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Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, Bb, F, C
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 E key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

[Opening]
[Dm] [Bb] [F]
I’ve gotta [Dm]keep the calm [Bb]before the [F]storm
I [Dm]don’t want less, I [Bb]don’t want [F]more
Must [Dm]bar the windows [Bb]and the [F]doors
To [Dm]keep me safe, to [Bb]keep me [F]warm

[verse 2]
Yeah, my [Dm]life is what I’m [Bb]fighting [F]for
Can’t [Dm]part the sea, can’t [Bb]reach the [F]shore
And my [Dm]voice becomes the [Bb]driving [F]force
I won’t [Dm]let this pull me [Bb]over [F]board

[chorus]
God, keep my [Dm]head above [Bb]water, don’t let me [F]drown
It gets [C]harder, I’ll met you [Dm]there at the [Bb]altar
As I [F]fall down to my [C]knees, don’t let me [Dm]drown, drown, [Bb]drown
Don’t let me, [F]don’t let me, don’t let me [C]drown

[verse 3]
So [Dm]pull me up from [Bb]down [F]below, ’cause I’m [Dm]underneath the [Bb]under [F]tow
Come [Dm]dry me off and [Bb]hold me [F]close, I [Dm]need you now, I [Bb]need you [F]most

[chorus]
God, keep my [Dm]head above [Bb]water, don’t let me [F]drown
It gets [C]harder, I’ll met you [Dm]there at the [Bb]altar
As I [F]fall down to my [C]knees, don’t let me [Dm]drown, drown, [Bb]drown
Don’t let me, [F]don’t let me, don’t let me [C]drown
Don’t let me [Dm]drown, drown, [Bb]drown
(Don’t let me, [F]don’t let me, don’t let me [C]drown)
Keep my head above water, above water

[verse 4]
And [Bb]I [C]can’t [F]see in the [Dm]stormy [C]weather
[Bb]I [C]can’t [F]seem to keep it [Dm]all [C]together
And [Bb]I can’t [C]swim the [F]ocean like [Dm]this [C]forever, and [Bb]I can’t [C]breath

[Closing]
God, keep my [Dm]head above [Bb]water, I loose my [F]breath, at the [C]bottom
Come rescue [Dm]me, I’ll be [Bb]waiting, I’m too [F]young to fall asl [C]eep
God, keep my [Dm]head above [Bb]water, don’t let me [F]drown, it gets [C]harder
I’ll met you [Dm]there at the [Bb]altar, as I [F]fall down to my [C]knees
Don’t let me [Dm] [Bb]drown don’t let me, [F]don’t let me, don’t let me [C]drown
Don’t let me [Dm] [Bb]drown (Don’t let me, [F]don’t let me, don’t let me [C]drown)
Keep my head above water, above water

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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.
ArtistAvril Lavigne
AlbumHead Above Water
GenresAlternative, Indie, Pop
Year2019
KeyDm

How to play Head Above Water on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 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.

Head Above Water uses these transitions most often: Bb → F (26), Dm → Bb (26), and F → Dm (16). 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 - Bb chord transition.

1. Dm → Bb chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Dm to Bb;

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

2. Bb → F chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Bb to F;

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

3. F → Dm chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from F to Dm;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Dm

4. F → C chord transition

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

To move from F to C;

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

5. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

6. C → Bb chord transition

To move from C to Bb;

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

Head Above Water chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Head Above Water.

  • Head Above Water includes 107 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Head Above Water contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Head Above Water connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → C: 20%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → C: 18%
    • Dm → Bb: 9%
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.