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Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah Chords

ChordsC, Am, F, G, E7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram


[C] [Am] [C] [Am]


Well I’ve [C]heard there was a [Am]secret chord,
That [C]David played and it [Am]pleased the Lord,
But [F]you don’t really [G]care for music, [C]do [G]ya?
It [C]goes like this, the [F]4th, the [G]5th,
The [Am]minor fall and the [F]major lift,
The [G]baffled king com[E7]posing halle[Am]lujah,


Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]


Your [C]faith was strong but you [Am]needed proof,
You [C]saw her bathing [Am]on the roof,
Her [F]beauty and the [G]moonlight over[C]threw [G]ya,
She [C]tied you to her [F]kitchen [G]chair,
She [Am]broke your throne and she [F]cut your hair,
And [G]from your lips she [E7]drew the halle[Am]lujah,


Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]


May [C]be there is a [Am]God above,
But [C]all I ever [Am]learned from love,
Was [F]how to shoot at [G]someone who out[C]drew [G]ya.
And it’s [C]not a cry you can [F]hear at [G]night,
It’s not [Am]somebody who’s [F]seen the light,
It’s a [G]cold and it’s a [E7]broken halle[Am]lujah,


Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]


I [C]did my best, it [Am]wasn’t much,
I [C]couldn’t feel so I [Am]tried to touch,
I’ve [F]told the truth, I [G]didn’t come to [C]fool [G]ya.
And [C]even though it [F]all went [G]wrong,
I’ll [Am]stand before the [F]Lord of Song,
With [G]nothing on my [E7]tongue but halle[Am]lujah,


Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]


There [C]was a time when you [Am]let me know,
What’s [C]really going [Am]on below,
But [F]now you [G]never show it to me [C]do [G]ya.
Well re[C]member when I moved [F]in with [G]you,
And the [Am]holy dove was [F]moving too,
And [G]every breath we [E7]drew was halle[Am]lujah


Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]
Halle[F]lujah, halle[Am]lujah,
Halle[F]lujah, halle [C]luu[G]jah [C]

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AlbumVarious Positions
GenresPop
Year1984
KeyC

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

Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

Hallelujah uses these transitions most often: Am → F (21), G → C (16), and F → G (15). 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 C - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

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

2. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am to F;

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

3. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

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

4. G → C chord transition

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.
G to C

5. C → F chord transition

To move from C to F;

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

6. G → Am chord transition

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.

7. G → E7 chord transition

To move from G to E7;

  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 G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.

8. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 to Am;

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

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

  • Hallelujah includes 115 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hallelujah contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hallelujah 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 → F: 16%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%