Harry Nilsson - 1941 Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar A#7 | B♭7 chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
[Opening]
[Bb7] [A7]
Well in [D7]nineteen-forty [G]one a happy [C7]father had a [A]son
And by [D7]nineteen-forty [G]four the father [C7]walks right out the [A]door
And in [D7]forty [G]five the mom and [C7]son were still a[A]live
But [Bb7]who could tell in forty six if the [A7]two were to survive
[verse 2]
Well the [D7]years were passing [G]quickly,
but not [C7]fast enough for [A]him
So he [D7]closed his eyes through [G]fifty five,
then he [C7]opened them up [A]again
[verse 3]
Then he [D7]looked around he [G]saw a clown
and the [C7]clown seemed very [A]gay
And he [Bb7]set that night to join that circus [A7]clown and run away
[verse 4]
Well he [D7]followed every [G]railroad track and [C7]every highway [A]sign
And he [D7]had a girl in [G]each new town
and the [C7]towns he left be[A]hind
And the [D7]open [G]road was the [C7]only road that he [A]knew
But the [Bb7]color of his dreams was slowly [A7]turning into blue
[verse 5]
Then he [D7]met a girl, the [G]kind of girl he [C7]wanted all his [A]life
She was [D7]soft and kind and [G]good to him,
so he [C7]took her for a [A]wife
And they [D7]got a house not [G]far from town and [C7]in a little [A]while
The [Bb7]girl had seen the doctor and she [A7]came home with a smile
[Closing]
Now in [D7]nineteen-sixty [G]one a happy [C7]father had a [A]son
And by [D7]nineteen-sixty [G]four the father [C7]walked right out the [A]door
And in [D7]sixty [G]five the mom and [C7]son were still a[A]round
But [Bb7]what will happen to the boy when the [A7]circus comes to town
Well allololo la diddy etc (chords as per verse) fading
How to play 1941 on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Harry Nilsson - 1941 on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
1941 uses these transitions most often: C7 → A (15), D7 → G (15), and G → C7 (15). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Bb7 - A7 chord transition.
1. Bb7 → A7 chord transition
To move from Bb7 to A7;
- While playing Bb7, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on B string fret 2.
2. A7 → D7 chord transition
To move from A7 to D7;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on E string fret 2.
3. D7 → G chord transition
To move from D7 to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.
4. G → C7 chord transition
To move from G to C7;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on G string fret 3.
5. C7 → A chord transition
To move from C7 to A;
- While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
6. A → D7 chord transition
To move from A to D7;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
7. A → Bb7 chord transition
To move from A to Bb7;
- While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
1941 chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 1941.
- 1941 includes 71 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how 1941 connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After D7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (51%), G7 (18%), and C (6%).
- D7 → G: 51%
After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).- G → C7: 0%