[Intro]
G
[Strophe]
     G                 GM7/F#        
It's knowing that your door is always
  Em 
 open 
It's knowing that your door is always open 
         G/D                  Am 
And your path is free to walk 
     Am               Ammaj7  
That makes me tend to leave my
          Am7 
 sleeping bag 
That makes me tend to leave my sleeping bag 
              D                 
Rolled up and stashed behind your
 G 
 couch 
Rolled up and stashed behind your couch 
         G               GM7/F# 
And it's knowing I'm not shackled 
     Em                G/D 
By forgotten words and bonds 
        G                   G    
And the ink stains that are dried
           Am 
 upon some line 
And the ink stains that are dried upon some line 
     Am               Ammaj7 
That keeps you on the back roads 
       Am7          D 
By the rivers of my memory 
     Am             D           
That keeps you ever gentle on my
 G 
 mind
That keeps you ever gentle on my mind
[Strophe]
         G               GM7/F# 
It's not clinging to the rocks and
 ivy 
It's not clinging to the rocks and ivy 
Em               G/D             
Planted on their columns now that
 Am 
 bind me 
Planted on their columns now that bind me 
   Am                 Ammaj7 
Or something that somebody said 
  Am7                   D           
Because they thought we fit together
 G 
 walking 
Because they thought we fit together walking 
          G                GM7/F#    
It's just knowing that the world will
        Em 
 not be cursing 
It's just knowing that the world will not be cursing 
      G/D           G              
Or forgiving when I walk along some
                    Am 
 railroad track and find 
Or forgiving when I walk along some railroad track and find 
            Am               Ammaj7 
That you're moving on the back roads
 
That you're moving on the back roads 
       Am7          D 
By the rivers of my memory 
        Am                D        
And for hours you're just gentle on
    G 
 my mind
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
[Strophe]
           G                   
Though the wheat fields and the
 GM7/F# 
 clothes lines 
Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines 
        Em                G/D     
And the junkyards and the highways
         Am 
 come between us 
And the junkyards and the highways come between us 
         Am            Ammaj7       
And some other woman's cryin' to her
 Am7 
 mother 
And some other woman's cryin' to her mother 
           D                G 
'Cause she turned and I was   gone 
  G                  GM7/F#          
I still might run in silence tears of
 Em                 G/D 
 joy might stain my face 
I still might run in silence tears of joy might stain my face 
        G                            
And the summer sun might burn me 'til
     Am 
 I'm blind 
And the summer sun might burn me 'til I'm blind 
       Am             Ammaj7        
Oh but not to where I cannot see you
 Am7            D 
 walkin' on the back roads 
Oh but not to where I cannot see you walkin' on the back roads 
       Am             D           
By the rivers flowing gentle on my
 G 
 mind
By the rivers flowing gentle on my mind
[Strophe]
  G             GM7/F#          
I dip my cup of soup back from a
 Em 
 gurglin' 
I dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin' 
          G/D              Am 
Cracklin' cauldron in some train yard
 
Cracklin' cauldron in some train yard 
   Am               Ammaj7          
My beard* a rustlin'      cold towel
 Am7 
 
My beard* a rustlin'      cold towel 
                   D             G 
A dirty hat pulled low across my face
 (across my face) 
A dirty hat pulled low across my face (across my face) 
        G                      
Through cupped hands 'round the tin  
 GM7/F# 
  can 
Through cupped hands 'round the tin    can 
     Em               G/D         
I pretend to hold you to my breast
     Am 
 and find 
I pretend to hold you to my breast and find 
            Am              
That you're waiting from the back
 Ammaj7 
 roads 
That you're waiting from the back roads 
       Am7          D 
By the rivers of my memories 
     Am           D            G 
Ever smilin' ever gentle on my mind
[Outro]
  
Gentle on my mind 
                     Em/G
You are gentle on my mind
 Emmaj7/G G 
 
You are gentle on my mind 
Em/G Emmaj7/G G      G 
Ooh             yeah