Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Johnny Cash - Forty Shades Of Green Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, C, A7, D7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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 keys to play this song with easier chords.

IGclosemyeyesandpicture,theCemeraldofthesea
FromtheCfishingboatsatGDingle,
TotheA7shoresofDuna’D7dee
IGmisstheriverShannon,andtheCfolksatSkibbereen
TheCmoorlandsandtheGmeadows,
WiththeirD7fortyshadesofGgreen
ButCmostofallID7missagirl,inGTipperaryTown
AndCmostofallID7missherlips,asGsoftas D7eider-down
GA-gainIwanttoseeanddo,theCthingswe’vedoneandseen
WheretheCbreezeissweetasGShalimar
Andthere’sD7fortyshadesofGgreen
IGwishthatIcouldspendanhour,atCDublin’schurningsurf
I’dlovetowatchtheGfarmers,draintheA7bogsandspadetheD7turf
ToGseeagainthethatching,oftheCstrawthewomenglean
I’dCwalkfromCorktoGLarne,toseetheD7fortyshadesofGgreen
ButCmostofallID7missagirlinGTipperaryTown
AndCmostofallID7missherlips,asGsoftas D7eider-down
GAgainIwanttoseeanddo,theCthingswe’vedoneandseen
WheretheCbreezeissweetasGShalimar
Andthere’sD7fortyshadesofGgreen
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.
ArtistJohnny Cash
AlbumStarportrait
GenresCountry, Country Rock, Rock
Year1971
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Forty Shades Of Green on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Johnny Cash - Forty Shades Of Green on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Forty Shades Of Green uses these transitions most often: D7 → G (12), G → C (10), and C → G (6). 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 G - C chord transition.

1. G → C chord transition

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

To move from G to C:

  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 A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

G to C

2. G → A7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

To move from G to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

G to A7

3. A7 → D7 chord transition

Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

Switching from A7 to D7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

A7 to D7

4. D7 → G chord transition

Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

D7 to G

5. C → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to D7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

Forty Shades Of Green chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Forty Shades Of Green.

  • Forty Shades Of Green includes 42 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Forty Shades Of Green contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Forty Shades Of Green 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 → C: 25%
    • G → D7: 1%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → D7: 1%
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.