Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Rod Stewart - Maggie May Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Dm, F, G, Em
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 D key to play this song with easier chords.

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

[Opening]
[C] [Dm] [F] [C]
[G]Wake up Maggie I [F]think I’ve got something to [C]say to you
It’s [G]late September and I [F]really should be [C]back at school
I [F]know I keep you a[C]mused, but I [F]feel I’m being [G]used
Oh [Dm]Maggie I couldn’t have [Em]tried any [Dm]more
You [Dm]led me away from [G]home just to [Dm]save you from being a[G]lone
You [Dm]stole my heart and [G]that’s what really [C]hurts

[verse 2]
The [G]morning sun when it’s [F]in your face really [C]shows your age
But [G]that don’t worry me [F]none in my eyes you’re [C]everything
I [F]laugh at all of your [C]jokes, my [F]love you didn’t need to [G]coax
Oh [Dm]Maggie I couldn’t have [Em]tried any [Dm]more
You [Dm]led me away from [G] home just to [Dm]save you from being a[G]lone
You [Dm]stole my soul and that’s a [G]pain I can do [C]without

[verse 3]
[G] All I needed was a [F]friend to lend a [C]guiding hand
But you [G]turned into a lover and [F]mother what a lover you wore [C]me out
[F]All you did was wreck my [C]bed and in the [F]morning kick me in the [G]head
Oh [Dm]Maggie I couldn’t have [Em]tried any [Dm]more
You [Dm]led me away from [G]home ‘cause you [Dm]didn’t want to be a[G]lone
You [Dm]stole my heart I couldn’t [G]leave you if I [C]tried

[verse 4]
[Dm] [G] [C] [F] [Dm] [F] [G] [C]
I [G]suppose I could [F]collect my books and get on [C]back to school
Or [G]steal my daddy’s [F]cue and make a living out of [C]playing pool
Or [F]find myself a Rock and Roll [C]band that [F]needs a helping [G]hand
Oh [Dm]Maggie I wish I’d [Em]never seen your [Dm]face
You made a [Dm]first class fool out of [G]me, but I’m as [Dm]blind as a fool can [G]be
You [Dm]stole my heart but I [G]love you any[C]way

[chorus]
[Dm] [G] [C] [F] [Dm] [F] [G] [C]
[C]Maggie I [Dm]wish I’d [F]never seen your [C]face

[Closing]
[C] [Dm] [F] [C]
[C]I’ll get back [Dm]home one [F]of these [C]days

[chorus]
[C] [Dm] [F] [C]
[C]Maggie I [Dm]wish I’d [F]never seen your [C]face

Report Error
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.
ArtistRod Stewart
AlbumEvery Picture Tells a Story
GenresRock
Year1971
KeyC

How to play Maggie May on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Rod Stewart - Maggie May on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

Maggie May uses these transitions most often: F → C (18), Dm → G (14), and G → Dm (12). 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 C - Dm chord transition.

1. C → Dm chord transition

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

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.
C to Dm

2. Dm → F chord transition

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

To move from Dm to F;

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

3. 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

4. C → G chord transition

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

To move from C to G;

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

5. G → F chord transition

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.

6. G → Dm chord transition

To move from G to Dm;

  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 B string fret 3.

7. Dm → Em chord transition

To move from Dm to Em;

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

Maggie May chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Maggie May.

  • Maggie May includes 110 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Maggie May contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Maggie May connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → G: 16%
    • Dm → F: 14%
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.