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 — Falling Notes Piano Tutorial
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Watch "Ol' Man River" by Jerome Kern in falling notes style — like Synthesia. Color-coded notes fall onto the keyboard in real time. Practice left hand, right hand, or both. 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”
- Can I learn "Ol' Man River" with falling notes like Synthesia?
- Yes — Falling Notes mode shows colored note shapes dropping onto a virtual keyboard, the same visual style as Synthesia or piano-tile games. Each note's column matches the piano key you press. Works for "Ol' Man River" with hands-separate practice in C at 100 BPM.
- 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.
- Can I practice left and right hand separately for "Ol' Man River"?
- Yes! Our Top Down mode lets you isolate the left hand (bass clef), right hand (treble clef), or play both together. This makes it easy to master "Ol' Man River" one hand at a time before combining them.
- What is falling notes style for "Ol' Man River"?
- Falling notes (also known as Synthesia or piano waterfall) shows color-coded rectangles falling from the top of the screen onto a virtual keyboard. Each note's position matches the piano key you need to press. "Ol' Man River" is in the key of C at 100 BPM.