“Uncle John’s Band” is the Grateful Dead’s 1970 country-rock classic from Workingman’s Dead — one of their most universally loved songs and a staple of the band’s live performances for decades. It’s also a great choice for beginners: the verses and refrains use just five basic open chords (G, C, Am, Em, D) and the chord progression repeats consistently throughout.
The instrumental sections and bridge add a few more chord variants (Bm, Dm, D5, Dsus2), and the intro, second instrumental, and outro all feature distinctive guitar licks captured in the tabs below. These are optional but worth learning, they’re a big part of the song’s character.
The Chords You’ll Need
Main chords (verses & refrains)
Instrumental & bridge chords
Chord Chart
Intro e|--7--10------7------5----------7-7-10-5-5---7--3-3-5-2p0----------------| B|--------10------8-----7p5-------8------7--------5--------3--------------| G|-------------------------7----------------------------------------------| D|------------------------------------------------------------------------| A|------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------------------------------------| Verse 1 G C G Oh, the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more, G C G 'Cause when life looks like Easy Street there is danger at your door. Am Em C D Think this through with me; let me know your mind. C D G D C G D G Whoa-oh, what I want to know-oh, is are you kind. G C G It's a buck dancer's choice, my friend, better take my advice; G C G You know all the rules by now, and the fire from the ice. Am Em C D Will you come with me, won't you come with me? C D G D C G D G Whoa-oh, what I want to know-oh, will you come with me? Refrain 1 G C G Am G D God damn! Well I declare! Have you seen the like? D C G D C D Their walls are built of cannonballs, their motto is "Don't tread on me". G C Am G D Come hear Uncle John's band playing to the tide, C G D C D Come with me or go alone, he's come to take his children home Instrumental 1 G Bm C D G Bm C D G Bm C D G Bm C D Verse 2 G C G It's the same story the crow told me, it's the only one he knows; G C G Like the morning sun you come, and like the wind you go. Am Em C D Ain't no time to hate, barely time to wait. C D G D C G D G Whoa-oh, what I want know-oh, where does the time go? G C G I live in a silver mine and I call it Beggar's Tomb; G C G I've got me a violin and I beg you, call a tune. Am Em C D Anybody's choice, I can hear your voice. C D G D C G D G Whoa-oh, what I want to know-oh, how does the song go? Refrain 2 G C Am G D Come hear Uncle John's band by the riverside C G D C D Got some things to talk about here beside the rising tide. G C Am G D Come hear Uncle John's band playing to the tide C G D C D Come on along or go alone, he's come to take his children home. Instrumental 2 G Dm C Dm e|--------------------------| B|--------------------------| G|--------------------------| D|-3/5-7-5------------------| (x7) A|---------8-5--7---7-5-----| E|----------------8---------| Dsus2 D5 Dsus2 D5 Dsus2 D5 Dsus2 D5 Bridge D5 C G Whoa-oh, what I want to know-oh, how does the song go? (A cappella) Come hear Uncle John's band by the riverside Chorus / Outro Got some things to talk about, here beside the rising tide. G C Am G D Come hear Uncle John's band playing to the tide, C G D C D Come on along or go alone, he's come to take his children home. Dm G C Dm G C Dm G C Dsus2 e|--------------------------||--------------------------||--------------------------| B|--------------------------||--------------------------||--------------------------| G|--------------------------||--------------------------||--------------------------| D|-3/5-7-5------------------||-3/5-7-5------------------||-3/5-7-5------------------| A|---------8-5--7---7-5-----||---------8-5--7---7-5-----||---------8-5--7---7-5-----| E|----------------8---------||----------------8---------||----------------8---------| La lala lala, la lala lala, la lala. lalaaaaa......
About Bm in the instrumental
Bm appears only in the first instrumental (G → Bm → C → D, repeated 4 times). If
the barre is giving you trouble, substitute Bm7 — see the
Love Story
page for the fingering. Or skip the instrumental entirely; the verse and
refrain are what carry the song.
About D5 and Dsus2
D5 is a “power chord” version of D — just the root and 5th, no other notes. Dsus2
is D with the high E string open instead of fretted at fret 2. Both fall naturally
under the same hand position as regular D, so they’re easier to play than the
names suggest.
Practice Tips
- The verse and refrain use just five basic open chords (G, C, Am, Em, D) — that’s the entire song’s core vocabulary. Lock those in and you can carry the song from start to finish.
- The G → C transition is the song’s most frequent move. Drill it slowly in isolation until it feels effortless. Check out my C major video lesson if you want to practice along.
- The intro and outro guitar licks are iconic but optional. Skim past them if you’re not ready; strumming chords through those sections sounds great too.
- The Grateful Dead’s recordings of this song feature plenty of loose, jammy improvisation. The chord chart here gives you the structure — feel free to play it relaxed and let the song breathe.