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The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, A, G, Bm, E, B
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
  • Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

[Opening]
[D]
A dustland [D]fairytale beginning, just another [A]white trash county [G]kiss.
In ‘Sixty-[D]One, long brown hair and foolish eyes.
[D]He looked just like you’d want him to - some kind of [A]slick chrome American [G]prince.
A [A]blue jean [Bm]serenade, Moon River, what you [G]do to me. But [E]I don’t believe you.

[verse 2]
[D]Saw Cinderella in a party [G]dress [B]but she was [G]looking [B]for a nightgown.
[A]I saw the devil wrapping up his [D]hands, he’s getting ready for the showdown.
[G]I saw the [D]minute that I turned away, [Bm]I got my [A]money on a palm [D]tonight.

[verse 3]
The [D]change came in disguise of reve[A]lation set his [G]soul on fire.
She [D]says she always [G]knew [B]he’d come [D]around.
And the [D]decades disappear like sinking [Bm]ships that we persevere.
God gives us [G]hope, but we still fear, we don’t [D]know, the mind is poison.
[Bm]Castles in the sky sit stranded, [G]vandalised. The [E]drawbridge is closing.

[verse 4]
[D]Saw Cinderella in a party [G]dress [B]but she was [G]looking [B]for a nightgown.
[A]I saw the devil wrapping up his [D]hands, he’s getting ready for the showdown.
[G]I saw the [D]ending when they turned the [Bm]page, I threw my [A]money and I ran [D]away.
Straight to the [D]valley of the great [A]divide.

[verse 5]
[A]Out where the dreams all [D]hide, out where the [A]wind don’t [G]blow.
[G]Out here the [A]good girls [Bm]die, and the [A]sky won’t [D]snow.
[D]Out here the [A]bird don’t [G]sing, out here the [A]field don’t [G]grow.
[G]Out here the [A]bell don’t [Bm]ring, [B]out here the bell don’t [E]ring.
[G]Out here the good girls [D]die.

[Closing]
Now [D]Cinderella don’t you go to [G]sleep, [B]it’s such a [G]bitter [B]form of refuge.
[A]Oh don’t you know the kingdom’s under [D]siege? And everybody needs you.
[G]Is there still [D]magic in the midnight [Bm]sun? Or did you [A]leave it back in ‘Sixty-[D]One?
In the [D]cadence of a young man’s [G]eyes, and where the [A]dreams roll [D]high.

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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.
ArtistThe Killers
AlbumDay & Age
GenresRock
Year2008
KeyG

How to play A Dustland Fairytale on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale on guitar requires 6 chords and 13 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.

A Dustland Fairytale uses these transitions most often: A → D (9), D → G (8), and G → B (7). 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 D - A chord transition.

1. D → A chord transition

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

To move from D to A;

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

2. A → G chord transition

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

To move from A to G;

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

3. 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

4. A → Bm chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

To move from A to Bm;

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

5. Bm → G chord transition

To move from Bm to G;

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

6. G → E chord transition

To move from G to E;

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

7. E → D chord transition

To move from E to D;

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

8. G → B chord transition

To move from G to B;

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

9. B → A chord transition

To move from B to A;

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

10. D → Bm chord transition

To move from D to Bm;

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

11. B → D chord transition

To move from B to D;

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

12. Bm → B chord transition

To move from Bm to B;

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

13. B → E chord transition

To move from B to E;

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

A Dustland Fairytale chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Dustland Fairytale.

  • A Dustland Fairytale includes 77 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • A Dustland Fairytale contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how A Dustland Fairytale connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → A: 17%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
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.