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Dont Go By The River

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Dminor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
Dm Gm Dm A Dm
[Verse 1]
DmDon’t go by the river
If you love your wife
‘Cause you’ll Gmmake that girl a widow
And you’ll Dmcause her pain and strife
                          A*G  
If you go by the river side,
You’ll lose your Gml-l-l-l-lDmife!
DmPeople by the river,
They know who’s the boss
They’ll Gmget at fancy city folks
No Dmmatter what the cost
                               A*G  
And if you go by the river side,
You’ll end up Gml-l-l-l-lDmost!
[Chorus]
 GmThere's a bat they call Lestat
Who’ll Dmsink his teeth in you
 GmYou might meet a creature from the Dmswampy black lagoon
 GmAnd if the moon is full,
You Dmmight meet the loup-garou
ADon’t go by the river side,
 GmYou’ll be sorry if you Dmdo!
[Verse 2]
DmA young man met a lady
And she made this fellow swoon
So they Gmwent on down to New Orleans
To Dmelope under the moon
                            A*G  
He took her by the river side,
To give her the heir Gml-l-l-Dmloom!
DmWell the next day he got outta bed and
She wasn’t by his side
He Gmsearched the quarter high and low
When the Dmbayou far and wide
                      A*G  
Locals say she ran away 
But you know they Gml-l-l-l-Dmlie!
[Chorus]
 GmThere's a bat they call Lestat
Who’ll Dmsink his teeth in you
 GmYou might meet a creature from the Dmswampy black lagoon
 GmAnd if the moon is full,
You Dmmight meet the loup-garou
ADon’t go by the river side,
 GmYou’ll be sorry if you Dmdo!
[Bridge]
 GmWho shivers when they hear about Dmvoo-doo?
 GmDon’t lie to me, boy, I know Dmyou do!
 GmYou better tremble when you hear me Dmcall!
‘Cause you’d Amake a lovely shrunken head
You’ll be my favorite voo-doo Dmdoll!
[Instrumental]
Dm Gm A
Dm Dm Gm Dm A Dm
[Verse 3]
DmSting went by the river,
Now he slings on Bourbon Street
And Gmthere’s that song by Concrete Blonde about Dmwhere it’s warm and green
                              A*G  
And if you go by the river side,
You’ll never Gml-l-l-l-Dmleave!
[Chorus]
 GmThere's a bat they call Lestat
Who’ll Dmsink his teeth in you
 GmYou might meet a creature from the Dmswampy black lagoon
 GmAnd if the moon is full,
You Dmmight meet the loup-garou
ADon’t go by the river side,
(Don’t go by the river side!)
ASaid don’t go by that river side,
(Said don’t go by that river side!)
ADon’t go by the river side,
(Why's that?)
‘Cause you might meet me if you Dmdo! 
[Outro]
A Dm
-----------
* means strum once

All chords in this song (4)

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Dont Go By The River

by Voltaire

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

Dm Gm Dm A Dm

[Verse 1]

Don’t go by the river

If you love your wife

‘Cause you’ll make that girl a widow

And you’ll cause her pain and strife

A G

If you go by the river side,

Gm Dm

You’ll lose your l-l-l-l-life!

People by the river,

They know who’s the boss

They’ll get at fancy city folks

No matter what the cost

A G

And if you go by the river side,

Gm Dm

You’ll end up l-l-l-l-lost!

[Chorus]

There's a bat they call Lestat

Who’ll sink his teeth in you

Gm Dm

You might meet a creature from the swampy black lagoon

And if the moon is full,

You might meet the loup-garou

Don’t go by the river side,

Gm Dm

You’ll be sorry if you do!

[Verse 2]

A young man met a lady

And she made this fellow swoon

So they went on down to New Orleans

To elope under the moon

A G

He took her by the river side,

Gm Dm

To give her the heir l-l-l-loom!

Well the next day he got outta bed and

She wasn’t by his side

He searched the quarter high and low

When the bayou far and wide

A G

Locals say she ran away

Gm Dm

But you know they l-l-l-l-lie!

[Chorus]

There's a bat they call Lestat

Who’ll sink his teeth in you

Gm Dm

You might meet a creature from the swampy black lagoon

And if the moon is full,

You might meet the loup-garou

Don’t go by the river side,

Gm Dm

You’ll be sorry if you do!

[Bridge]

Gm Dm

Who shivers when they hear about voo-doo?

Gm Dm

Don’t lie to me, boy, I know you do!

Gm Dm

You better tremble when you hear me call!

‘Cause you’d make a lovely shrunken head

You’ll be my favorite voo-doo doll!

[Instrumental]

Dm Gm A

Dm Dm Gm Dm A Dm

[Verse 3]

Sting went by the river,

Now he slings on Bourbon Street

Gm Dm

And there’s that song by Concrete Blonde about where it’s warm and green

A G

And if you go by the river side,

Gm Dm

You’ll never l-l-l-l-leave!

[Chorus]

There's a bat they call Lestat

Who’ll sink his teeth in you

Gm Dm

You might meet a creature from the swampy black lagoon

And if the moon is full,

You might meet the loup-garou

Don’t go by the river side,

(Don’t go by the river side!)

Said don’t go by that river side,

(Said don’t go by that river side!)

Don’t go by the river side,

(Why's that?)

‘Cause you might meet me if you do!

[Outro]

A Dm

-----------

* means strum once

About Dont Go By The River Chords by Voltaire

Learn how to play Dont Go By The River by Voltaire with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Dont Go By The River chords”, “Dont Go By The River guitar chords”, or “Voltaire Dont Go By The River 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 Dont Go By The River chords and for experienced players who want accurate Dont Go By The River lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Dm, Gm, A, G.

FAQ — Dont Go By The River by Voltaire

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What key is "Dont Go By The River" in?

The chords for "Dont Go By The River" show the original chord names (including Dm, Gm, A, G). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.