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Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, C7, B7, Em, D#, Am, Bb, C
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

[Opening]
[G]”The problem is [D]all inside your [C7]head”, she said to [B7]me,
[Em]”The answer is [D#]easy if you [C7]take it logic[B7]ally.
[G]I’d like to [D]help you in your [C7]struggle to be [B7]free.
There must be, [Em]fifty [Am]ways to leave your [Em]lover”

[verse 2]
[G]She said: “It’s [D]really not my [C7]habit to in[B7]trude,
Further[Em]more I hope my [D#]meaning won’t be [C7]lost or miscon[B7]strued,
But I’ll re[G]peat myself, [D]at the [C7]risk of being [B7]crude.
There must be, [Em]fifty [Am]ways to leave your [Em]lover
[Em]Fifty [Am]ways to leave your [Em]lover”

[chorus]
You just slip out the [G]back Jack, make a new [Bb]plan Stan,
You don’t need to be [C]coy Roy, just get yourself [G]free
Hop on the [G]bus Gus, you don’t need to dis[Bb]cuss much,
Just drop off the [C]key Lee, and get yourself [G]free.

[chorus]
Slip out the [G]back Jack, make a new [Bb]plan Stan,
You don’t need to be [C]coy Roy, you just listen to [G]me
Hop on the [G]bus Gus, you don’t need to dis[Bb]cuss much,
Just drop off the [C]key Lee, and get yourself [G]free.

[verse 3]
[G]She said: “It [D]grieves me so to [C7]see you in such [B7]pain.
I wish there was [Em]something I could [D#]do to [C7]make you smile a[B7]gain.”
I said: “I a[G]ppreciate [D]that and [C7]would you please ex[B7]plain
About the, [Em]fifty ways” [Am] [Em]

[Closing]
[G]She said: “Why [D]don’t we both just [C7]sleep on it to[B7]night,
And I be[Em]lieve that in the [D#]morning you’ll be[C7]gin to see the [B7]light.”
Then she [G]kissed me and I [D]realized, she [C7]probably was [B7]right,
There must be [Em]fifty [Am]ways to leave your [Em]lover,
[Em]Fifty [Am]ways to leave your [Em]lover

[chorus]
You just slip out the [G]back Jack, make a new [Bb]plan Stan,
You don’t need to be [C]coy Roy, just get yourself [G]free
Hop on the [G]bus Gus, you don’t need to dis[Bb]cuss much,
Just drop off the [C]key Lee, and get yourself [G]free.

[chorus]
Slip out the [G]back Jack, make a new [Bb]plan Stan,
You don’t need to be [C]coy Roy, you just listen to [G]me
Hop on the [G]bus Gus, you don’t need to dis[Bb]cuss much,
Just drop off the [C]key Lee, and get yourself [G]free.

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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.
ArtistPaul Simon
AlbumStill Crazy After All These Years
GenresPop
Year1975
KeyG

How to play 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on guitar requires 9 chords and 12 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.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover uses these transitions most often: C7 → B7 (12), B7 → Em (8), and Bb → C (8). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from G to D;

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

2. D → C7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from D to C7;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.
D to C7

3. C7 → B7 chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

To move from C7 to B7;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your pinky from G string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
C7 to B7

4. B7 → Em chord transition

Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from B7 to Em;

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
B7 to Em

5. Em → D# chord transition

To move from Em to D#;

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

6. D# → C7 chord transition

To move from D# to C7;

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

7. B7 → G chord transition

To move from B7 to G;

  1. While playing B7, lift your pinky from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

8. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am;

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

9. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

10. G → Bb chord transition

To move from G to Bb;

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

11. Bb → C chord transition

To move from Bb to C;

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

12. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

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

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Bb: 0%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → Am: 12%
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.