When The Levee Breaks Acoustic chords by Led Zeppelin

When The Levee Breaks chords (for acoustic guitar - an oxymoron?)
Led Zeppelin 1970 (Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie 1929)

Arguably, one of the finest recordings ever mixing the blues with heavy metal rock.
About the great Mississippi flood of 1927. Very hard to accurately duplicate because
of the heavy amount of studio recording, echo harmonica & special effects.

E7* = G string 1st fret + A string 2nd fret (2 finger E7 chord)
E7** = E chord + B string 3rd fret (4 finger E7 chord)
E chord

Repeatedly strum E7*/E/E7**/E7* Play around with different combinations for the
best effect, deemphasizing the high E string and emphasizing the low E string

Capo I

E7*/E/E7**/E7* 18x

C D

E7*/E 4x

C D

E7*/E 4x


   E7*   E    E7**       E
If it keeps on raining, levee's goin' to break, 2x
     E7*  E      E7**       E
When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay.

E7*/E/E7**/E7* 2x

E7*   E         E7**   E
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan, 2x
E7*     E        E7**          E
Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
E7* E   E7* E   E7* E
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well.

C D

E7*/E 4x

C D

E7*/E 4x


E7*/E E7*/B E7* A D E

E7*          E
Don't it make you feel bad
      B
When you're trying to find your way home,
  A        D   E
You don't know which way to go?
     E7*    E
If you're goin' down South
   B
They got no work to do,
    A      D    E
If you don't know about Chicago.

E7*/E E7*/B E7* A D E 2x

E7*/E/E7**/E7* 14x

C D

E7*/E 4x

C D

E7*/E 4x

E7*     E     E7**          E
Cryin' won't help you, praying won't do you no good,
   E7*     E     E7**          E
Now, cryin' won't help you, praying won't do you no good,
     E7*  E    E7**       E
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.

E7*/E/E7**/E7* 2x

E7*   E   E7**         E
All last night sat on the levee and moaned, 2x
     E7*   E  E7**     E
Thinking about me baby and my happy home.

C D

E7*/E 4x

C D

E7*/E 4x


E7*/E E7*/B E7* A D E 2x

E7*/E E7*/B E7* A D E 2x
Ah ha ah ha ah ha ha ha

E7*/E E7*/B E7* A D E

E7*/E/E7**/E7* 2x

Going, going to Chicago... Going to Chicago... sorry but I can't take you...

E7*  E    E7** E7* E
Going down... going down now... going down....


Set8