George Formby - Bless ‘Em All Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
[Opening]
They [D]say there’s a troopship just leaving Bombay,
bound for old Blighty [A]shore
Heavily laden with time expired men, [A7]bound for the land they [D]adore.
There’s [D]many an airman just finishing his time,
there’s many a twerp signing [A]on
You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
[chorus]
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘em [D]All.
Bless ‘Em [D]All, Bless ‘Em All, the long and the [D7]short and the [G]tall
[A]Bless all the sergeants and W. O. ones,
[E7]Bless all the [E]corporals and [A7]their blinkin’ [A7]sons,
Cos we’re [D]saying goodbye to them all,
as [D7]back to their billets they [G]crawl
[A]You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
[verse 2]
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘em [D]All
They [D]say if you work hard you’ll get better pay,
we’ve heard all that be[A]fore
Clean up your buttons and polish your boots,
[A7]scrub out the barrack room [D]floor
There’s [D]many a rookie has taken it in, hook line and sinker an’ [A]all
[A]You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
[chorus]
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘em [D]All
Bless ‘Em [D]All, Bless ‘Em All, the long and the [D7]short and the [G]tall
[A]Bless all the sergeants and W. O. ones,
[E7]Bless all the [E]corporals and their blinkin’ [A7]sons,
Cos were [D]saying goodbye to them all,
as [D7]back to their billets they [G]crawl
[A]You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘em [D]All
[verse 3]
Now they [D]say that the Sergeant’s a very nice chap, oh what a tale to [A]tell.
Ask him for leave on a Saturday night and [A7]he’ll pay your fare home as [D]well.
There’s [D]many an airman has blighted his life through writing rude words on the [A]wall
[A]You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘em [D]All
[Closing]
Bless ‘Em [D]All, Bless ‘Em All, the long and the [D7]short and the [G]tall
[A]Bless all the sergeants and W. O. ones,
[E7]Bless all the [E]corporals and their blinkin’ [A7]sons,
Cos were [D]saying goodbye to them all, as [D7]back to their billets they [G]crawl
[A]You’ll get no pro[A7]motion this [A]side of the [A7]ocean
So [A]cheer up my [A7]lads, Bless ‘Em [D]All
[D]Nobody knows what a [G]twerp you have [Gm]been
So [E]cheer up my [A7]lads, bless ’em [D]All!
How to play Bless 'Em All on Guitar (Step-by-step)
George Formby - Bless 'Em All on guitar requires 8 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.
Bless 'Em All uses these transitions most often: A → A7 (21), A7 → D (13), and A7 → A (12). 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
To move from D to A;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
2. A → A7 chord transition
To move from A to A7;
- While playing A, lift your ring finger from B string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.
3. A7 → D chord transition
To move from A7 to D;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
4. D → D7 chord transition
To move from D to D7;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.
5. D7 → G chord transition
To move from D7 to G;
- Lift your index finger from B 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.
- Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.
6. G → A chord transition
To move from G to A;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
7. A → E7 chord transition
To move from A to E7;
- While playing A, lift your ring finger from B string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
8. E7 → E chord transition
To move from E7 to E;
- Keep index finger on G string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on D string fret 2.
9. E → A7 chord transition
To move from E to A7;
- While playing E, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
10. 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.
11. G → Gm chord transition
To move from G to Gm;
- Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
12. Gm → E chord transition
To move from Gm to E;
- While playing Gm, lift your pinky from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 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 B string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
Bless 'Em All chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Bless 'Em All.
- Bless 'Em All includes 83 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Bless 'Em All contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Bless 'Em All connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
- A → E7: 4%
- A → A7: 3%
After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).- A7 → D: 42%
- A7 → A: 4%