
telegraph road
Dire Straits
Practice the chords, follow the lyrics and adjust the key to play at your own pace.
More chord sheet options
You can edit the lyrics and chords directly in the sheet below.
Tom: F|---------------------------------------------------------------------------
F Dm
A long time ago came a man on a track
C Bb F
walking thirty miles with a sack on his back
Bb C F C7
and he put down his load where he thought it was the best
Bb Gm7 Bb
he made a home in the wilderness
F Dm
he built a cabin and a winter store
C Am Bb F
and he ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore
Bb C F C
and the other travellers came riding down the track
Bb F/A Gm7 Bb
and they never went further and they never went back
F Dm
then came the churches then came the schools
C Bb F
then came the lawyers then came the rules
Bb Csus4 C F C
then came the trains and the trucks with their loads
Bb Bb Dm
and the dirty old track was the telegraph road
E|-----------------------------------------------------
B|-----------------5-3---6^3---------------------------
G|-2>5-5~(7)-----------------5-5>7-----7>14---15---17--
D|-----------------------------------------------------
A|-----------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------------------
F Dm
Then came the mines - then came the ore
C Bb Bb F
then there was the hard times then there was a war
Bb C F C7
telegraph sang a song about the world outside
Bb Gm7
telegraph road got so deep and so wide
Bb F
like a rolling river. . .
At 4:07
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------5--------
B|---6---6-8-6---6^8^6-8-8~(10)---8-8-8~(10)---10-11^10^8----10-8---8^6^8---8-6----
G|-5---5--------------------------------------------------10--------------------7--
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------8----------------------------------------------
B|---------8^10^11-11-11-11-10-8---x---10-8---6^8^6---8^6^8---10>11-10-8---11-10^8--
G|-7^5^7----------------------------------------------------------------------------
D|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|------------------------------------------------------------10-----13-12^13^12-10--------
B|-x-11-11-11---10-10^11-13~(15)-13---10-13^10^13^10---13~(15)-----x----------------13-----
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12--
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------13-13-15-15~(17)~15------20------------------------
B|-13~(15)----------------------->15-----------------------18----18-20~(22)-20~(22)~20--
G|--------10---12^10----10--------------------------------------------------------------
D|-------------------12-----------------------------------------------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------20~(22)---------15-15~(17)----------------------------------------
B|-18^20^18----20^18--------18-15-18--------------15-------13^12-----------------------
G|----------19---------------------------------------------------14-12-14^12^14-10^12--
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------
B|-------------5-3^5^3---6^3-----------------
G|---------------------------5-5>7--->14-15--
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------
D D7/F# G
And my radio says tonight it's gonna freeze
Dm
people driving home from the factories
C
there's six lanes of traffic
Am Dm
three lanes moving slow. . .
