Wide Open Road

johnny cash

This seldom played song is unique. It may be the very first recording by Johnny Cash: Late 1954 he went to Sun Studio, Memphis and cut three demoes (the two others were "You're My Baby" and "My Treasure") only with his acoustic guitar. The same day the master was cut with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, together with "Hey Porter" and "Cry, Cry, Cry", which were chosen for Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two's first single, released in June -55.
"Wide Open Road" became a leftover, to fill up later albums. On 1st of May 1964, when Sun was about to be acquired by Mercury, it was released as the very last Cash single on that label.
So, this song is music history, and you should treat it with respect. Well, not too much. Originally the song goes F-B-G-C boom-chicka-boom - real rockabillies don't bother with tricky chords; I'm even surprised they involved the G-bridge - but I like it more jazzy. That's why my key is "A" instead of "F", and I've even dared to change the end of the refrain's third line to end up F# ... sorry, Johnny ... but for Cash die hards: the original tab is left at the end.

And the story behind the "boom-chicka-boom" style I've summed up HERE.

well you said you've had enough you said that you were leavin'
I said shove off honey baby I ain't grievin'
pack your bags and pull out this evenin'
there's a wide open road

early this mornin' you were nowhere about
and so I searched the town but you had done pulled out
I looked north east and west and then a-leadin' south
I saw a wide open road

there's a wide open road
it's leadin' south from my abode
if you stick around then turn your damper down
or there's a wide open road

well the reason I was lookin' for you all over town
was to tell you that your kitty-cat he's still around
and you left your weddin' ring when you went down
that wide open road

if you're gonna stay away then honey let me know
how to cook hot biscuits how to roll the dough
everything's gone crazy since I told you to go
down the wide open road

there's a wide open road
and honey I want you to know
you can look down south or you can turn back home
and there's a wide open road

For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.

A                                                A7
well you said you've had enough   you said that you were leavin'
         D                    D7
I said shove off honey baby   I ain't grievin'
A                   F#m
pack your bags and pull out this evenin'
           B7        E7
there's a wide open road
A                            A7
early this mornin' you were nowhere about
          D                             D7
and so I searched the town but you had done pulled out
          A                              F#m
I looked north east and west and then a-leadin' south
         B7  E7    A
I saw a wide open road

A                    A7
there's a wide open road
              D              A
it's leadin' south from my abode
         D      B7                  F#m   F#
if you stick around then turn your damper down
             Dmaj7 Bm11 A
or there's a wide open road

Here we go, you rockabilly roughnecks, with the song as
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two originally played it ...
... the instruments were tuned up half a note to match
Johnny's voice register for all the songs on the playlist.

E
well you said you've had enough   you said that you were leavin'
         A
I said shove off honey baby   I ain't grievin'
E
pack your bags and pull out this evenin'
           F#7       B7
there's a wide open road
E
early this mornin' you were nowhere about
          A
and so I searched the town but you had done pulled out
          E
I looked north east and west and then a-leadin' south
         F#7  B7   E
I saw a wide open road
E
there's a wide open road
              A              E
it's leadin' south from my abode
         A                          E
if you stick around then turn your damper down
              F#7  B7   E
or there's a wide open road