How to Play Who’ll Stop the Rain Chords by Creedence Clearwater Revival on Guitar
Who’ll Stop the Rain is a classic rock song by Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1970 as part of their album Cosmo’s Factory. The song was inspired by the band’s experience at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, where they performed in the rain and witnessed the muddy and chaotic conditions of the event. The song is a commentary on the social and political turmoil of the time, as well as a reflection on the search for meaning and hope in a troubled world.
The song is easy to play on guitar, as it uses only a few basic chords and a simple strumming pattern. In this article, we will show you how to play Who’ll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival on guitar, using tabs, chords, and lyrics.
Chords
The song is in the key of G major, and uses the following chords:
[Intro] (G and Em played in the background) G Em G e|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------| B|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------| G|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------| D|---------------|---------------|---------------|------------0--|---------------|---------------| A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| E|-3-------------|-3----------2--|-0-------------|-0-------------|-3-------------|-3-------------| [Verse 1] G C G Long as I remember, the rain been comin' down G C G Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground C G Good men through the ages C G Tryin' to find the sun C D And I wonder, still I wonder Em G Who'll stop the rain [Verse 2] G C G I went down Virginia, seeking shelter from the storm G Bm C G Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow C G Five-year plans and new deals C G Wrapped in golden chains C D And I wonder, still I wonder Em G Who'll stop the rain [Instrumental] | C G D |(D) | Am C Em |(Em) D | G | G | [Verse 3] G C G Heard the singers playin', how we cheered for more G Bm C G The crowd had rushed together, tryin' to keep warm C G Still the rain kept pourin' C G Fallin' on my ears C D And I wonder, still I wonder Em Who'll stop the rain... [Outro] e|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------| B|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------| G|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------| D|---------------|---------------|---------------|------------0--| A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| E|-3-------------|-3----------2--|-0-------------|-0-------------| (repeat pattern until fade out)
You can play these chords with or without a capo, depending on your preference and vocal range. If you want to play along with the original recording, you will need to tune your guitar down half a step.
Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for the song is very simple and consistent throughout. You can use a down-down-up-down-up pattern for each chord, or just strum down four times per chord. The tempo is 124 beats per minute.
Here is an example of how to strum the first verse:
G C G
↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑
Long as I remember, the rain been comin' down
G C G
↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground
C G C G
↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑
Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun
C D Em G
↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑
And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain?
Tabs
If you prefer to play the song with tabs, you can follow the notation below. The tabs show the main melody of the song, which is played by the lead guitar. You can also add some embellishments and variations to make it more interesting.
[Intro]
e|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|-------3-------|
B|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|---0-----------|
G|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|-----0---------|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|------------0--|---------------|---------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
E|-3-------------|-3----------2--|-0-------------|-0-------------|-3-------------|-3-------------|
[Verse 1]
G C G
e|-3-----|-0-----|-3-----|
B|-0-----|-1-----|-0-----|
G|-0-----|-0-----|-0-----|
D|-0-----|-2-----|-0-----|
A|-2-----|-3-----|-2-----|
E|-3-----|-x-----|-3-----|
Long as I remember, the rain been comin' down
G C G
e|-3-----|-0-----|-3-----|
B|-0-----|-1-----|-0-----|
G|-0-----|-0-----|-0-----|
D|-0-----|-2-----|-0-----|
A|-2-----|-3-----|-2-----|
E|-3-----|-x-----|-3-----|
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground
[…] [Verse 2]
[Verse 3]
[Outro]
Lyrics
Here are the complete lyrics of the song, with the chords above each line:
[Intro]
G Em G
[Verse 1]
G C G Long as I remember, the rain been comin’ down G C G Clouds of mystery pourin’ confusion on the ground C G C G Good men through the ages tryin’ to find the sun C D Em G And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?
[Verse 2]
G C G I went down Virginia, seeking shelter from the storm G Bm C G Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow C G C G Five year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains C D Em G And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?
[Instrumental]
C G D Am C Em D G
[Verse 3]
G C G Heard the singers playin’, how we cheered for more G Bm C G The crowd had rushed together, tryin’ to keep warm C G C G Still the rain kept pourin’, fallin’ on my ears C D Em And I wonder, still I wonder
[Outro]
Em G Who’ll stop the rain?
G Em G
Conclusion
Who’ll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great song to learn and play on guitar, as it is easy and fun. You can use the chords, strumming pattern, tabs, and lyrics provided in this article to practice and master the song. You can also experiment with different capos, tunings, and styles to make it your own. We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. Happy playing!
