Paul Anka - Papa Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram
[Opening]
[Dm]Everyday my papa would work, [Gm]to try to make ends meet
[A7]To see that we would eat, keep those [Dm]shoes upon my feet
[Dm]Every night my papa would take me, [Gm]and tuck me in my bed
[A7]Kiss me on my head, after [Dm]all my prayers were said
[verse 2]
[A#]And there were [C]years, of [A7]sadness and of [Dm]tears
[A#]Through it all, [C]together we were [F]strong
We were [A7]strong, [A#]times were [C]rough
But [A7]Papa he was [Dm]tough, [A#]mama stood be [Gm]side him all a [A7]long
[verse 3]
[Dm]Growing up with them was easy, [Gm]the time had flew on by
The [A7]years began to fly, they [Dm]aged and so did I
[A#]And I could [C]tell, that [A7]mama she wasn’t [Dm]well
[A#]Papa knew and [C]deep down so did [F]she, so did [A7]she
[A#]When she [C]died, [A7]Papa broke down and he [Dm]cried
And [A#]all he could say was, [Gm]”God, why her? Take [A7]me!”
[Closing]
[Dm]Everyday he sat there sleeping [Gm]in a rocking chair
[A7]He never went upstairs, [Dm]because she wasn’t there
[Dm]Then one day my Papa said, “Son, I’m [Gm]proud of how you’ve grown”
[A7]He said, “Go out and make it on your own. Don’t [Dm]worry. I’m O.K. alone.”
He said, [Dm]”There are things that you must do”, he said, [Gm]”There’s places you must see”
And his [A7]eyes were sad as he, as he [Dm]said goodbye to me
[Dm]Every time I kiss my children, [Gm]Papa’s words ring true
He said, [A7]”Children live through you. Let them [Dm]grow! They’ll leave you, too”
[Dm]I remember every word [Gm]Papa used to say, I [A7]kiss my kids and pray
That they’ll [Dm]think of [A#]me, [C]that [Dm]way, [Gm] [Dm]someday [A#] [C] [Dm]
How to play Papa on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Paul Anka - Papa on guitar requires 6 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.
Papa uses these transitions most often: A7 → Dm (14), Gm → A7 (10), and Dm → Gm (9). 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 Dm - Gm chord transition.
1. Dm → Gm chord transition
To move from Dm 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.
- Keep ring finger on B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
2. Gm → A7 chord transition
To move from Gm to A7;
- While playing Gm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 2.
3. A7 → Dm chord transition
To move from A7 to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
4. Dm → A# chord transition
To move from Dm to A#;
- 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 B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
5. A# → C chord transition
To move from A# to C;
- While playing A#, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 3 to fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
6. C → A7 chord transition
To move from C to A7;
- While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
7. C → F chord transition
To move from C to F;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
8. F → A7 chord transition
To move from F to A7;
- While playing F, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
9. A7 → A# chord transition
To move from A7 to A#;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Place ring finger on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
10. A# → Gm chord transition
To move from A# to Gm;
- Keep index finger on A string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger from G string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your pinky from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
11. C → Dm chord transition
To move from C to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
Papa chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Papa.
- Papa includes 64 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Papa contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Papa 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 → Gm: 5%
- Dm → A#: 1%
After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).- A7 → Dm: 12%
- A7 → A#: 0%