Oh, yeah. All right!
Verse 4 (as verse 3)
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis y’all. Pumped a lot of tane down in New Orleans.
But I never saw the good side of the city ’til I hitched a ride on the Riverboat Queen.
Big wheel keep on turnin’ (turnin’), Proud Mary keep on burnin’ (burnin’).
Rollin’ (roll roll), rollin’ (yeah), rollin’ on the river (go ahead, baby).
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river (hey).
Tag 2
Move up! Du du du…
Oh, yeah, yeah. All right, yeah, yeah…
Verse 5 (as verse 3)
If you come down to the river. Yeah, I bet you gonna find some people who live.
You don’t have to worry, if you got no money, the people on the river are happy to give.
Big wheel keep on turnin’ (turnin’), Proud Mary keep on burnin’ (burnin’).
Rollin’ (ah-ha), said we’re rollin’ (yeah), rollin’ on the river (all right now).
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.
Tag 3
Move up! Du du du…
(Rollin’) yeah, (rollin’). All right, all right, now, now.
Outro
||: D (D6) | (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) :|| to fade
(Rollin’) yeah, (rollin’) a-ha, (rollin’ on the river) give me one more time.
(Rollin’) yeah, (rollin’) wo-wee, (rollin’ on the river) da da da da da.
(Rollin’) aow, (rollin’) yeah, (rollin’ on the river) one more time now.
(Rollin’) yeah, (rollin’) woo, (rollin’ on the river).
Proud Mary Chords: Learn the progressions
Although Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote and recorded Proud Mary, the version you’re most likely to play at gigs is Tina Turner’s powerhouse rendition.
With this in mind, I’ve created TAB showing how to play the chords in Tina’s style. You can find the full lesson here: Proud Mary – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
This lesson dives into the honky-tonk feel, which can be played in countless ways. The best way to master it is by studying how different songs approach it.
Compare Chuck Berry’s honky-tonk patterns with how I play I Can’t Stand the Rain, and then listen to Ike Turner’s approach on Nutbush City Limits—each offers a unique spin on the style.
Proud Mary has its own twist, incorporating quick C and G chords within the D–D6 pattern. Studying these variations will help you adapt the honky-tonk feel to different songs rather than playing it the same way every time.
Once you’ve seen the TAB, you can use chords and lyrics above as a quick reference, where I describe the chords like this:
Slow Verses (Played Twice)
||: D (I) | D | D | D |
| D | D | D | D (F# G G#) |
| A (V) | A | Bm (VI) | G (IV) |
| D | D | D | D :||
The bass line in bar 9 is played slightly differently across verses, but most bands settle on one consistent rhythm.
Fast Verses (Honky-Tonk Feel)
After two slow verses, the tempo picks up with four bars of D before the new groove starts. From here on, we add the honky-tonk D6 extension. To simplify, I’ve placed D6 in brackets which means, play, take a way, play, take away:
| D (D6) | D D6 C G | D (D6) | D (D6) |
| D (D6) | (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) (F# G G#) |
| A | A | Bm | G |
| D (D6) | (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) |
| D (D6) | (D6) | D (D6) | D (D6) |
Notice the quick C–G in bar 2 and the continued bass movement in bar 9.
Throughout, the D remains the I chord, making A the V, Bm the VI, and G the IV. The F#–G–G# movement in brackets is the bass line, with G# played twice.
The Tag: “…Move Up! Du Du Du…”
| D (I) | D | D |
| C (bVIIx) A (V) | C A | C A G (IV) F (bIIIx) | F D |
| D | D | D | D |
This section introduces extra tension after the predominantly diatonic progression. The bVIIx (backdoor dominant) is common in rock ‘n’ roll, while the bIIIx is a more unexpected twist.
Once you’ve gone through the TAB (linked above), this chord chart will be a useful gig reference—whether for yourself or for a last-minute bandmate who needs it!
Proud Mary Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Proud Mary chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Proud Mary iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key although I have never experienced this for Proud Mary’s chords.
A Hit Three Times Over
First released in January 1969 by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Proud Mary reached #1 in four countries and sold over two million copies, marking the band’s breakthrough and setting the stage for a string of hits before John Fogerty launched his solo career in 1972.
As Proud Mary was still climbing the charts, Solomon Burke decided it “wasn’t black enough” and recorded his own version. Released in April 1969, just months after the original, it reached #15 on the R&B charts.
Ike and Tina Turner must have taken note, as they developed the now-iconic arrangement—starting slow before bursting into a fast-paced groove, or as Tina put it: “We never, ever do nothing nice and easy”.
It’s Tina’s version that has become a staple for working bands, a perfect show-closer that starts with a soulful build-up before launching into high-energy crowd participation.
As a professional guitarist, Proud Mary is just as essential as other female anthems like Respect, Ain’t Nobody, and I Will Survive—all songs you’re expected to know.
Proud Mary Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Proud Mary (Tina Turner) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
