Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
[Opening]
[Em]Tommy used to work on the docks
[Em]Union’s been on strike, he’s down on his luck
It’s [C]tough… [D]So [Em]tough
[Em]Gina works the diner all day
[Em]Working for her man she brings home her pay
For [C]love… [D]Hmmm… For [Em]love
[chorus]
She says we’ve got to [C]hold [D]on to what we’ve [Em]got
It [C]doesn’t make a [D]difference if we make it or [Em]not
We [C]got each [D]other and that’s a [Em]lot
For [C]love we’ll [D]give it a shot!
[chorus]
[Em]Whoa[C]ah… We’re [D]half way there
[G]Woah [C]oh… [D]Living on a prayer
[Em]Take my [C]hand… We’ll [D]make it I swear
[G]Whoah [C]oh… [D]Living on a prayer
[verse 2]
[Em]Tommy’s got his fourstring in hock
[Em]Now he’s holding in what he used to make it talk
So [C]tough… [D]Mmm… It’s [Em]tough
[Em]Gina dreams of running away
[Em]When she cries in the night Tommy whispers
“Baby it’s [C]okay… [D]some [Em]day”
[chorus]
She says we’ve got to [C]hold [D]on to what we’ve [Em]got
It [C]doesn’t make a [D]difference if we make it or [Em]not
We [C]got each [D]other… and that’s a [Em]lot
For [C]love… We’ll [D]give it a shot!
[chorus]
[Em]Whoa [C]ah… We’re [D]half way there
[G]Woah [C]oh… [D]living on a prayer
[Em]Take my [C]hand… we’ll [D]make it I swear
[G]Whoah [C]oh… [D]Living on a prayer, [C]living on a prayer
[Closing]
[Em]Oooohh… We gotta [C]hold [D]on ready or [Em]not
You [C]live for the fight when it’s [D]all that you’ve got
[chorus]
[Gm]Whoa [Eb]ah… We’re [F]half way there
[Bb]Woah [Eb]oh… [F]Living on a prayer
[Gm]Take my [Eb]hand… We’ll [F]make it I swear
[Bb]Whoah [Eb]oh, [F]living on a prayer [Eb]living on a prayer
How to play Living on a Prayer on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer on guitar requires 8 chords and 11 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.
Living on a Prayer uses these transitions most often: C → D (22), Em → C (18), and D → Em (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 Em - C chord transition.
1. Em → C chord transition
To move from Em to C;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
2. C → D chord transition
To move from C to D;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
3. D → Em chord transition
To move from D to Em;
- While playing D, lift your index finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
4. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
5. G → C chord transition
To move from G to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
6. D → Gm chord transition
To move from D to Gm;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Keep ring finger on B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
7. Gm → Eb chord transition
To move from Gm to Eb;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from E string fret 3 to B string fret 4.
8. Eb → F chord transition
To move from Eb to F;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from B string fret 4 to D string fret 3.
9. 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.
10. Bb → Eb chord transition
To move from Bb to Eb;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Keep ring finger on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky on B string from fret 3 to fret 4.
11. F → Gm chord transition
To move from F to Gm;
- 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 E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
Living on a Prayer chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Living on a Prayer.
- Living on a Prayer includes 79 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Living on a Prayer contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Living on a Prayer connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
- Em → C: 26%
After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).- C → D: 11%
- C → Em: 8%