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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.

DmBbF
I’vegottaDmkeepthecalmBbbeforetheFstorm
IDmdon’twantless,IBbdon’twantFmore
MustDmbarthewindowsBbandtheFdoors
ToDmkeepmesafe,toBbkeepmeFwarm
Yeah,myDmlifeiswhatI’mBbfightingFfor
Can’tDmpartthesea,can’tBbreachtheFshore
AndmyDmvoicebecomestheBbdrivingFforce
Iwon’tDmletthispullmeBboverFboard
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown
ItgetsCharder,I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar
AsIFfalldowntomyCknees,don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
SoDmpullmeupfromBbdownFbelow,’causeI’mDmunderneaththeBbunderFtow
ComeDmdrymeoffandBbholdmeFclose,IDmneedyounow,IBbneedyouFmost
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown
ItgetsCharder,I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar
AsIFfalldowntomyCknees,don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
Don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
(Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown)
Keepmyheadabovewater,abovewater
AndBbICcan’tFseeintheDmstormyCweather
BbICcan’tFseemtokeepitDmallCtogether
AndBbIcan’tCswimtheFoceanlikeDmthisCforever,andBbIcan’tCbreath
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,IloosemyFbreath,attheCbottom
ComerescueDmme,I’llbeBbwaiting,I’mtooFyoungtofallaslCeep
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown,itgetsCharder
I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar,asIFfalldowntomyCknees
Don’tletmeDmdrownBbdon’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
Don’tletmeDmdrownBb(Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown)
Keepmyheadabovewater,abovewater
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
DifficultyAdvanced

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 26 times.

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 26 times.

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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 13 times.

F to C

5. C → Dm chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 12 times.

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

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.