Paul Simon - American Tune Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
[Opening]
[C]Many’s [C]the [F]time [C]I’ve [Dm]been [C]mis[G]tak[E]en,
And [Am]many [E7]times con[Am]fused.
[C]Yes, and I’ve [F]of[C]ten [Dm]felt [C]for[G]sa[E]ken,
[Am]And cer[E7]tainly mis[Am]used.
[verse 2]
Oh, but [F]I’m al[G]right, I’m [F]al[C]right,
I’m just [F]weary [G]to [E]my [E7]bones.
[F]Still, you [G]don’t expect to be [C]bright and [D]bon[G]vivant,
So far [F]a[C]way [G]from [E]home,
[Dm]So [C]far a[G]way from [C]home
[verse 3]
[C]I don’t know [F]a soul [C]whose [Dm]not [C]been [G]bat[E]tered,
I don’t have a [Am]friend who [E7]feels at [Am]ease,
[C]I don’t know a [F]dream [C]whose [Dm]not [C]been [G]shat[E]tered,
Or [Am]driven [E7]to its [Am]knees.
[verse 4]
Oh, but It’s [F]al[G]right, It’s [F]al[C]right,
For we [F]lived [G]so [E]well so [E7]long.
[F]Still [G]when I think of the [C]road [G]we’re [D]traveling [G]on,
I [F]wonder [C]what’s [G]gone [E]wrong.
I [Dm]can’t help but [C]wonder [G]what’s gone [C]wrong
[verse 5]
And I [C]dream I was dying,
I dreamed that my [G]soul rose unex[Am]pectedly,
And [G]looking back [F]down at [C]me smiled reas[G]suringly.
And I [C]dreamed I was flying,
And high up above [G]my eyes could [Am]clearly see
The Statue of [G]Liberty, [F]sailing a[C]way to [G]sea,
And I dreamed I was [C]flying.
[verse 6]
We come on the [F]ship [C]they [Dm]call [C]the May[G]flow[E]er,
We come on the [Am]ship that [E7]sailed the [Am]moon.
[C]We come in the [F]a[C]ge’s [Dm]most [C]unc[G]certain [Am]hours,
And sing an [E7]American [Am]Tune.
[Closing]
Oh, and it’s [F]al[G]right, it’s [F]al[C]right,
You can [F]be for[G]ev[E]er [E7]blessed.
[F]Still to[G]morrow’s gonna be a[C]noth[G]er [D]working [G]day,
And I’m [F]trying to [C]get [G]some [E]rest,
[Dm]That’s all I’m [C]trying, to [G]get some [C]rest.
How to play American Tune on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Paul Simon - American Tune on guitar requires 8 chords and 15 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.
American Tune uses these transitions most often: C → G (18), F → C (14), and G → E (11). 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 C - F chord transition.
1. C → F chord transition
To move from C to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
2. C → Dm chord transition
To move from C to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- 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 3.
3. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
4. G → E chord transition
To move from G to E;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
5. E → Am chord transition
To move from E to Am;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
6. Am → E7 chord transition
To move from Am to E7;
- While playing Am, lift your ring finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
7. Am → C chord transition
To move from Am to C;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
8. Am → F chord transition
To move from Am to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
9. F → G chord transition
To move from F to G;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E 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.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
10. E → E7 chord transition
To move from E to E7;
- While playing E, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on G string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
11. E7 → F chord transition
To move from E7 to F;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
12. C → D chord transition
To move from C to D;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
13. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
14. E → Dm chord transition
To move from E to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
15. G → Am chord transition
To move from G to Am;
- 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 G string fret 2.
American Tune chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in American Tune.
- American Tune includes 135 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- American Tune contains 7 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how American Tune 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 → G: 35%
- C → F: 16%
After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).- G → C: 25%
- G → D: 24%