The song is played in open A tuning: E-A-c#-e-a-c#’ (tune down the fourth string a semitone and the three highest strings to the same tones as the three lowest; this is the tuning that was used for Wichita Blues, with the exception of the highest string), and with a capo on the 3rd fret (sounding key C major).
If you’re not comfortable with open tunings, it is of course possible to play it in standard tuning, either with ordinary chord shapes, or with the chords suggested below, which come close to the sound of the open A version.
Chords:
Open A Standard
========================
C 000000
Cv 500500
Em/b 4004x0 x22010
F/a 20120x x0321x
C/g 043000 3x5050
Csus4 053000 xx3010
C/e x43000 xx2010
G9 021000 3x303x
C Cv Em/b
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0---------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------------|-----0-----------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------5-----|-----------4-----|
|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|
|-0---------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------0-------|---------0-------|-5-------5-------|-4-------4-------|
Down the streets the dogs are barking and the
F/a C/g C/g Csus4 : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|---------------0-|-----------------|-----------------| |-----------------|-----0-----------|-----------------|-----------------| |-2---------2-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------------| |(1)--1-------1---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---| |-----------------|-4---------------|-----------------|---------5-------| |-2-------0-------|---------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0---------------| day is getting dark As the night comes in a-
C/e C/g G9 C/g : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----0-----------|-----0-----------|-----0---------0-|-----0---------0-| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----| |-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----1-------1---|/----3-------3---| |-4---------------|-----------------|-2---------------|/4---------------| |---------0-------|-0-------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------| falling the dogs will lose their bark
G9 C Em/b F/a
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----0-----------|-----------------|
|-----0-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------0-----|-----5-----5-----|-----------4-----|-2---------2-----|
|\----1-------1---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|-----1-------1---|
|\2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------0-------|-5-------5-------|-4-------4-------|-2-------0-------|
And the silent night will shatter from the sounds inside my
C/g C/g Csus4 C/g : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |---------------0-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----0-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----0-----------| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|------------ ----|-----------0-----| |-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---| |-4---------------|-----------------|---------5-------|-4---------------| |---------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0---------------|---------0-------| mind Cause I'm one too many mornings and a
G9 C/g G9 C : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----0---------0-|-----0-----------|-----0-----------|-----0-----------| |-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----| |-----1-------1---|/----3-(\1)--1---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---| |-2---------------|/4-----(\2)------|-0---------------|-----------------| |---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|-0-------0-------| thousand miles behind
[Harp verse:]
C Em/b F/a C/g : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------| |-----------------|-----0-----------|-----------------|------------------| |-----------5-----|-----------4-----|-2---------2-----|------------0-----| |-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|(1)--1-------1---|(/3)--3-------3---| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-/4---------------| |-5-------5-------|-4-------4-------|-2-------0-------|----------0-------|
G9
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|----(0)----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----|
|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----1-------1---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-2---------------|
|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|---------0-------|
C Em/b F/a
: . . . : . . . : . . . : . . .
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----0-----------|-----------------|
|-----------0-----|-----------5-----|-----------4-----|-2---------2-----|
|-----1-------1---|-----0-------0---|-----0-------0---|(1)--1-------1---|
|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------0-------|-5-------5-------|-4-------4-------|-2-------0-------|
C/g C/e Csus4 C/e C/g : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |------------------|-----------------|-----0-------0---|-----0-----------| |------------0-----|-----------0-----|-----0-------0---|-----0-----0-----| |(/3)--3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---|-----3-------3---| |-/4---------------|-----------------|-4-------5-------|-4---------------| |----------0-------|-0-------0-------|-----------------|---------0-------|
G9 C F/a C : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . : . . . |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----0-----------|-----0-----------| |-----------0-----|-----------------|---0-------2-----|-----------0-----|-----------0-----| |-----1-------1---|-----0-------0---|-----0h1-----1---|-(p0)0-------0---|-----0-------0---| |-2---------------|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| |---------0-------|---------0-------|-2-------2-------|-0-------0-------|-0-------0-------|
C Em/b
Down the street the dogs are barking
F/a C/g
And the day is a-getting dark.
C/g Csus4 C/e
As the night comes in a-fallin'
G9 C/g G9
The dogs, they'll lose their bark.
C Em/b
And the silent night will shatter
F/a C/g
From the sounds inside my mind
Csus4 C/e
And I'm one too many mornings
G9 C/g G9 C
And a thousand miles behind.
From the crossroads of my doorstep,
My eyes start to fade.
And I turn my head back to the room
Where my love and I have laid.
And I gaze back to the street
the sidewalk and the sign.
And I'm one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind.
It's a restless, hungry feeling
That don't mean no one no good.
When everything I'm saying,
You can say it just as good.
You are right from your side,
And I am right from mine.
We're both just one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind.
Version from the BBC show, June 1, 1965
Bm' xx4430 (or xx4030) D/c x30030
G Bm'
Down the street the dogs are barking
C G . . /b-c | D . .
And the day is getting dark.
G Bm'
As the night comes in a-fallin'
C D . . D/c |D . .
The dogs, they'll lose their bark.
G Bm'
And the silent night will shatter
C G . . /b-c | D . .
From the sounds inside my mind
G Bm'
As I'm one too many mornings
C G /b /c D G
And a thousand mi - les behind.
Bm' C G D
Live 1966 version
Capo 2nd fret (sounding key A major). Robbie’s guitar is uncapoed.
|: G Gsus4:|
G Bm
Down the street the dogs are barking
C G Gsus4 G
And the day is getting dark.
G Bm
As the night comes in a-fallin'
C D Dsus4 D
The dogs, they'll lose their bark.
G Bm
The silent night will shatter
C G Gsus4 G
From the sounds inside my mind
G Bm
As I'm one too many mornings
C G D
And a thousand miles
G
behind.
Hard Rain version
G D
Down the street the dogs are barking
B Em
And the day is getting dark.
C G
As the night comes in a-fallin'
D . C . Bm . D . *)
The dogs, they'll lose their bark.
G D
The silent night will shatter
B Em
From the sounds inside my mind
C G
As I leave one too many mornings
C (/e /f#) G C G
And a thousand miles behind.
. . .
Additional last half-verse (the first part of the verse instrumental):
I've no right to be here If you've no right to stay Until we're both one too many mornings And a thousand miles away
*) Play the Bm with the first string open, or as xx4030 — that will imitate some of the delightful clashes that only a full, desperate Rolling Thunder band can produce.