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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.

Great Big Sea - The Mermaid Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, G, Bm, A, F#m
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 key to play this song with easier chords.

DWhenIwasaladinafishingtownmeGoldmansaidtomeD
“Youcanspendyourlife,yourjollylifejust Bmsailingonthe Asea.
YoucanDsearchtheworldforprettygirls’tilyourGeyesareweakandF#mdim,
ButGdon’tgosearchingforDamermaid,sonBm
IfyouGdon’tknowAhowtoDswim”
G‘CauseherhairwasgreenasDseaweed
HerGskinwasblueandDpale
HerGfaceitwasDaworkofart,
IGlovedthatgirlDwithallmyheart
ButI GonlylikedDtheupperpartBm
IGdidnotAliketheDtail
IDIsignedonboardasailingship,myGveryfirstdayatDsea
IseenaMermaidinthewavesaBmreachingouttoAme
ComeDlivewithmeintheseasaidshe,GdownontheoceanF#mfloor
AndI’llGshowyouamillionDwondrousthings,
you’veGneverAseen Dbefore
SoDoverIjumpedandshepulledmedown,GdowntoherseaweedDbed.
AndapillowmadeofatortoiseshellsheBmplacedbeneathmyAhead
SheDfedmeshrimpandcaviarGuponasilverF#mdish
FromherGheadtoherwaistitwasDjustmytaste
ButtheGrestofAherwasaDfish
G‘CauseherhairwasgreenasDseaweed
HerGskinwasblueandDpale
HerGfaceitwasDaworkofart,
IGlovedthatgirlDwithallmyheart
ButI GonlylikedDtheupperpartBm
IGdidnotAliketheDtail
DButthenoneday,sheswamaway,soIGsangtotheclamsandtheDwhales
“OhhowImissherseaweedhair,andtheBmsilvershineofherscales”
ButDthenhersister,sheswambyandGsetmyheartF#mawhirl
CauseherGupperpartwasanDuglyfishbutherGbottomApartwasaDgirl
G‘HertoesarepinkandDrosyD
HerGkneesaresmoothandpaleD
HerGlegstheyareaworkofDart,IGlovethatgirlwithallmyDheart
ButIdon’tGgiveadamnabouttheupperDpartBm
CauseGthat’showIAgetmyDtail.
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.
ArtistGreat Big Sea
AlbumThe Hard and the Easy
GenresFolk
Year2005
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play The Mermaid on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Great Big Sea - The Mermaid on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

The Mermaid uses these transitions most often: D → G (26), G → D (23), and A → D (10). 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 - G chord transition.

1. D → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 26 times.

D to G

2. D → Bm chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

Switching from D to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

D to Bm

3. Bm → A chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Switching from Bm to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

Bm to A

4. A → D chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Here's how to move from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

A to D

5. G → F#m chord transition

Switching from G to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. Bm → G chord transition

Switching from Bm to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

7. G → A chord transition

Here's how to move from G to A:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  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 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

The Mermaid chord transition analysis

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

  • The Mermaid includes 90 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Mermaid contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Mermaid connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Bm: 5%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
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.