Beginner Acoustic, Country & Folk, Song Book

Wagon Wheel chords by Darius Rucker

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Wagon Wheel Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)

Intro

||: G | (Dsus2) D | Em | (Csus2) C Csus2 :||
| G | (Dsus2) D | C | (Csus2) C Csus2 |

Verse 1

| G | D | Em | C |
Headin’ down south to the land of the pines, I’m thumbin’ my way into North Caroline.
| G | D | C | C |
Starin’ up the road and pray to God I see headlights.
| G | D | Em | C |
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours, pickin’ me a bouquet of dogwood flowers.
| G | D | C | C |
And I’m a-hopin’ for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight.

Chorus 1

Instrumental

| G | D | Em | C |
| G | D | C | C |

Verse 2

| G | D | Em | C |
Runnin’ from the cold up in New England, I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time string band.
| G | D | C | C |
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now.
| G | D | Em | C |
Oh, north country winters keep a-gettin’ me down, lost my money playin’ poker, so I had to leave town.
| G | D | C | C |
But I ain’t a-turnin’ back to livin’ that old life no more.

Chorus 2

Solo 1 (fiddle)

| G | (Dsus2) D | Em | (Csus2) C Csus2 |
| G | (Dsus2) D | C | (Csus2) C Csus2 |

Solo 2 (guitar)

| G | (Dsus2) D | Em | (Csus2) C Csus2 |
| G | (Dsus2) D | C | (Csus2) C Csus2 |

Verse 3 (breakdown)

| G | D | Em | C |
Walkin’ to the south out of Roanoke, I caught a trucker out of Philly, had a nice long toke.
| G | D | C | C |
But he’s a-headin’ west from the Cumberland Gap to Johnson City, Tennessee.
| G | D | Em | C |
I gotta get a move on before the sun, I hear my baby callin’ my name and I know that she’s the only one.
| G | D | C | C |
And if I died in Raleigh, at least I will die free.

Chorus 3 (half time)

Chorus 4 (standard tempo)

Outro

||: G | (Dsus2) D | Em | (Csus2) C Csus2 |
| G | (Dsus2) D | C | (Csus2) C Csus2 :|| x4 (to fade)

Wagon Wheel’s chords, progressions, and TAB

Wagon Wheel wasn’t actually written by Darius Rucker, It’s an old unfinished Bob Dylan tune intended for the album that had Knocking On Heaven’s Door on it.

Released on a bootleg where you could only make out the chorus, a man named Ketch Secor found it and finished it by writing the verses.

Ketch released a version in 2004 with his band Old Crow Medicine Show. It became the band’s signature song.

Nathan Carter had success with his version in 2012 and Darius Rucker’s version came in 2013. By now it was so popular it had gathered haters along the way, having festivals declaring Wagon Wheel free zones.

As a member, you’ll get TAB based on the Darius version. Copy this in exact detail before you let go and find small subtle nuances, maybe even releasing your own version!

Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): Wagon Wheel 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!

Wagon Wheel chords | Related pages

Beginner Acoustic

This collection of beginner acoustic tunes will teach you how to arrange for one acoustic guitar, as well as how to create a supporting part.

Playing songs will help you with switching between open-position chords and give you the context you need in order to understand how music works theoretically.

Five similar tunes

When you can play Wagon Wheel's chords, try these five tunes from the song book.

Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker is the lead singer of ’90s Heartland rockers Hootie & the Blowfish who in 2008 launched himself as a country artist.

His best tunes include Wagon Wheel, Alright, Only Wanna Be With You, and Let Her Cry.

Darius Rucker on the web

Bob Dylan

Widely regarded as the most influential artist in popular culture, Bob Dylan has been covered and copied by almost everyone who ever attempted to write a song. His famous tunes are so many it’s impossible to pick just a few.

Some say, Dylan invented modern songwriting.

Bob Dylan on the web

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.