Eric Clapton - Goodnight Irene 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 E,B keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
[Opening]
[Dm] [C] [G] [C]
Last [C]Saturday night I got [G]married,
Me and my wife settled [C]down.
Now me and my [C7]wife are [F]parted;
Gonna [G]take another stroll down [C]town.
[chorus]
[C]Irene, good [G]night, Irene, Irene good [C]night.
Goodnight. I[C7]rene. Good [F]night, Irene.
I’ll [G]see you in my [C]dreams.
[verse 2]
[Dm] [C] [G] [C]
Some [C]times I live in the [G]country.
Sometimes I live in [C]town.
Sometimes I [C7]take a fool [F]notion
To [G]jump in the river and [C]drown.
[chorus]
[C]Irene, good [G]night, Irene, Irene good [C]night.
Goodnight. I[C7]rene. Good [F]night, Irene.
I’ll [G]see you in my [C]dreams.
[interlude]
[Dm] [C] [G] [C]
[Closing]
Stop your [C]ramblin’, stop your [G]gamblin’.
Stop staying out late at [C]night.
Go home to your [C7]wife and [F]family.
Stay [G]there by the fireside [C]bright.
[chorus]
[C]Irene, good [G]night, Irene, Irene good [C]night.
Goodnight. I[C7]rene. Good [F]night, Irene.
I’ll [G]see you in my [C]dreams.
How to play Goodnight Irene on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Eric Clapton - Goodnight Irene on guitar requires 5 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.
Goodnight Irene uses these transitions most often: G → C (15), C → G (9), and C → C7 (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 Dm - C chord transition.
1. Dm → C chord transition
To move from Dm to C;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
2. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
3. C → C7 chord transition
To move from C to C7;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on G string fret 3.
4. C7 → F chord transition
To move from C7 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.
- Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
5. F → G chord transition
To move from F to G;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E 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.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
Goodnight Irene chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Goodnight Irene.
- Goodnight Irene includes 47 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Goodnight Irene contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Goodnight Irene connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
- C → G: 35%
- C → Dm: 5%
After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).- G → C: 25%