Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.
Dtap to play
Gtap to play
Atap to play
Key
D Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
G-C-E-A
Chords
D · G · A
Copperhead Road Chords – Ukulele
Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.
Dtap to play
Gtap to play
Atap to play
Key
D Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Left Hand
Root notes
Chords
D · G · A
Copperhead Road Chords – Piano
Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.
Dtap to play
Gtap to play
Atap to play
Key
D Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
gDGBD (Open G)
Chords
D · G · A
Copperhead Road Chords – Banjo
Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.
Dtap to play
Gtap to play
Atap to play
Key
D Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
G-D-A-E
Chords
D · G · A
Copperhead Road Chords – Mandolin
Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.
Dtap to play
Gtap to play
Atap to play
Key
D Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Harp Key
C Diatonic
Chords
D · G · A
Copperhead Road Chords – Harmonica
Steve Earle’s hard-driving country-rock anthem about moonshining in the Appalachian mountains. Intermediate difficulty in the key of D.
Hard Country Rock (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: Use an open D tuning or standard tuning with heavy downstrokes. This song has a relentless, driving energy — channel that Appalachian grit.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
D
Well, my name’s John Lee Pettimore
D
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
D
You hardly ever saw Granddaddy down here
D
He only come to town about twice a year
G
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
A
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Verse 2
D
Now the revenue man wanted Granddaddy bad
D
He headed up the holler with everything he had
D
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
D
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 3
D
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
D
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
D
”Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
D
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
G
Well, him and his buddy with a case of dynamite
A
He blew that road right up that night
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Verse 4
D
Well I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
D
They draft the white trash first, ’round here anyway
D
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
D
And I come home with a brand new plan
G
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
A
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Chorus
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
GAD
Outro
D
Now the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
D
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
G
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don’t you know
A
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
D
Copperhead Road
Practice tip: The verses are mostly D with the G-A turnaround at the end. The distinctive guitar riff uses an open D string drone. Practice the D to G to A transition to capture the song’s explosive energy.