Capo 2nd fret 
 
Intro: G  D  Em  C
       G  D  C   2x
 
 G                        D
Headed down south to the land of the pines 
         Em                   C
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline 
 G
Starin' up the road 
             D         C
And pray to God I see headlights 
 
   G                         D
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours 
 Em                      C
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers 
           G
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh 
       D             C
I can see my baby tonight 
 
    G                   D
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel 
 Em              C
Rock me mama anyway you feel 
 G   D     C
Hey, mama rock me 
 G                     D
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain 
 Em                  C
Rock me mama like a south-bound train 
 G   D     C
Hey, mama rock me 
 
G  D  Em  C
G  D  C
 
 G                     D
Runnin' from the cold up in New England 
       Em                         C
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband 
    G
My baby plays the guitar 
 D              C
I pick a banjo now 
 
         G                            D
Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now 
         Em                       C
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave 
       G
But I ain't a turnin' back 
    D                    C
To livin' that old life no more 
 
    G                   D
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel 
 Em              C
Rock me mama anyway you feel 
 G   D     C
Hey, mama rock me 
 G                     D
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain 
 Em                  C
Rock me mama like a south-bound train 
 G   D     C
Hey, mama rock me 
 
G  D  Em  C
G  D  C   2x
 
 G                    D
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke 
            Em
I caught a trucker out of Philly 
       C
Had a nice long toke 
     G                           D
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap 
    C
To Johnson City, Tennessee 
 
       G                   D
And I gotta get a move on fit for the sun 
           Em
I hear my baby callin' my name 
       C
And I know that she's the only one 
     G
And if I die in Raleigh 
    D                C
At least I will die free 
 
    G                   D
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel 
 Em              C
Rock me mama anyway you feel 
 G   D     C
Hey, mama rock me 
 G                     D
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain 
 Em                  C
Rock me mama like a south-bound train 
 G   D     C      G
Hey, mama rock me

↑

VERSE 1:
 C                                   F            
They say you were born in St. Claire’s hospital  
             C
But I say you were born up in the sky  
 C                                   F   
You come floatin’ down over New Orleans  
                      C
To the sweet green levee on the river side  
         G                                    
And your voice chirped like old squeaky shoes 
  F 
And momma always said we had nothing to lose  
 C                    F
And we danced on the street corner 
 
CHORUS:
 C                         F         
Oh Caroline   (Round) Caroline       
                     C
Heartbroken hard times, they never got us down  
 F                        Am                         G
Walkin’ the same line through every single southern town   
Hand in hand your arm ‘round mine  
 F        C
Oh Caroline 
 
 C                         F       
Oh Caroline (Round) Caroline       
                  C 
I seen it all change, watch it change some more  
 F                    Am                        
Seen hard times standin’ right outside your door
 G       
Tell me girl what’s on your mind  
 F        C
Oh Caroline 
 
VERSE 2:
 C                                   
We were the Cardinal’s biggest fans  
F                         C 
Turnin’ flips like Ozzy Smith all through the night  
C                            
‘Til we got traded away    
  F                         C 
To the Red Clay Southern League up on the Georgia line  
         G                                
You be the pitcher and the catcher too   
      F
I’m the home run king before his muscles grew  
 C                    F
Gonna knock the cover off this town 
 
CHORUS:
 C                         F      
Oh Caroline (Round) Caroline      
                      C
Heartbroken hard times, they never got us down  
 F                        Am                         G
Walkin’ the same line through every single southern town   
Hand in hand your arm ‘round mine  
 F        C
Oh Caroline 
 
 C                         F  
Oh Caroline (Round) Caroline  
                       C      
I seen it all change, watch it change some more  
 F                    Am                        
Seen hard times standin’ right outside your door
 G       
Tell me girl what’s on your mind  
 F        C
Oh Caroline 
 
VERSE 3:
 C                          
These are different days    
         F                         C 
And the pace of the world has us thinking there’s no time  
 C                     
To turn the other way  
F                                        C 
Take my hand and we’ll walk on down the line  
         G                               
Though we may be a thousand miles apart 
 F 
A brother and a sister have a single heart  
 C                    F
And the beat don’t stop for nothin’. 
 
CHORUS:
 C                         F      
Oh Caroline (Round) Caroline      
                        C 
Heartbroken hard times, they never got us down  
 F                        Am                         G
Walkin’ the same line through every single southern town   
Hand in hand your arm ‘round mine  
 F          C
Oh Caroline 
 
 C                         F  
Oh Caroline (Round) Caroline  
                       C      
I seen it all change, watch it change some more  
 F                    Am                       
Seen hard times standin’ right outside your door       
  G
Tell me girl what’s on your mind  
 F        C
Oh Caroline

↑