Texas Flood | Chords + Lyrics (tune down 1/2 step)
Intro
| G7 (C7) | C7 (C9) | G7 | G7 (C C#) D7 |
| G7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
| C7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
| D7 | C7 | G7 C7 | G7 (C C#) D7 |
Verse 1
| G7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
Well, it’s floodin’ down in Texas, all of the telephone lines are down.
| C7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
Well, it’s floodin’ down in Texas, all of the telephone lines are down.
| D7 | C7 | G7 C7 | G7 (C C#) D7 |
And I’ve been tryin’ to call my baby, Lord and I can’t get a single sound.
Verse 2
Well, dark clouds are rollin’ in, man I’m standin’ out in the rain.
Well, dark clouds are rollin’ in, man I’m standin’ out in the rain.
Yeah, flood water keep a rollin’, man it’s about to drive poor me insane.
Solo
||: G7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
| C7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
| D7 | C7 | G7 C7 | G7 (C C#) D7 :||
Verse 3
Well, I’m leavin’ you baby, Lord and I’m goin’ back home to stay.
Well, I’m leavin’ you baby, Lord and I’m goin’ back home to stay.
| D7 | C7 N.C | (G A# G A# C, C A# C#) | D5 G#7 G7 |
Well back home I know floods and tornadoes, baby the sun shines on me every day.
Texas Flood Chords: Mastering SRV’s Slow Blues Progression
Apart from the first four bars of the intro, Texas Flood follows a slow 12-bar blues progression in the key of G:
||: G7 (I) | C7 (IV) | G7 | G7 |
| C7 | C7 | G7 | G7 |
| D7 (V) | C7 | G7 C7 | G7 (C C#) D7 :||
On the original recording, SRV tunes his guitar down a semitone, so while it sounds in Gb, the shapes are played in G.
Tuning down has its benefits—it allows for thicker strings while keeping bends manageable, and it also enhances the guitar’s resonance, producing a richer tone.
In an ideal setup, I’d keep a guitar permanently in Eb, or even better, slightly between Eb and E to hit that elusive “magic frequency” of the universe.
To experiment with tuning and explore that frequency, try my free online guitar tuner. Alternatively, you can drop to Eb with the Digitech Drop pedal, though it won’t replicate the feel of a guitar naturally tuned down.
Here’s a chord chart.
Texas Flood Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Download my chord chatt as a PDF or iReal Pro file:
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Influence and Lasting Legacy
John Mayer frequently cites Stevie Ray Vaughan as a major influence—just listen to the solo in Belief to hear his imprint.
Other guitar legends, including Eric Johnson and even Eric Clapton, have also acknowledged SRV’s impact. Clapton once said:
“The first time I heard Stevie Ray, I thought: Whoever this is, he is going to shake the world. I was in my car and I remember thinking: I have to find out before the day is over who that guitar player is.”
Clapton and SRV later became close friends, even sharing the stage at what would be Stevie Ray’s final performance. Tragically, after the show, their helicopters departed separately, and SRV’s crashed.
In his wake, he left a legacy of countless guitarists striving to capture his unmatched tone and phrasing—yet no one quite like him has emerged.
A great introduction to SRV’s style is learning Texas Flood. The video lesson above breaks down his signature licks, played in standard tuning, while SRV himself tuned down a half step.
Texas Flood Chords | Related Pages
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Ain’t No Sunshine
- Born Under A Bad Sign
- Call It Stormy Monday
- Still Got The Blues
- The Thrill Is Gone