Jeremiah Johnson by Tim McIntire & John Rubinstein (cover)

[Glennwillow]

Mrbirdog has asked me multiple times on the forum and in Show & Tell if I would perform and record the theme song from the movie "Jeremiah Johnson." And recently he asked me if I would perform the song with my new Martin D-45.

So, I thought, well, Mrbirdog has been patient enough. So in the last few days I have looked the song up on YouTube and figured out the chords and then recorded it today.

This is not a song I would have picked out for myself to record but once I started working on it, I realized the value a song like this has. In terms of chords, it's a very good Bluegrass kind of song (key of G with straightforward chords), and it's a song most guitar players could get a handle on without a lot of heartburn. Also, in terms of singing, the song is very laid back, requiring minimal vocal gymnastics. So it's very accessible for most singers.

I found two women country singers singing this song using the same chords as Tim McIntire did in his recording for the movie. He is singing it very low, they are singing it in a very comfortable place for a woman an octave higher. For me, I put the capo on capo 3 because I wanted to sing it a little higher, but of course, the cool thing about a capo is you can put it where you like it or not bother using it at all.

So for many guitar players, this is not a bad song to have in the old repertoire. Here are the chords and lyrics as I recorded it.

Jeremiah Johnson
By John Rubenstein and Tim McIntire

(G)
Jeremiah Johnson made his way into the mountains,
.................................................. ............(Em)
Bettin' on forgettin' all the troubles that he knew.
(G)
The trail was wide and narrow, so the eagle or the sparrow
.................................................. .......(Em)
Showed the path he was to follow, as it flew.

CHORUS:
(D)...........................(C)
A mountain man is a lonely man and
........(G)
he leaves a lot behind
....(D)...........................(C)
It ought to have been different, but
........(G)
you often times will find
..............(Em)
That the story doesn't always go the
(D)
way you had in mind
(C)..................................(Em)
Jeremiah's story was that kind,
(C)..............(D)...............(G)
Jeremiah's story was that kind.

Instrumental/verse and chorus chords.

VERSE:
(G)
The way that you wander is the way that you choose
.......Em......................................... .......G
The day that you tary, is the day that you lose
(Em)...........................D
Sunshine or thunder, A man will always wonder
...C ..........................G
Where the fair wind blows.
...C.........................G
Where the fair wind blows.

CHORUS to End.

Thanks so much for listening!

- Glenn

[Cypress Knee]

"The way that you wander is the way that you choose
The day that you tarry is the day that you loose...."

Those words have stuck with me since I saw the movie back in 1972. Thanks for posting the whole song.

CK

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

"The way that you wander is the way that you choose
The day that you tarry is the day that you loose...."

Those words have stuck with me since I saw the movie back in 1972. Thanks for posting the whole song.

CK

Hi CK,

You're welcome! Thanks for listening and commenting! 1972!! Wow, that is a ways back in time now!!

- Glenn

[Mrbirdog]

Glenn
Thanks so much for covering and posting that it was as tremendous as I thought it would be you have a really good voice and that guitar is not so bad either can you imagine what that thing will sound like in a year or two after you keep playing it it already sounds awesome now.
Thanks again that song brings back a lot of old memories .......good ones
Mrbirdog
👍👍👍👍😀😀😀

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Mrbirdog

Glenn
Thanks so much for covering and posting that it was as tremendous as I thought it would be you have a really good voice and that guitar is not so bad either can you imagine what that thing will sound like in a year or two after you keep playing it it already sounds awesome now.
Thanks again that song brings back a lot of old memories .......good ones
Mrbirdog
👍👍👍👍😀😀😀

Hi Mrbirdog!

I'm so glad you felt okay about how this came out! Thanks for posting here and letting me know!

- Glenn

[RRuskin]

I worked with John & Tim for a number of years and played on that tune and other parts of the film score.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by RRuskin

I worked with John & Tim for a number of years and played on that tune and other parts of the film score.

Interesting coincidence... Nice to have that experience under your belt.

- Glenn

[Organic Sounds Select Guitars]

I enjoyed this, Glenn. Nice, laid back vibe, and your vocals were great as always. That guitar is spectacular!

Nice work Glenn!

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by LWSog

I enjoyed this, Glenn. Nice, laid back vibe, and your vocals were great as always. That guitar is spectacular!

Thank you Larry!

Very nice of you to take the time to listen and comment!

- Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Nice work Glenn!

Thank you Doug!

I appreciate your weighing in here and taking the time to comment!

- Glenn

[Finger Stylish]

Simple ballad's are always the best. Loved it!
Excellent job Glenn!

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Finger Stylish

Simple ballad's are always the best. Loved it!
Excellent job Glenn!

Thank you FS!

Thanks so much for listening and commenting here! Much appreciated!

- Glenn

[steve223]

NIce!! I enjoyed that ,I'm going to have to learn it now

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by steve223

NIce!! I enjoyed that ,I'm going to have to learn it now

Thank you Steve!

I'm very glad that you enjoyed this song and got some motivation from it. The finger picking approach that I used might be a little challenging for some folks, but the basic chords are all pretty straightforward and accessible for most guitar players after a few years of playing.

Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

- Glenn