Wharf Rat Chords

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Difficulty:	beginner
Tuning:	E A D G B E
Capo:	no capo

Author Urbazzle [a] 694.

3 contributors total, last edit on Sep 16, 2023

Chords

Asus2

G/D

Dsus4

Asus4

Strumming

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[Verse 1]
Asus2         Em                                      Asus2
Old man down, way down down, down by the docks of the city.
Asus2            Em                                       Asus2
Blind and dirty, asked me for a dime, a dime for a cup of coffee.
  Em              D                           Asus2
I got no dime but I got some time to hear his story.
 
[Verse 2]
   Asus2                      Em                                      Asus2
"My name is August West, and I love my Pearly Baker best, more than my wine.
Asus2              Em                                           Asus2
More than my wine, more than my maker, though he's no friend of mine.
 
[Verse 3]
Asus2              Em                                        Asus2
Everyone said, I'd come to no good, I knew I would, Pearly believed them.
Asus2              Em                                           Asus2
Half of my life, I spent doin' time for some other fucker's crime
    Em                  D                         Asus2
The other half found me stumbling around drunk on Burgundy wine
 
[Bridge] (3/4 time)
G            D    G/D   D        A        D    G/D   D
But I'll get back          on my feet someday,
    C         G        C   G     G         D    Dsus4   D
The good Lord willin',        if He says I may.
  D             Asus4  Asus4   A      A          Em    Em   A
I know that the life              I'm livin's no good,
     Asus4     A      Asus2   A           A      Em
I'll get a new start,            live the life I should.
 
[Break] (Back to 4/4 time)
Em                                                  Asus2
I'll get up and fly away, I'll get up and fly away, fly away.
 
[Verse 4]
Asus2               Em                           Asus2
Pearly's been true, true to me, true to my dyin' day" he said.
  Asus2        Em                                   Asus2
I said to him, I said to him, "I'm sure she's been."
Em                  D               Asus2
I said to him, "I'm sure she's been true to you."
 
[Verse 5]
  Asus2                Em                                           Asus2
I got up and wandered, wandered downtown, nowhere to go but just to hang around.
Asus2            Em                                        Asus2
I've got a girl, named Bonnie Lee, I know that girl's been true to me.
  Em                   D               Asus2
I know she's been, I'm sure she's been true to me.
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Wharf Rat – Grateful Dead

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"Wharf Rat"

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11 comments

Ohhh man. Robert Hunter. <3 RIP. "Oh that those days would come again. Oh, they will. But not for me."

This is great! I slide that bottom string from the 3rd fret to the 2nd and let it go for an open E to ring with the Asus2 chord. That riff also works with the Em on the "fly away" part.

Z😉😉