Rich Men North Of Richmond | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Verse 1 (breakdown)
| Em | C |
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Overtime hours for bullshit pay.
| Em | C | (start strumming)
So I can sit out here and waste my life away.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Drag back home and drown my troubles away.
Verse 2
| Em | C |
It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to.
| G | D5 (D6) |
For people like me and people like you.
| Em | C |
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true.
| G (G5) | D5 (D6) |
But it is, oh, it is.
Chorus
| Em | C |
Livin’ in the new world.
| G | D5 (D6) |
With an old soul.
| Em | C |
These rich men north of Richmond.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control.
| Em | C |
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do.
| G | D5 (D6) |
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do.
| Em | C |
‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end.
| G | D5 (D6) |
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
Instrumental
| Em7 | C | G | D5 (Dadd4) |
Verse 3
| Em | C |
I wish politicians would look out for miners.
| G | D5 |
And not just minors on an island somewhere.
| Em | C |
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat.
| G | D5 (D6) |
And the obese milkin’ welfare.
Verse 4
| Em | C |
Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds.
| G | D5 |
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.
| Em | C |
Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground.
| G | D5 | D5 |
‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down.
Verse 5
| Em | C |
Lord, it’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to.
| G | D5 (D6) |
For people like me and people like you.
| Em | C |
Wish I could just wake up and it not be true.
| G | D5 (D6) |
But it is, oh, it is.
Chorus
| Em | C |
Livin’ in the new world.
| G | D5 (D6) |
With an old soul.
| Em | C |
These rich men north of Richmond.
| G | D5 (D6) |
Lord knows they all just wanna have total control.
| Em | C | (breakdown)
Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do.
| G5 | D5 |
And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do.
| Em7 | C |
‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit and it’s taxed to no end.
| G | D5 (D6) |
‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
Instrumental 2
| Em | C | G | D5 (D6) |
| Em | C | G | D5 |
Outro
| Em | C |
I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day.
| G5 | D5 (D6) | Em |
Overtime hours for bullshit pay.
Rich Men North Of Richmond’s chords, progression, and TAB
Oliver Anthony may have written the Song of 2023 with his straight-to-the-point, super-honest Rich Men North Of Richmond.
An overnight worldwide success thanks to the internet and its heavyweight personalities Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, Oliver Anthony is now only a few weeks since the release a household name.
At Spytunes, we have known for a long time that the secret behind every famous artist or band is their tunes, and in the case of Rich Men North Of Richmond, this has never been more obvious.
Based on the chord progression VI – IV – I – V, using only simple open-position chords with classic extensions, it is the lyrics and honesty of the vocal performance that is allowed to shine.
What Oliver Anthony has done is placed a capo on fret 5, but his guitar is not in standard tuning, so if yours is, you need to place it on fret 3 and play these basic chords on a loop:
||: Em | C | G | D5 :||
It’s the extensions that make it an interesting guitar part, and as this can only be described accurately using TAB, you have to have that first.
Once you understand the chord licks, you can use just the chords and lyrics above to remind you of when to add what lick.
Members get the TAB for exactly how to play this future folk/country classic. Here’s a link (members only): Rich Men North Of Richmond chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all my guitar courses, the SEPR practice route, and the eBook Spytunes Method – You can learn guitar!
Rich Men North Of Richmond chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes
- Another Lonely Day chords
- Blowin’ In The Wind chords
- Chicken Fried chords
- Fast Car chords
- The Needle And The Damage Done chords
Oliver Anthony
An internet sensation in 2023, Oliver Anthony shot to fame overnight thanks to his protest song Rich Men North Of Richmond.
Performed on a Saturday for a radio station, it was uploaded the following Monday, and by Thursday it was a viral hit.
Country & Folk
In the primarily acoustic genres of Country & Folk, you must acquire what matters the most: A repertoire. Nothing else will give you the gig.
Learn tunes by Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, America, Don McLean, and many more.
Oliver Anthony on the web
