Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A,D,E,G keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[Opening]
They [Bb]paved paradise
And put up a parking [F]lot
With a [Bb]pink hotel, a [C]boutique
and a [F]swinging hot spot
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[verse 2]
They [Bb]took all the trees
And put them in a tree [F]museum
And they [Bb]charged the people
A [C]dollar and a half just to [F]see them
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[verse 3]
Hey [Bb]farmer farmer
Put away that D.D.T. [F]now
Give me [Bb]spots on my apples
But [C]leave me the birds and the [F]bees, Please..!
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[verse 4]
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
[Closing]
[Bb]Late last night
I heard the screen door [F]slam
And a [Bb]big yellow taxi
[C]Took away my old [F]man
[chorus]
[F]Don’t it always seem to go
That you [Bb]don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s [F]gone..
They [Bb]paved paradise
And [C]put up a parking [F]lot
[F]Ooo park, park, park, park
How to play Big Yellow Taxi on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.
Big Yellow Taxi uses these transitions most often: F → Bb (18), Bb → C (9), and Bb → F (9). 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 F - Bb chord transition.
1. F → Bb chord transition
To move from F to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
2. Bb → C chord transition
To move from Bb to C;
- While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 3 to fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
3. 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.
Big Yellow Taxi chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Big Yellow Taxi.
- Big Yellow Taxi includes 45 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Big Yellow Taxi contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Big Yellow Taxi connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
- F → Bb: 5%
After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).- Bb → F: 34%
- Bb → C: 20%