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Green Day - 21 Guns Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, Bb, F, C, A
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

[Opening]
[Dm]Do you [Bb]know what’s worth [F]fighting [C]for.
[Dm]When it’s [Bb]not worth [F]dying [C]for?
[Dm]Does it [Bb]take you [F]breath [C]away.
And you [Bb]feel yourself [C]suffocating?
[Dm]Does the [Bb]pain weight [F]out the [C]pride?
[Dm]And you [Bb]look for a [F]place to [C]hide?
[Dm]Does [Bb]someone break your [F]heart [C]inside?
You’re in [Bb] [C]ruins…

[chorus]
[F]One, [C]21 [Dm]guns, [C]lay down your [Bb]arms.
[F]Give up the [C]fight, [F]one, [C]21 [Dm]guns.
[C]Throw up your [Bb]arms [F]into the [C]sky.
You and [Bb]I… [F] [C]

[verse 2]
[Dm]When you’re [Bb]at the [F]end of the [C]road.
[Dm]And you [Bb]lost all [F]sense of [C]control.
[Dm]And your [Bb]thoughts have [F]taken their [C]toll.
When your [Bb]mind breaks the spirit of your [C]soul.
[Dm]Your [Bb]faith walks on [F]broken [C]glass.
[Dm]And the [Bb]hangover [F]doesn’t [C]pass.
[Dm]Nothing’s [Bb]ever [F]built to [C]last.
You’re in [Bb] [C]ruins…

[chorus]
[F]One, [C]21 [Dm]guns, [C]lay down your [Bb]arms.
[F]Give up the [C]fight, [F]one, [C]21 [Dm]guns.
[C]Throw up your [Bb]arms [F]into the [C]sky.
You and [Bb]I… [F] [C]

[verse 3]
[Dm]Did you [Bb]try to [F]live on your [C]own.
[Dm]When you [Bb]burned down the [F]house and [A]home?
[Dm]Did you [Bb]stand too [F]close to the [A]fire?
Like a [Bb]liar looking for [C]forgiveness from a stone.

[Closing]
[Dm]When it’s [Bb]time to [F]live and let [C]die.
[Dm]And you [Bb]can’t get [F]another [C]try.
[Dm]Something [Bb]inside this [F]heart has [C]died.
You’re in [Bb]ruins…

[chorus]
[F]One, [C]21 [Dm]guns, [C]lay down your [Bb]arms
[F]Give up the [C]fight, [F]one, [C]21 [Dm]guns
[C]Throw up your [Bb]arms [F]into the [C]sky
[F]One, [C]21 [Dm]guns, [C]lay down your [Bb]arms
[F]Give up the [C]fight, [F]one, [C]21 [Dm]guns
[C]Throw up your [Bb]arms [F]into the [C]sky
You and [Bb]I… [F] [C]

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistGreen Day
Album21st Century Breakdown
GenresAlternative, Indie, Rock
Year2009
KeyDm

How to play 21 Guns on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Green Day - 21 Guns on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

21 Guns uses these transitions most often: F → C (35), Bb → F (30), and C → Dm (24). 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 Dm - Bb chord transition.

1. Dm → Bb chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Dm to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
Dm to Bb

2. Bb → F chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Bb to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to D string fret 3.
Bb to F

3. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

4. C → Dm chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
C to Dm

5. C → Bb chord transition

To move from C to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

6. F → A chord transition

To move from F to A;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 2.

7. A → Dm chord transition

To move from A to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.

8. A → Bb chord transition

To move from A to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

21 Guns chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 21 Guns.

  • 21 Guns includes 147 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • 21 Guns contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 21 Guns connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Dm: 5%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → A: 1%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.