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Copperhead Road

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Dmixolydian

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

1/38

Tempo 80 BPMVol

Sound:

Position

Step 1 / 38Position: 2

1 index2 middle3 ring4 pinkyO openSpace = play/pause

[Intro]
D
[Riff 1]           [Riff 2]
e|---0---0-------2--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-2------|
B|---3---3-------3--0-0--5-5-5-0-0-0-0-0-3------|
G|-2-2-2-2-4p2p0-2--0-0--5-5-5-4-4\2-2p0-2------|
D|-0---0-----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------|
* PLAY RIFF 1 AFTER EACH VERSE LINE
[Verse]
DWell my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
DYou hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
DHe'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revGenue man wanted GraCndaddy bGad
DHe headed up the holler with everything he had
It's beGfore my time but I'Cve been toGld
DHe never came back from Copperhead Road
[INTRO RIFF]
[Verse]
DNow Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
DJohnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
DWell him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheGriff came around in the miCddle of the niGght
DHeard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was heGaded down to Knoxville with the weCekly loGad
 D(LET RING)
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road
[Break]
  DN.C. x4
[Instrumental]  x2
G  C G  D
[Verse]
DI volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
DI done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
DI take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.GE.A.'s got a chCopper in the aGir
DI wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I leaGrned a thing or two from ol' ChaCrlie don't you kGnow
DYou better stay away from Copperhead Road
[Break]
  DN.C. 4x
[Outro]
 [Riff 1]           [Riff 2]
e|---0---0-------2--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-2------|
B|---3---3-------3--0-0--5-5-5-0-0-0-0-0-3------|
G|-2-2-2-2-4p2p0-2--0-0--5-5-5-4-4\2-2p0-2------|
D|-0---0-----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|
A|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------|
* PLAY RIFF 1 AFTER EACH VERSE LINE
************************************
| p  Pull-off
| \  Slide down
************************************

All chords in this song (3)

The story behind the song

"Copperhead Road" tells the story of John Lee Pettimore III, whose family has a long history of moonshining and bootlegging in rural Johnson County, Tennessee. His grandfather ran a still deep in a holler along Copperhead Road, and his father hauled the illegal liquor to Knoxville, even facing down a revenue man who was never seen again. John Lee III, however, takes a different path, serving in the military before returning to his roots with a new kind of crop. This 1988 track from Steve Earle’s album of the same name captures a spirit of defiance and generational legacy.

AI-written from these sources:Copperhead Road (song) — Wikipedia ↗Steve Earle — Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗

Story time

Copperhead Road

Copperhead Road

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Copperhead Road

by Steve Earle

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

[Riff 1] [Riff 2]

e|---0---0-------2--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-2------|

B|---3---3-------3--0-0--5-5-5-0-0-0-0-0-3------|

G|-2-2-2-2-4p2p0-2--0-0--5-5-5-4-4\2-2p0-2------|

D|-0---0-----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|

A|----------------------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------------------|

* PLAY RIFF 1 AFTER EACH VERSE LINE

[Verse]

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore

Same as my daddy and his daddy before

You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here

He only came to town about twice a year

He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line

Everybody knew that he made moonshine

G C G

Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad

He headed up the holler with everything he had

G C G

It's before my time but I've been told

He never came back from Copperhead Road

[INTRO RIFF]

[Verse]

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge

Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge

Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side

Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside

Well him and my uncle tore that engine down

I still remember that rumblin' sound

G C G

Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night

Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right

G C G

He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load

(LET RING)

You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

[Break]

N.C. x4

[Instrumental] x2

G C G D

[Verse]

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday

They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway

I done two tours of duty in Vietnam

And I came home with a brand new plan

I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico

I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road

G C G

Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air

I wake up screaming like I'm back over there

G C G

I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know

You better stay away from Copperhead Road

[Break]

N.C. 4x

[Outro]

[Riff 1] [Riff 2]

e|---0---0-------2--0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-2------|

B|---3---3-------3--0-0--5-5-5-0-0-0-0-0-3------|

G|-2-2-2-2-4p2p0-2--0-0--5-5-5-4-4\2-2p0-2------|

D|-0---0-----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------|

A|----------------------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------------------|

* PLAY RIFF 1 AFTER EACH VERSE LINE

************************************

| p Pull-off

| \ Slide down

************************************

About Copperhead Road Chords by Steve Earle

Learn how to play Copperhead Road by Steve Earle with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Copperhead Road chords”, “Copperhead Road guitar chords”, or “Steve Earle Copperhead Road 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 Copperhead Road chords and for experienced players who want accurate Copperhead Road lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D, B, G, A, E, C.

FAQ — Copperhead Road by Steve Earle

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What key is "Copperhead Road" in?

The chords for "Copperhead Road" show the original chord names (including D, B, G, A, E, C). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.