Wagon Wheel
Darius Rucker
Headin' down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road and pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey... mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me
Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now
Oh, north country winters keep a-gettin' me down
Lost my money playin' poker, so I had to leave town
But I ain't a-turnin' back to livin' that old life no more
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey... mama rock me
Yeah, rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly, had a nice long toke
But he's a-headin' west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name and I know that she's the only one
And if I died in Raleigh, at least I will die free
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey... mama rock me
Oh, rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel (oh, I wanna feel)
Hey... mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me
Tap any line to jump
How to play Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker on guitar
Wagon Wheel is a great beginner song because the groove is steady, familiar, and easy to sing along with once you lock into the pulse. At about 149 BPM, it feels lively but not rushed, so you can focus on keeping your changes clean and relaxed.
You can lean on the open shapes A, E, D, and Em, with the harder barre shapes F#m, C#m, Bm, F#, and B only when the chart calls for them. The main thing to watch is the quick back-and-forth between A and E in the opening progression, since that repeat sets the feel right away.
Start by looping A - E - A - E slowly until the switches feel automatic, then add the rest of the chart one change at a time. Once your hands know the shapes, play along with the song at full tempo and keep your strumming even so the rhythm stays solid.
Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.
Looking for more? Browse the full guitar song library or explore chord diagrams.
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