Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall 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 A,D,G keys to play this song with easier chords.
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
[Opening]
[F] [Bb] [F]
Oh, [F]where have you been, my [Bb]blue-eyed [F]son?
And [F]where have you been, my darling young [C]one?
I’ve [Bb]stumbled on the side of [C]twelve misty [F]mountains,
I’ve [Bb]walked and I’ve crawled on [C]six crooked [F]highways,
I’ve [Bb]stepped in the middle of [C]seven sad [F]forests,
I’ve [Bb]been out in front of a [C]dozen dead [F]oceans,
I’ve been [Bb]ten thousand miles in the [C]mouth of a [F]graveyard,
[chorus]
And it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [C]hard, it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [Bb]hard,
And it’s a [F]hard rai[C]ain’s a-gonna [F]fall [Bb] [F]
[verse 2]
Oh, [F]what did you see, my [Bb]blue-eyed [F]son?
Oh, [F]what did you see, my darling young [C]one?
I saw a [Bb]newborn babe with [C]wild wolves all a[F]round it
I saw a [Bb]highway of diamonds with [C]nobody [F]on it,
I [Bb]saw a black branch with [C]blood that kept [F]drippin’,
I saw a [Bb]room full of men with their [C]hammers a[F]bleedin’,
I [Bb]saw a white ladder all [C]covered with [F]water,
I saw [Bb]ten thousand talkers whose [C]tongues were all [F]broken,
I saw [Bb]guns and sharp swords in the [C]hands of young [F]children,
[chorus]
And it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [C]hard, it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [Bb]hard,
And it’s a [F]hard rai[C]ain’s a-gonna [F]fall [Bb] [F]
[verse 3]
And [F]what did you hear, my [Bb]blue-eyed [F]son?
And [F]what did you hear, my darling young [C]one?
I heard the [Bb]sound of a thunder, it [C]roared out a [F]warnin’,
Heard the [Bb]roar of a wave that could [C]drown the whole [F]world,
Heard [Bb]one hundred drummers, their [C]hands were a[F]-blazin’,
Heard [Bb]ten thousand whisperin’ and [C]nobody [F]listenin’,
Heard [Bb]one person starve, I heard [C]many people [F]laughin’,
Heard the [Bb]song of a poet who [C]died in the [F]gutter,
Heard the [Bb]sounds of a clown who [C]cried in the [F]alley,
Heard the [Bb]sound of one person who [C]said he was [F]human,
[chorus]
And it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [C]hard, it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [Bb]hard,
And it’s a [F]hard rai[C]ain’s a-gonna [F]fall [Bb] [F]
[verse 4]
Oh, [F]who did you meet, my [Bb]blue-eyed [F]son?
[F]Who did you meet, my darling young [C]one?
I [Bb]met a young child be[C]side a dead [F]pony,
I [Bb]met a white man who [C]walked a black [F]dog,
I [Bb]met a woman whose [C]body was [F]burning,
I [Bb]met a young girl, she [C]gave me a [F]rainbow,
I [Bb]met one man who was [C]wounded in [F]love,
I [Bb]met another man who was [C]wounded in hatred,
[chorus]
And it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [C]hard, it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [Bb]hard,
And it’s a [F]hard rai[C]ain’s a-gonna [F]fall [Bb] [F]
[Closing]
And [F]what’ll you do now, my [Bb]blue-eyed [F]son?
Oh, [F]what’ll you do now, my darling young [C]one?
I’m a-[Bb]goin’ back out ‘fore the [C]rain starts a-[F]fallin’,
I’ll [Bb]walk to the depths of the [C]deepest black [F]forest,
Where the [Bb]people are many and their [C]hands are all [F]empty,
Where the [Bb]pellets of poison are [C]flooding their [F]waters,
Where the [Bb]home in the valley meets the [C]damp dirty [F]prison,
Where the [Bb]executioner’s face is [C]always well [F]hidden,
Where [Bb]hunger is ugly, where [C]souls are for[F]gotten,
Where [Bb]black is the color, where [C]none is the [F]number,
And I’ll [Bb]tell it and think it and [C]speak it and [F]breathe it,
And re[Bb]flect from the mountain so [C]all souls can [F]see it,
Then I’ll [Bb]stand on the ocean un[C]til I start [F]sinkin’,
But I’ll [Bb]know my song well be[C]fore I start [F]singin’,
[chorus]
And it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [C]hard, it’s a [F]hard, and it’s a [Bb]hard,
And it’s a [F]hard rai[C]ain’s a-gonna [F]fall [Bb] [F]
How to play A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall uses these transitions most often: F → Bb (49), C → F (48), and Bb → C (38). 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 F - Bb chord transition.
1. F → Bb chord transition
To move from F to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
2. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C;
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- 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.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
3. C → Bb chord transition
To move from C to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.
- A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall includes 171 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.05% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
- F → C: 40%
- F → Bb: 5%
After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).- Bb → F: 34%
- Bb → C: 20%