James Bay - Hold Back The River: Ukulele Chords

Learn to play "Hold Back 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 Hold Back 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 "Hold Back The River" smoothly on your ukulele.

Dm7       F          A#     F
Tried to keep you close to me,
    A#       F        C
But life got in between
Dm7        F         A#     F
Tried to square not being there
     A#        F                C
But think that I should have been

Chorus:
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back

Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we crawl against the tide
Those distant days are flashing by

Chorus:
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
                      C
Hold back the river, hold back
A#
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
      F
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
                      C
Hold back the river, hold back

Dm7  F    A#   F
Ooh oho, oho, oho,
 A#   F    C
Oho, oho, ohooh

F                                     A#
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander
Gm
Let us hold each other
F                                     A#
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander
Gm
Let us hold each other

Chorus:
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river so I-I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold

Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other

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Ukulele Chord Diagrams

A#

Ukulele chord A#

C

Ukulele chord C

Dm

Ukulele chord Dm

Dm7

Ukulele chord Dm7

F

Ukulele chord F

Gm

Ukulele chord Gm

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 "Hold Back The River" on the guitar, check out the chords on our sister site: Guitar Chords for "Hold Back The River" by James Bay.