Songnotes
the hand-crafted music library of @davidpots
jump to: lyrics / notes & tabs / videos / chord progressions / song info
(capo 1st Fret)Intro
(muted strumming, then...) A ... F#m ... D . A . E . A .Verse
A F#m Just got home from Illinois, lock the front door, oh boy D A E Got to sit down and take a rest on the porch A F#m Imagination sets in, pretty soon I'm singing D A E A Doo, doo, doo... lookin' out my back door There's a giant doing cartwheels, a statue wearin' high-heels Look at all the happy creatures dancin' on the lawn A dinosaur Victrola, listenin' to Buck Owens Doo, doo, doo... lookin' out my back doorChorus
E D A Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band A F#m E Won't you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo, doo, doo... A F#m Wonderous apparition, provided by magician D A E A Doo, doo, doo... lookin' out my back door (instrumental verse w/ solo) Tambourines and elephants are playin' in the band Won't you take a ride on the flying spoon? Doo, doo, doo... Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrows Doo, doo, doo... lookin' out my back doorKey Change
(muted strumming, then...) | F# . . . | E . B . | B . G#m . | F# . . . | B G#m Forward troubles Illinois... lock the front door, oh boy E B F# Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn B G#m Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrows E B F# B Doo, doo, doo... lookin' out my back doorOutro
(muted strumming → E B F# B)
This tab shows how to play this song using a capo (positioned on the 1st fret) in standard tuning. You only need to apply a capo (and play in the key of A major) if you want to play along with the album version. Otherwise, a capo is not required. Also, let me disclaim that I'm aware CCR may have played this song without a capo, starting in the key of Bb. If you're looking for the exact tab to play in Bb, seek elsewhere. I'm primarily concerned with creating a tab that is accessible to the masses (and playing in the key of A is certainly easier than that of Bb).
Here is how to play the guitar used in this song. First, the chords used in the key of A:
e-|---0----2----2---0---- B-|---2----2----3---0---- G-|---2----2----2---1---- D-|---2----4----0---2---- A-|---0----4--------2---- E-|--------2--------0---- A F#m D E
After changing key to B, you'll want to use these chords:
e-|--------4----0----2---- B-|---4----4----0----2---- G-|---4----4----1----3---- D-|---4----6----2----4---- A-|---2----6----2----4---- E-|--------4----0----2---- B G#m E F#
Late in the song, note that the song modulates (changes key) up one whole step. Using the chords shown above, you'll notice the change is from the key of A to the key of B. All chord progressions stay the same, as far as each chord's relative position to the root. Ultimately, this change in key is by no means required when playing the song -- but I wanted to make note of this for those interested in a faithful adaptation.
To listen to the official album recording of this song, refer to this YouTube video:
For a video lesson on how to play this song on guitar, I recommend the following video. It provides a good breakdown of the chords used, shows how to play each section, the strumming pattern used, and so forth.
| A . . . | F#m . . . | D . A . | E . A . |
| A . . . | F#m . . . | D . A . | E . . . | | A . . . | F#m . . . | D . A . | E . A . |
| E . . . | D . A . | A . F#m . | E . . . | | A . . . | F#m . . . | D . A . | E . A . |
Song: Lookin' Out My Backdoor
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Cosmo's Factory
Year: 1970
Label: Fantasy
Want to support Songnotes? If you would like to donate a dollar or few, that would make my day. I've spent over 1000+ hours building this site and transcribing these songs -- and happily make everything available freely. Visit my PayPal page if you'd like to toss something back my way.
Thanks so much!
Here are some of the video lessons I have made recently. I typically aim to create 3-4 lessons per month. Subscribe on YouTube to be sure you never miss a new lesson.
View my notes & tabs for Dead Flowers →
View my notes & tabs for Issues →
View my notes & tabs for 2U →
View my notes & tabs for Uh Huh →
View my notes & tabs for Meet Me in the Hallway →
View my notes & tabs for Stairway to Heaven →
View my notes & tabs for Wish You Were Here →
View my notes & tabs for Shape of You →
View my notes & tabs for Simple Man →
View my notes & tabs for Highwayman →
View my notes & tabs for Audition (The Fools Who Dream) →
View my notes & tabs for Strangers →
View my notes & tabs for A Lovely Night →
View my notes & tabs for this song →
Here's a list of the 173 songs I've added to the site since December 2012. Each song was added by me personally.
Songs are grouped by the year they were released.
My name is David Potsiadlo, and I created Songnotes to share my collection of guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for my favorite songs.
Since I started playing guitar over 10 years ago, I've often been frustrated by the preponderance of mediocre and incomplete song tabs littered across the internet. To combat this, I started keeping my own collection of notes for each song I learn -- always taking the extra time to make sure accuracy and completeness are never compromised. Years later, my collection grew to the point where I knew I had to share it online with fellow aspiring musicians.
In December 2012, I began designing & developing a website that became Songnotes. Here, I share my personal collection of hand-crafted music notation with all those online. I hope you enjoy.
You can also view my personal website or follow me on Twitter / Dribbble / GitHub / LinkedIn.
follow Songnotes: