Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords D, A, E, F#m Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A E F#m D A E D D
x2
A E
Headed down south to the land of the pines
F#m D
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
A
Starin' up the road
E D
And pray to God I see headlights
A E
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
F#m D
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
A
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
E D
I can see my baby tonight
A E
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
F#m D
Rock me mama anyway you feel
A E D
Hey, mama rock me
A E
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
F#m D
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
A E D
Hey, mama rock me
A E F#m D A E D D
A E
Runnin' from the cold up in New England
F#m D
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time stringband
A
My baby plays the guitar
E D
I pick a banjo now
A E
Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me now
F#m D
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
A
But I ain't a turnin' back
E D
To livin' that old life no more
A E
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
F#m D
Rock me mama anyway you feel
A E D
Hey, mama rock me
A E
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
F#m D
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
A E D
Hey, mama rock me
A E F#m D A E D D
x2
A E
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
F#m
I caught a trucker out of Philly
D
Had a nice long toke
A E
But he's a headed west from the Cumberland Gap
D
To Johnson City, Tennessee
A E
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
F#m
I hear my baby callin' my name
D
And I know that she's the only one
A
And if I die in Raleigh
E D
At least I will die free
A E
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
F#m D
Rock me mama anyway you feel
A E D
Hey, mama rock me
A E
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
F#m D
Rock me mama like a south-bound train
A E D A
Hey, mama rock me
End of song Play again?
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 31 times against 15 for F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 31× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 33× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 30× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | 15× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | 15× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 31× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 33× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 30× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 109 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×30
- E F#m AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×15
The move to watch is D → A, heard 30 times. From the A side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the F#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is A; the ear learns where home is within a second. D, A, E, F#m carry the song: IV–I–V–vi relative to A, VI–III–VII–i relative to F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → A (IV → I in A, VI → III in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on A, letting the A side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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