| C | A | C | A | C | A | G | F | F6 | D | |
| D | |
| Left a good job in the city, workin for the man every night and day |
| and I never lost one minute of sleepin', worryin' 'bout the way things might |
| A | Bm | |
| have been. | Big wheel a-keep on turnin' Proud | Mary keep on burnin', |
| D | |
| Roll | - in', rollin', rollin' on the river. |
| D | |
| Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, pumped a lot of pain down in New |
| Orleans, But I never saw the good side of the city, till I hitched a ride |
| A | Bm | |
| on a river boat queen. | Big wheel a-keep on turnin, Proud | Mary keep on |
| D | |
| burnin, roll | - in, rollin, rollin on the river. |
| D | |
| if you come down to the river, bet you're gonna find some people who live, |
| you don't have to worry, cause you have no money, people on the river are |
| A | Bm | |
| happy to give. | Big wheel keep on turnin, Proud | Mary keep on burnin, |
| D | |
| roll | - in, rollin, rollin on the river. |