At 5:49
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-----5-6-------6-8^6---5----------------------------------------------------------------
G|---7-----------------------7^6-7---7^9^7---5---3^2-5-3-3---5-0-3---2^0^2----------------
D|-7-------------------------------------------------------------------------5^3-3^5-3>5--
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------6-5-3-----------------
B|---------------------------------8^7^6---6^8---8~(10)---8~(10)---x-------6^5^3-----------
G|-------2-----------------5-5^6^7-------7---------------------------------------5^3-2-----
D|-3-3^5---3-------3^5-3---------------------------------------------------------------5-3-
A|-------------3^5-------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|----6---6---6---6---------6---6-8-8-6-5-6-5--------10-8-10-8-10-8-------------------------
B|->6---6---6---5---5---------8---------------8-6---x---------------8---11-10-11-11-10-8-11-
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|----------------------------------12-13-15---15~(17)-------13-12---15-13-----------------
B|-10^8-10-11---------10-11-13>15----------------------------------------------------6>13--
G|---------10^12---12----------------------------------------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C F Dm
I used to like to go to work but they shut it down
C Bb
I've got a right to go to work but there's no work here to be found
F Bb C F C7
yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed
Bb Gm7
we're gonna have to reap from seed that's been sowed
Bb F Dm
and the birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
C Bb
they can always fly away from this rain and this cold
C7 F
you can here them singing out their telegraph code
C Bb Dm
all the way down the telegraph road
At 7:52
E|--------------------10-------8---10----------------------------------------------
B|-----0-----8---7>10-----------------10~(12)---8-10^8^10-----------1-1-0----------
G|-0-0-0-4>7---7------------------------------------------------0-2-------2-3>5-4--
D|-0-0-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------
B|-----------------------3-6-5-3---1^3--------
G|-2^0^2-----------5~(7)---------------2^0^2--
D|-------0-0----------------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------
C F Dm
You know I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights
C Bb
when life was just a bet on a race between the lights
F Bb C F C7
you had your head on my shoulder you had your hand in my hair
Bb Gm7
now you act a little colder like you don't seem to care
Bb F Dm
but believe in me baby and I'll take you away
C Bb
from out of this darkness and into the day
C F C
from these rivers of headlights these rivers of rain
F/A Bb C7 F C
from the anger that lives on the streets with these names
F/A Bb C7 F F/A
'cos I've run every red light on memory lane
Bb C7 F C F/A
I've seen desperation explode into flames
Bb C7 F C
and I don't want to see it again. . .
Am Dm
From all of these signs saying sorry but we're closed
Bb
all the way
At 9:32
E|--------------------3-2>3>5------------------------------------------------------------------
B|------------------3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
G|-2-------0------4-----------------5~(7)-5-5-4-0-0-5-4----------------------------------------
D|-0---------3>>5---------------------------------------5>7-7^5^7--------------5-5-3-5-5>7-----
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------3>5------------5-5-
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|--------------3---5>7-----------------------------------------------------------------------
G|--------2-5---4---------7~(11)-7---------5---------5-5^7-7---------5-5>2-2^0^2-----------5--
D|-----3--------5--------------------0^5^7-----0^5^7-----------0^5^7-------------0---0^5^7----
A|-3-5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-5-3^5^3-1>3---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G|---------------5^7-10-10---------5---------5>7--------5---------------------------5----
D|---------------5^7-10-10---0^5^7-----0^5^7------0^5^7---7---------3-x-------0^5^7---7--
A|------------------------------------------------------------3^4^5-----3^5--------------
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-5-3---6^3---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G|-----------5-7~(11)---x-5^7---------5-----------5-7-7-7---------5--------------------
D|------------------------------0^5^7---7---0^5^7-----------0^5^7---7---------3-x------
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------3^4^5-----3^5--
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-5-3---6^3----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G|-----------5-x-5-5>7-5-x-7---7-x-7^5---5-7---7-7-7---x---7-10^7---7-7-7---x---7-10^7--
D|-------------------------------------7-------7-7-7-x---x-7--------7-7-7-x---x-7-------
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rate this chord sheet
Version available for community feedback.
Looking for a chord sheet you couldn’t find?
We can generate it for you. Upload audio or paste a YouTube link to get started.
Song chords
View all chord diagrams →Chords used in this sheet
Reference guitar fingerings for the chords in this version.
How to practice this chord sheet
A practical summary of the chords, key and tempo to help you start playing this version.
Progression and practice
Detected progression: F → Dm → A → a → a → C → Bb → F
The harmony or tempo is more demanding. Work on the hard changes before playing the whole song.
- Start at 60 BPM. Speed up once you can keep time without stopping.
- Practice the two hardest chord changes first, then go back to the whole song.
- Use the transpose button if the key feels uncomfortable for your voice or the chord shapes you know.
Listen to the chords
Listen to a reference for each chord before you start. Your browser generates the sound.
Community chord sheet subject to review. Composition and lyrics belong to their respective rights holders. Copyright · Request a review
