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Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, Dm, G, C, F, E, E7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

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

[Opening]
[Am]First I was afraid I was [Dm]petrified
Kept thinking [G]I could never live without you [C]by my side
But then I [F]spent so many nights thinking [Dm]how you did me wrong
And I grew [E]strong and I learned [E7]how to get along

[verse 2]
And so you’re back [Am]back from outer [Dm]space
I just walked [G]in to find you here with that sad [C]look upon your face
I should have [F]changed that stupid lock
I should have [Dm]made you leave your key
If I had [E]known for just second you’d be [E7]back to bother me

[chorus]
Go on now [Am]go, walk out the [Dm]door
Just turn [G]around now, cause you’re not [C]welcome anymore
[F]Weren’t you the one who tried to [Dm]hurt me with goodbyes?
Did you think I’d [E]crumble? Did you think I’d [E7]lay down and die?

[chorus]
Oh no not [Am]I, I will [Dm]survive
For as [G]long as I know how to love I [C]know I’ll stay alive
I’ve got [F]all my life to live, I’ve got [Dm]all my love to give
And I’ll [E]survive, I will [E7]survive, hey hey

[verse 3]
It took [Am]all the strength I had not to [Dm]fall apart,
Kept trying [G]hard to mend the pieces of my [C]broken heart
And I spent [F]oh so many nights just feeling [Dm]sorry for myself
I used to [E]cry, but now I [E7]hold my head up high

[Closing]
And you see [Am]me, somebody [Dm]new
I’m not that [G]chained up little person still in [C]love with you
And so you [F]felt like dropping in, and just [Dm]expect me to be free
And now I’m [E]savin’ all my lovin’ for [E7]someone who’s lovin’ me

[chorus]
Go on now [Am]go, walk out the [Dm]door
Just turn [G]around now, cause you’re not [C]welcome anymore
[F]Weren’t you the one who tried to [Dm]hurt me with goodbyes?
Did you think I’d [E]crumble? Did you think I’d [E7]lay down and die?

[chorus]
Oh no not [Am]I, I will [Dm]survive
For as [G]long as I know how to love I [C]know I’ll stay alive
I’ve got [F]all my life to live, I’ve got [Dm]all my love to give
And I’ll [E]survive, I will [E7]survive, hey hey

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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.
ArtistGloria Gaynor
AlbumOur Tune
GenresPop, Soul
Year1986
KeyAm

How to play I Will Survive on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive on guitar requires 7 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.

I Will Survive uses these transitions most often: Am → Dm (8), C → F (8), and Dm → E (8). 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 Am - Dm chord transition.

1. Am → Dm chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
Am to Dm

2. Dm → G chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Dm to G;

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

3. G → C chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

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

4. C → F chord transition

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

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.
C to F

5. F → Dm chord transition

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.

6. Dm → E chord transition

To move from Dm to E;

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

7. E → E7 chord transition

To move from E to E7;

  1. While playing E, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on G string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on 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.

I Will Survive chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Will Survive.

  • I Will Survive includes 63 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Will Survive contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Will Survive connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → G: 16%
    • Dm → E: 1%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → Dm: 8%
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.