WHO’LL STOP THE RAIN – Guitar Lesson

John Fogerty has written a lot of great songs! This one was penned in 1970 …. a year after his Woodstock experience. The song is certainly somewhat of a folk-rock protest piece which has added to its longevity. Here's your Who'll Stop the Rain guitar lesson!

*NOTE* I  omitted and shouldn't have .. the middle instrumental chord section!

The progression is C/G/D then …. Am/C/Em … then D/G

Double strum on the first C and Am …. single strums on the rest.
 

  G C G
  Long as I remember, the  rain been coming  down
  G C G
  Clouds of mystery pourin', con fusion on the  ground
  C G C G
  Good men through the  ages,  trying to find the  sun
  C D Em G
  And I wonder,  still I wonder,  who'll stop the  rain

 

  G C G
  I went down Virginia, seeking  shelter from the  storm
  G 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

 

  G C G
  Heard the singers playing,  how we cheered for  more
  G C G
  The crowd had rushed together,  tryin' to keep  warm
  C G C G
  Still the rain kept  pourin',  falling on my  ears
  C D Em G
  And I wonder,  still I wonder,  who'll stop the  rain

       
       

{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }

John Morgans December 21, 2011 at 12:45 PM

Terrific lesson! I helped set-up equipment for CCR for a couple of shows.
Regards John

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admin December 21, 2011 at 3:04 PM

Very cool John! Was this way back when or more recently? Glad you enjoyed the lesson!

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Tod January 1, 2012 at 10:05 AM

get song still alittle confused on the intro but I can play the rest of the song really good thanks -enjoyed the lesson

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bob parnell January 1, 2012 at 11:59 AM

Another Winner! 
 
THanks and Happy New Year.
Question.  looks like you are switching to the Em  on verse of "pouring"  are the chords/lyric accurate as is?

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Hank January 5, 2012 at 2:44 AM

Yes this is a great song. It shows how Foggerty could use a few simple open chords and some scales to make a whole lot of  good music. No #1's but this guy had talent for sure.
Maybe some time you could look at bad moon rising and how John used drop down tuning to get the right sound for this song. Lots on youtube but almost all are wrong.  Thanks, Mace for helping!

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admin January 5, 2012 at 5:47 AM

Thanks Hank … yes I will look at Bad Moon Rising and research the tuning. If it don’t present it that way … at the very least I will cover it in the lesson. Cheers!

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Doug Harder April 7, 2012 at 12:31 AM

I love ccr ,I picked up points that I had been missing. Thanks Doug

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admin April 7, 2012 at 5:41 AM

Thanks Doug!

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jim osborn May 31, 2012 at 6:37 PM

THANKS FOR THIS AWESOME TUNE, CAN YOU SEND OUT SOMEMORE CCR     OZZY

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Gary picco June 6, 2012 at 7:13 AM

great job im stilling working on the intro,,

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erdogan September 22, 2012 at 8:47 AM

thank you for the lesson its great rock on.

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dodgem October 9, 2012 at 3:51 AM

hi there,thanks for a great ccr ,number, once i stopped putting too many notes into the change over it sounded great
but you know my best song of all time is the other ccr, number, have you ever seen the rain, any chance of that in the near future, please, dodgem.. 

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Rick Pope January 20, 2013 at 6:18 AM

Morning Jackson,
Thank you for your love of music and your commitment to helping others. I love your style and would like to hear more old country, especially the licks. Please keep up the good work.
Rick
 

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admin January 20, 2013 at 10:12 AM

Thanks so much Rick! I have a few of those on my songmentor.com site …. in the Relaxed program! You might like what you see. They are mixed with other soft rock and pop tunes. Cheers!

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Radio September 15, 2013 at 8:41 AM

Another good lesson Jackson, thanks!  It helps to know those lil 'extra' notes that make the tune what it is.  
They have so many tunes that people love.  A couple of my favs, and lesser played, are 'Almost Saturday Night' and 'Change in the Weather'.  I only wish I could be taught to sing with Fogery's great voice… ha!
r

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Karl Kelton February 3, 2014 at 10:59 AM

Thanks again Jackson. I continue to appreciate your teaching method and style. I agree with Radio's comment above about the extra notes making this song although taking me some time to make smooth transitions between notes and chords 
May be interested to know, finally have mastered (somewhat) the intro to "Long Cool Woman".
If you're ever back playing with your band in Ontario, please let me know.
Regards
Karl

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Keith Fraser March 9, 2014 at 7:46 AM

Hi Jackson.
I have started to play guitar at a late stage in my life and I find your lessons great to be starting with. Many thanks and keep up the good work.
Best wishes
Keith

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admin March 9, 2014 at 8:13 AM

Many thanks Keith. Enjoy!

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Ray Warren September 11, 2016 at 4:41 AM

Nice song . Not heard that before . You've got a good voice , you sure you weren't in CCR ? LOL.😣 

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admin March 9, 2017 at 7:38 AM

I’m sure.

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Chris Fleming October 24, 2016 at 6:22 PM

Jackson,  i have learned a bunch of new songs from your web site. Keep up the super job. Have  been playing  for about 16 years & i learn something new every day. Have looked at other sites & yours is THE BEST ! 

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admin October 24, 2016 at 9:23 PM

Thanks so much Chris!

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chris fleming October 24, 2016 at 6:53 PM

Hey Jackson. Where does the Am go in WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN?? The progression says C/D/G then Am/ C/Em  is that rite ??please let me know. Will try it, but

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admin March 9, 2017 at 7:37 AM

I believe that is correct yes Chris. Foolishly, I left it out of the video but that little instrumental bridge is a nice touch in the song.

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bryan January 22, 2017 at 10:04 AM

I really needed you back then!! I would be a much better guitarist now.

THANKS

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Bob P March 2, 2017 at 3:43 PM

Jackson, great rendition and I love your strumming pattern.  I am a relative newbie and picking up strum patterns does not come naturally to me.  Where can I see and hear a detailed explanation of what you are doing during the body of the song?  I know you explain the intro portion.

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admin March 9, 2017 at 7:20 AM

Hi Bob! Much more detail is provided with my Song Mentor program. It became clear as I moved forward fron Free Guitar Mentor that the explanations regarding strumming needed attention. sale.songmentor.com

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dennis ashe January 14, 2018 at 7:31 AM

Terrific! This one is an anthem of my youth! Thank you!

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admin January 14, 2018 at 8:02 AM

You are most welcome Dennis!

sale.songmentor.com

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