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Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight) Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, G, C7, Fm, D
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 A,D keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • 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 G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Fm chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-1-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar Fm chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Merry Christmas, I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight with

[verse 2]
[C7] [C] [C7] [C] [C7] [C] [C7] [C]
[C]Merry Christmas,
I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight
I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight
[C]Merry Christmas,
I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight with [C]you

[chorus]
[C] [F] [C] [G]
[C]Where is Santa? [F]And his [G]sleigh?
[C]Tell me why is it [F]always this [G]way?
[C]Where is Rudolph? [F]Where is [G]Blitzen, baby?
[C]Merry Christmas, [F]merry merry merry [G]Christmas
[C]All the children are [F]tucked in their [G]beds
[C]Sugar plum fairies [F]dancing in their [G]heads
[C]Snowball fighting, [F]so exciting [G]baby

[chorus]
[C] [F] [C] [C7]
[F]I love you [Fm]and you love me, [C]And that’s the [C7]way it’s got to be
[F]I knew that [Fm]from the start, ’cause [D]Christmas ain’t the time
For breaking [G]each other’s hearts

[chorus]
[C]Where is Santa? [F]And his [G]sleigh?
[C]Tell me why is it [F]always this [G]way?
[C]Where is Rudolph? [F]Where is [G]Blitzen, baby?
[C]Merry Christmas, [F]merry merry merry [G]Christmas
[C]All the children are [F]tucked in their [G]beds
[C]Sugar plum fairies [F]dancing in their [G]heads
[C]Snowball fighting, [F]so exciting [G]baby

[chorus]
[C] [F] [C] [C7]
[F]I love you [Fm]and you love me,
[C]And that’s the [C7]way it’s got to be
[F]I knew that [Fm]from the start,
’cause [D]Christmas ain’t the time
For breaking [G]each other’s hearts

[Closing]
[C]Merry Christmas,
I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight with
I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight with
[C]Merry Christmas, I [F]don’t want to [G]fight tonight with [C]you

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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.
ArtistRamones
AlbumBrain Drain
GenresChristmas, Punk, Rock
Year1989
KeyC

How to play Merry Christmas on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ramones - Merry Christmas on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Merry Christmas uses these transitions most often: C → F (22), F → G (21), and G → C (21). 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 - F chord transition.

1. 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

2. F → G chord transition

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

To move from F to G;

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

3. G → C7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from G to C7;

  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.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.
G to C7

4. C7 → C chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from C7 to C;

  1. While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
C7 to C

5. G → C chord transition

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.

6. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

7. F → Fm chord transition

To move from F to Fm;

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

8. Fm → C chord transition

To move from Fm to C;

  1. While playing Fm, 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place middle finger on D string fret 2.

9. Fm → D chord transition

To move from Fm to D;

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

10. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G;

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

Merry Christmas chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Merry Christmas.

  • Merry Christmas includes 96 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Merry Christmas contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Merry Christmas 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 F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
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.