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The Lumineers - Life In The City Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, Em, G, C, G7, Am
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em 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 G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

[Opening]
[F]Woo, [Em]woo [G] [F][Em]woo, woo [G]
And if the [F]city’s [Em]skyscrapers rise [G]over this island
Would you be [F]glad to [Em]see Manhattan for [G]once?
I knew the [F]dream, it died, [Em]JMZ line, [G]Myrtle, and Broadway
But I’d be [F]glad to see [Em]Manhattan for [G]once

[chorus]
[C]Woah-woah, living life in the city
Woah-[Em]woah, it will never be pretty, oh[F], oh[G]
[C]Woah-woah, we can plan if we make it
[Em]Woah-woah, we won’t let ’em
They won’t take it from me, [F]no, oh, oh, [G]woah (2, 3, [F]4)

[verse 2]
[Em]Woo, [G]woo [F] [Em]woo, [G]woo
And if you [F]leave, don’t [Em]leave me all [G]alone
‘Cause I’ll be [F]scared, I’ll be [Em]naked, I’ll get [G]cold
And I miss my [F]dad and [Em]Cleopatra sitting on a [G]phone
So take me [F]back off these[Em] streets and we’ll [G]never be [G7]apart
[G]Together from the [G7]start, [G]never, never falling back alone

[chorus]
[C]Oh-oh, Living life in the city, oh-o[Em]h, it will never be pretty, o[F]h, o[G]h
[C]Oh-oh, we can plan if we make it, [Em]woah-woah, we won’t let ’em
They won’t take it from me, [F]no, oh, oh, [G]woah

[verse 3]
And if the [C]sun don’t shine [F]on me [C]today
And if the [C]subways flood and [F]bridges [C]break
Will you just [Am]lay down and [F]dig your [C]grave?
Or will you [C]rail against your [F]dying [C]day?

[Closing]
Da-da-da-d[C]a, da, da, d[F]a-ah-[C]da
[C]Da-da-da-da-ah, [F]da, da, [C]da
Da-da-da-d[C]a, da, da, d[F]a-ah-[C]da
[C]Da-da-da-da-ah, [F]da, da, [C]da

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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.
ArtistThe Lumineers
AlbumGloria Sparks
GenresAlternative, Folk, Indie
Year2019
KeyA

How to play Life In The City on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Lumineers - Life In The City on guitar requires 6 chords and 9 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.

Life In The City uses these transitions most often: Em → G (12), F → Em (12), and G → F (11). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. F → Em chord transition

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

To move from F to Em;

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
F to Em

2. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Em to G;

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

3. G → F chord transition

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

To move from G to F;

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

4. 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

5. C → Em chord transition

To move from C to Em;

  1. While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

6. G → G7 chord transition

To move from G to G7;

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

Life In The City chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Life In The City.

  • Life In The City includes 73 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Life In The City contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Life In The City 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 → G: 21%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.