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Iowa

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Dar Williams - Iowa (Traveling III)
CAPO: 3rd Fret
[Intro]
G  D  Em  C  G  D  G  C G
I’ve never had a Dway with Emwomen
But the Chills of Iowa Gmake me Dwish that I GcouldC  G  
And I’ve never found a Dway to say I Emlove you
But Cif the chance came Gby, oh DI, I GwouldC  G  
But way Emback where I come from, we Cnever mean to Gbother
We don’t Clike to make our Ampassions other Dpeoples' concern
And we Gwalk in the Dworld of safe Empeople
And at Cnight we walk inGto our Dhouses and GburnC  G  
[Chorus]
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
How I long to Dfall just a little bitEm  
To Cdance out of the Glines and Dstray from the GlightC  G  
But I fear that to Dfall in love with Emyou
Is to Cfall from a Ggreat and Dgruesome GheightC  G  
So you know, I Emasked a friend about it, on a Cbad day
Her husband had just Amleft her
She sat down on the Dchair he left behind
She said, G"What is Dlove, where did it Emget me?"
"WhoCever thought of Glove is Dno friend of Gmine"C  G  
[Chorus]
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
[Interlude]
G  D  Em  C  G  D  G  C G
Once I had everyDthing, I gave it upEm  
For the Cshoulder of your Gdriveway and the Dwords I’ve never GfeltC  G  
And so for you, I came this Dfar across the Emtracks
Ten Cmiles above the Glimit, and with Dno seatGbelt, and I’d do it again
For toEmnight I went running through the Cscreen doors of disGcretion
For I Amwoke up from a nightmare that I cDould not stand to seeC  
You were a-wandering out Gon the G/F#hills of EmIowa
And Cyou were not Amthinking of Dme
[Bridge]
Oh, ooh, oh, Gooh
I-DI-I-EmI, I-CI-I-GI-I-DI, IoGwaC  G  
[Chorus]
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
[Chorus]
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  
Iowa, oh Dooh
IoEmwa, oh, Coooh, ooh, Goh, ID-IoGwaC  G  

All chords in this song (6)

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Iowa

by Dar Williams

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 3 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

G/F#

Dar Williams - Iowa (Traveling III)

CAPO: 3rd Fret

[Intro]

G D Em C G D G C G

D Em

I’ve never had a way with women

C G D G C G

But the hills of Iowa make me wish that I could

D Em

And I’ve never found a way to say I love you

C G D G C G

But if the chance came by, oh I, I would

Em C G

But way back where I come from, we never mean to bother

C Am D

We don’t like to make our passions other peoples' concern

G D Em

And we walk in the world of safe people

C G D G C G

And at night we walk into our houses and burn

[Chorus]

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

D Em

How I long to fall just a little bit

C G D G C G

To dance out of the lines and stray from the light

D Em

But I fear that to fall in love with you

C G D G C G

Is to fall from a great and gruesome height

Em C

So you know, I asked a friend about it, on a bad day

Her husband had just left her

She sat down on the chair he left behind

G D Em

She said, "What is love, where did it get me?"

C G D G C G

"Whoever thought of love is no friend of mine"

[Chorus]

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

[Interlude]

G D Em C G D G C G

D Em

Once I had everything, I gave it up

C G D G C G

For the shoulder of your driveway and the words I’ve never felt

D Em

And so for you, I came this far across the tracks

C G D G

Ten miles above the limit, and with no seatbelt, and I’d do it again

Em C G

For tonight I went running through the screen doors of discretion

Am D C

For I woke up from a nightmare that I could not stand to see

G G/F# Em

You were a-wandering out on the hills of Iowa

C Am D

And you were not thinking of me

[Bridge]

Oh, ooh, oh, ooh

D Em C G D G C G

I-I-I-I, I-I-I-I-I-I, Iowa

[Chorus]

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

[Chorus]

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

Iowa, oh ooh

Em C G D G C G

Iowa, oh, oooh, ooh, oh, I-Iowa

About Iowa Chords by Dar Williams

Learn how to play Iowa by Dar Williams with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Iowa chords”, “Iowa guitar chords”, or “Dar Williams Iowa chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Iowa chords and for experienced players who want accurate Iowa lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, D, Em, C, Am, G/F#.

FAQ — Iowa by Dar Williams

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Yes. Tap any chord in "Iowa" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Iowa" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Iowa" in?

The chords for "Iowa" show the original chord names (including G, D, Em, C, Am, G/F#). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.