Bruce Springsteen - The River: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "The River" on your ukulele with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. This page provides everything you need to play this song on the ukulele, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

Learn The River ukulele chords and lyrics

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the ukulele chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "The River" smoothly on your ukulele.

   Em                    G
I come from down in the valley,
       D                  C
where mister when you're young
      Em              G   C               G
They bring you up to do, like your daddy done
        C
Me and Mary we met in high school,
       G            D   Em
when she was just seventeen
      Am
We'd drive out of this valley,
          G                     C
down to where the fields were green

Chorus:
         Em          C
We'd go down to the river,
    D                    G
and into the river we'd dive
     Em          C          D C
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And, man, that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
No flowers, no wedding dress

Chorus:
That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we did ride
Ah-yah

I got a job working construction
For the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
And Mary acts like she don't care

        Em                       G
But I remember us riding in my brother's car,
          D                       C
her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
   Em                       G
At night on them banks I'd lie awake,
               C                       G
and pull her close just to feel each breath
she'd take
           C                     Em
Now those memories come back to haunt me,
      G        D      Em
they haunt me like a curse
      Am
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true,
   G                C
or is it something worse?

Chorus:
That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Ah-yah-yah
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river we ride
Ah-yah-ay

Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

Am

Ukulele chord Am

C

Ukulele chord C

D

Ukulele chord D

Em

Ukulele chord Em

F#

Ukulele chord F#

G

Ukulele chord G

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each ukulele chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "The River" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "The River" by Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen Song List