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John Denver - Poems, Prayers & Promises Chords

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

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

  • 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 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
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm 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] [F] [C]
[C]I’ve been lately thinking about [F]my life’s [C]time
[C]All the things I’ve done and how it’s [F]been
And [C]I can’t help believing in [F]my own [C]mind
I [C]know I’m gonna hate to see it [F]end

[verse 2]
I’ve [C]seen a lot of sunshine, [F]slept out in the [C]rain
[C]Spent a night or two all on my [F]own
I’ve [C]known my lady’s pleasures, [F]had myself some [C]friends
And [C]spent a time or two in my own [F]home

[chorus]
And I [F]have to say it [G7]now it’s been a [C]good life all in [F]all
It’s really [C]fine to have a [Am]chance to hang a[Dm]round [G]
And [F]lie there by the [G7]fire and [C]watch the evening [F]tire
While all my [C]friends and my old [Am]lady sit and [Dm]pass the pipe a[G]round

[chorus]
And talk of [F]poems and prayers and [Em]promises
and [F]things that we be[C]lieve in
How [C]sweet it is to [Am]love someone, how [F]right it is to [G]care
How [F]long it’s been since [Em]yesterday and [Dm]what about to[C]morrow
And [C]what about our dreams and all the [F]memories we [G]share

[interlude]
[C] [F] [C]

[verse 3]
The [C]days they pass so quickly now, [F]nights are seldom [C]long
And [C]time around me whispers when it’s [F]cold
The [C]changes somehow frighten me, [F]still I have to [C]smile
It [C]turns me on to think of growing [F]old

[Closing]
For [C]though my life’s been good to me there’s [F]still so much to [C]do
So [C]many things my mind has never [F]known
I’d [C]like to raise a family, I’d [F]like to sail a[C]way
And [C]dance across the mountains on the [F]moon

[chorus]
And I [F]have to say it [G7]now it’s been a [C]good life all in [F]all
It’s really [C]fine to have a [Am]chance to hang a[Dm]round [G]
And [F]lie there by the [G7]fire and [C]watch the evening [F]tire
While all my [C]friends and my old [Am]lady sit and [Dm]pass the pipe a[G]round

[chorus]
And talk of [F]poems and prayers and [Em]promises
and [F]things that we be[C]lieve in
How [C]sweet it is to [Am]love someone, how [F]right it is to [G]care
How [F]long it’s been since [Em]yesterday and [Dm]what about to[C]morrow
And [C]what about our dreams and all the [F]memories we [G]share

[outro]
[C] [F] [C]

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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.
ArtistJohn Denver
AlbumPoems, Prayers & Promises
GenresFolk
Year1971
KeyC

How to play Poems, Prayers & Promises on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Denver - Poems, Prayers & Promises on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

Poems, Prayers & Promises uses these transitions most often: C → F (25), F → C (23), and C → Am (6). 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 → G7 chord transition

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

To move from F to G7;

  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 1.
F to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
G7 to C

4. C → Am chord transition

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

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.
C to Am

5. Am → Dm chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

6. Dm → G chord transition

To move from Dm to G;

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

7. 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.

8. F → Em chord transition

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.

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.

10. Em → Dm chord transition

To move from Em to Dm;

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

11. Dm → C chord transition

To move from Dm to C;

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

12. 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.

Poems, Prayers & Promises chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Poems, Prayers & Promises.

  • Poems, Prayers & Promises includes 94 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Poems, Prayers & Promises contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Poems, Prayers & Promises 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 → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
    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.