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Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, G, F, Dm, C, Bb
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Once I [G]rose above the [F]noise and con[G]fusion
[Am]Just to [G]get a glimpse [F]beyond this i[G]llusion
[Dm]I was [C]soaring ever [Bb]higher [Bb] [C]
[Dm]But I [C]flew too [G]high
[Am]Though my [G]eyes could see I [F]still was a [G]blind man
[Am]Though my [G]mind could think [F]I still was [G]a mad man
[Dm]I hear the [C]voices when I’m [Bb]dreaming
[Dm]I can [C]hear them [G]say

[chorus]
[Am]Carry [C]on my [G]wayward [F]son
[Am]There’ll be [C]peace when [G]you are done
[Am]Lay your [C]weary [G]head to [F]rest
[Am]Don’t you cry no more

[verse 2]
[Am]Masque[G]rading as a [F]man with a [G]reason
[Am]My cha[G]rade is the [F]event of the [G]season
[Dm]And if I [C]claim to be a [Bb]wise man [Bb] [C]
[Dm]It surely [C]means that I don’t [G]know
[Am]On a [G]stormy sea of [F]moving e[G]motion
[Am]Tossed [G]about I’m like a [F]ship on the [G]ocean
[Dm]I set [C]sail for winds of [Bb]fortune[Bb] [C]
[Dm]But I [C]hear the voices [G]say

[chorus]
[Am]Carry [C]on my [G]wayward [F]son
[Am]There’ll be [C]peace when [G]you are done
[Am]Lay your [C]weary [G]head to [F]rest
[Am]Don’t you cry no more

[Closing]
[Am]Carry on you will [C]always [G]remember
[Am]Carry on nothing [C]equals the [G]splendor
[Dm]Now your [C]life’s no longer [Bb]empty [Bb] [C]
[Dm]Surely [C]Heaven waits for [G]you

[chorus]
[Am]Carry [C]on my [G]wayward [F]son
[Am]There’ll be [C]peace when [G]you are done
[Am]Lay your [C]weary [G]head to [F]rest
[Am]Don’t you cry no more

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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.
ArtistKansas
AlbumLeftoverture
GenresRock, Classic Rock, Progressive
Year1976
KeyC#m

How to play Carry On My Wayward Son on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son on guitar requires 6 chords and 9 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.

Carry On My Wayward Son uses these transitions most often: C → G (16), G → F (14), and G → Am (13). 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 Am - G chord transition.

1. Am → G chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
Am to G

2. G → F chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from G to F;

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

3. G → Dm chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from G to Dm;

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

4. Dm → C chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from Dm to C;

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

5. C → Bb chord transition

To move from C to Bb;

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

6. 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.

7. Bb → Dm chord transition

To move from Bb to Dm;

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

8. Am → C chord transition

To move from Am to C;

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

9. F → Am chord transition

To move from F to Am;

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

Carry On My Wayward Son chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Carry On My Wayward Son.

  • Carry On My Wayward Son includes 105 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Carry On My Wayward Son contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Carry On My Wayward Son 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 → Am: 13%
    • G → F: 9%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Dm: 5%
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.