Rocky Mountain High
Words by John Denver
Music by John Denver and Mike Taylor

John Denver
Rocky Mountain High
1972

After delving into Clapton's acoustic stuff I needed
somewhere to go to continue to improve my picking, so
I looked to John Denver.  I had a songbook with
chords but had never thought about how he plays the
songs, so I finally decided to check out a few.  This
was the first one I decided to put up because it has
a really great picking pattern that should be a lot of
fun.  So work at it and have fun!

John's got at least three guitars going here, but I'm only going
to worry about two of them: the six-string doing the picking
(GUITAR 1) and the six-string strumming chords (GUITAR 2).  This
intro is pretty quick but once you learn it you've got all the
verses down too, so get picking!

Capo 2nd

INTRO: (GUITAR 1 plays tab, GUITAR 2 strums chords)
   D                                   Em                C       A
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-----------------|-----2-2---------|-----------------|---------------0-|
B:-3-----------3-3-|-----3-3---------|---------0-----0-|-1-----1-2-------|
G:---------0h2-----|-0h2-----0h2-----|---------0-------|-0---0---2---2---|
D:-0-----0---------|-------------4---|-2p0---------2---|-----------------|
A:-----0-----------|-----------------|-----0h2---------|-3-------0-------|
E:-----------------|-----------------|---------0-------|-----------------|

   D                                   Em                G       A
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-------2-------2-|-----2-----------|-----------------|---------------0-|
B:-3---3-------3---|-------3---------|---------------0-|-0-----0-2-------|
G:-2-------0h2-----|-0h2-----0h2-----|---------0---0---|-0-------2-------|
D:-0---------------|-------------4---|-2p0-------------|-----0-------2---|
A:-----------------|-----------------|-----0h2-2-------|---------0-------|
E:-----------------|-----------------|---------0-------|-3---------------|

NOTE: Obviously, you shouldn't follow the exact picking pattern I have
here, but I have tried to capture the important parts in this tab.
This figure is played behind all verses also.  Lyrics appear below.

This figure is played behind the chorus, again with
GUITAR 1 playing the tab and GUITAR 2 strumming chords:

   Colo -  rado      Rocky Mountain  High                             I've seen it raining
   G                 A                 D           Dsus4 D                 G
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:---------3-------|-----0-------0---|-2-------2-----3-|---2-2-------2---|---------3-------|
B:-3-------3-----3-|-2---2-----------|-3-------------3-|---3-3-------3---|-3-------3-----3-|
G:-0-----0-----0---|-2-------2-----2-|-------2---------|-----2-----2-----|-0-----0-----0---|
D:-----0-----------|-----------------|-0---0-------0---|---------0-------|-----0-----------|
A:-----------------|-0-----0---0-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3---------------|
   fire in the       sky				 Shadow from the   starlight is softer
   A                 D           Dsus4                   G                 A
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-----0-------0---|-2-------2-----3-|---2-2-------2---|---------3-------|-----0-------0---|
B:-2---2-----------|-3-------------3-|---3-3-------3---|-3-------3-----3-|-2---2-----------|
G:-2-------2-----2-|-------2---------|-----2-----2-----|-0-----0-----0---|-2-------2-----2-|
D:-----------------|-0---0-------0---|---------0-------|-----0-----------|-----------------|
A:-0-----0---0-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-----0---0-----|
E:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3---------------|-----------------|

   than a  lulla -   by
   D       Em  Dmaj7 G
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-2---2---0---2---|-3-----3-----3---|---3-----3-----3-|-----3-----3-----|-3---------3-----|
B:-3---3---0---2---|-3-----3-----3---|---3-----3-----3-|-----3-----3-----|-3-----------3---|
G:---------0---2---|---0-----0-----0-|-----0-----0-----|-0-----0-----0---|---0-----0-------|
D:-0---------------|-----0-----0-----|-0-----0-----0---|---0-----0-----0-|-----0-----------|
A:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E:---------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------3---------|

Once again, this picking pattern is obviously not absolute, so
work with it until you find something that sounds good.

LYRICS:

He was born in the summer of his twenty-seventh year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him you might say he was born again
You might say he'd found a key to every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long


CHORUS
The Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)


He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept the memory

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forests and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake


CHORUS
But the Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)


Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land


CHORUS
And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You know he'd be a poorer man if he'd never saw an eagle fly
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
The Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody's high
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (Colorado)

CHORDS:

G	320033
Dmaj7	xx0222
Dsus4	xx0233

To learn why these chords are named this way, check out Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.