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Ed Sheeran - Runaway Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, C, G, Am, D, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em] [C] [G] [Em] [C] [G]
[Em]I’ve known it for a long time
[C]Daddy wakes up to a [G]drink at nine
[Em]Disappearing all night
[C]I don’t wanna know where [G]he’s been lying
[Em]I know what I wanna do
I wanna [C]runaway, [G]runaway with [Em]you
Gonna grab clothes, six in the [C]mornin’, [G]go

[chorus]
[Am]”How [Em]long you [G] [D]leaving?”
“Well dad just [Am]don’t expect me [Em]back this [G] [D]evening.”
Oh it could [Am]take a bit of [Em]time to [G]heal [D]this
It’s been a [B7]long day
Thumb on side of the [Em]roadway, but [C]

[chorus]
I love him from the [Em]skin to my bones [C] [G]
But I don’t wanna [Em]live in his home [Am] [G]
There’s nothing to [Em]say cause he knows [C] [G]
I’ll just runaway and [Em]be on my own ohh, mmm [C] [Em]

[verse 2]
[Em]I’ve never seen my dad cry
[C]Cold as stone in the [G]kitchen light
[Em]I’ll tell you it’s about time
[C]But I was raised to [G]keep quiet
[Em]And this is what I’m gonna do
Gonna [C]runaway, gonna [G]make that [Em]move
Gonna grab clothes, and when it’s [C]mornin’, [G]go

[chorus]
[Am]”How [Em]long you [G] [D]leaving?”
“Well dad just [Am]don’t expect me [Em]back this [G] [D]evening.”
Oh it could [Am]take a bit of [Em]time to [G]heal [D]this
It’s been a [B7]long day
Thumb on side of the [Em]roadway, but [C]

[chorus]
I love him from the [Em]skin to my bones [C] [G]
But I don’t wanna [Em]live in his home [Am] [G]
There’s nothing to [Em]say cause he knows [C] [G]
I’ll just runaway and [Em]be on my own ohh, mmm [C] [Em]

[verse 3]
[Em]Back pack, and a flat cap turned to the [C]back
As I packed my clothes [G]up [Em]
My dad wasn’t down with that
plan to [C]attack, intends to [G]show love
[Em]I don’t wanna live this way
Gonna [C]take my things and [G]go
[Em]If things change in a matter of days
Could [C]be persuaded to [G]hold un [Am]

[Closing]
And mama was the [Em]same
None of us are [G]saints
I guess that God [D]knows [Am]that
I don’t wanna [Em]runaway
And one of these [G]days I might just [D]show [Am]that
Put my home in a [Em]suitcase
Tie both [G]shoe laces and [D]hope that
[B7]Things change but for now I’ll leave town
With a [Em]backpack on my [C]shoulder

[chorus]
I love him from the [Em]skin to my bones [C] [G]
But I don’t wanna [Em]live in his home [Am] [G]
There’s nothing to [Em]say cause he knows [C] [G]
I’ll just [Em]runaway and be on my own [C] [Em]ohh, mmm

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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.
ArtistEd Sheeran
Albumx
GenresPop
Year2014
KeyEm

How to play Runaway on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ed Sheeran - Runaway 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.

Runaway uses these transitions most often: Em → C (26), C → G (20), and G → Em (20). 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 Em - C chord transition.

1. Em → C chord transition

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

To move from Em to C;

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

2. C → G chord transition

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

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.
C to G

3. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from G to Em;

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

4. G → Am chord transition

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

To move from G to Am;

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

5. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

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

6. G → D chord transition

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.

7. D → Am chord transition

To move from D to Am;

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

8. D → B7 chord transition

To move from D to B7;

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

9. B7 → Em chord transition

To move from B7 to Em;

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.

Runaway chord transition analysis

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

  • Runaway includes 120 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Runaway contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Runaway connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Am: 13%
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.