Other arrangements of Ol' Man River
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(C)Here we all work on de Mis sis (F)sip pi, (C)here we all work while de white (D7)folks (G7)play,
(C)pull in’ dose boats from de (C7)dawn to (F)sun set, (C)get tin’ no (Am)rest till de (D7)judge (G7)ment (C)day.
(Em)Don’t look (B7)up an’ (Em)don’t look (B7)down, you (Em)don’t dast (B7)make de (Em)white boss (B7)frown.
(Em)Bend yo’ (Am6)knees an’ (Em)bow yo’ (Am6)head, an’ (Em)pull dat (Am6)rope un (Em)til yo’re (Dm7)dead.
(C7)Let me go ’way from de Mis sis (F)sip pi, (A7)let me go ’way from de white men (Dm)boss, (Ddim)show me dat stream called de riv er (C)Jor dan, (Bb7)dat’s de ol’ stream dat I long (G7)to (C)cross.
(C)Ol’ man (Am)riv er.
dat (C)ol’ man (F)riv er, he (C)must know (F)sump in’, but (Am7)don’t say noth in’.
He (G7)jus’ keeps roll in’, he (G7)keeps on roll in’ a (C)long.
He don’t plant (Am)’ta ters, he (C)don’t plant (F)cot ton, an’ (Dm)dem dat plants ’em is (Ebdim)soon for got ten.
But (G7)ol’ man riv er, he (G7)jus’ keeps roll in’ a (C)long.
(Em)You an’ (B7)me,
we (Em)sweat an’ (B7)strain,
(Em)bod y all (B7)ach in’ an’ (Em)racked wid (B7)pain.
(Em)“Tote (Am6)dat barge!”
(Em)“Lift dat (Am6)bale.”
(Am)Git a lit tle (Am6)drunk an’ you (G7)land in jail.
(C)Ah gits (Am)wea ry an’ (C)sick of (F)try in’, Ah’m (G7)tired of liv in’ an’ (D7)skeered of dy in’, but (C)ol’ man (Am)riv er, he (G7)jus’ keeps roll in’ a (F)long.
Ol' Man River — Visual Piano Sheet Music
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"Ol' Man River" in visual bar notation — see every note as a colored bar on the staff. Easier to read than traditional sheet music. Scrolls automatically as you play. Key of C, 100 BPM.
Tip: Break this song into sections and master each one separately. The speed control lets you drill difficult passages at any tempo.
Try other practice modes:
About “Ol' Man River”
- Why does "Ol' Man River" show as colored bars instead of notation?
- Bar Notation replaces traditional noteheads with colored horizontal bars on a simplified staff — each bar's vertical position is the pitch and its length is the duration. Much easier to read than classic sheet music while still showing the full arrangement of "Ol' Man River".
- What key is "Ol' Man River" by Jerome Kern played in?
- Ol' Man River is arranged in the key of C on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Ol' Man River"?
- The arrangement plays at 100 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Ol' Man River" easy to play on piano?
- This is an advanced arrangement. We recommend breaking it into sections and using the speed control to drill harder passages.
- Can I download sheet music for "Ol' Man River"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Ol' Man River"?
- "Ol' Man River" was originally performed by Jerome Kern. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What other songs by Jerome Kern can I play here?
- Try "SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES", "NOBODY ELSE BUT ME", "WHY DO I LOVE YOU?". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this real sheet music for "Ol' Man River"?
- It's a simplified visual notation using colored bars instead of traditional notes. Each bar's vertical position shows the pitch and its length shows duration — much easier to read for beginners while still showing the complete arrangement of "Ol' Man River".
- Can I see all the notes in "Ol' Man River"?
- Yes! The Bar Sheet shows every note in the arrangement as a colored bar. The sheet scrolls automatically during playback, or you can scroll manually to study any section. The song is in the key of C at 100 BPM.