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Peter, Paul and Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, F, Am, D7, G7, Am7
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 Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea,
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Little Jackie [Em]Paper [F]loved that rascal [C]Puff,
And [F]bought him strings and [C]sealing [Am]wax and
[D7]Other [G7]fancy [C]stuff. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah[G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

[verse 2]
[C]Together they would [Em]travel on a [F]boat with billowed [C]sail,
[F]Jackie kept a [C]look out [Am7]perched on [D7]Puff’s gigantic [G7]tail,
[C]Noble kings and [Em]princes would [F]bow when e’re they [C]came,
[F]Pirate ships would [C]low’r their [Am7]flag when
[D7]Puff roared [G7]out his [C]name. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

[verse 3]
[C]A Dragon Lives for [Em]ever but [F]not so little [C]boys.
[F]Painted wings and [C]giant [Am7]rings make [D7]way for other [G7]toys,
[C]One grey night it [Em]happened, Jackie [F]Paper came no [C]more. And
[F]Puff that mighty [C]dragon, [Am7]he
[D7]Ceased his [G7]fearless [C]roar. [G7]

[Closing]
His [C]head was bent in [Em]sorrow green [F]scales fell like [C]rain,
[F]Puff no longer [C]went to [Am7]play [D7]along the cherry [G7]lane
With-[C]out his lifelong [Em]friend [F]Puff could not be [C]brave. So
[F]Puff that mighty [C]dragon [Am7]sadly [D7]slipped in [G7]to his [C]cave. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

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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.
ArtistPeter, Paul and Mary
AlbumMoving
GenresFolk, Pop
Year1962
KeyC

How to play Puff the Magic Dragon on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Peter, Paul and Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon on guitar requires 7 chords and 9 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.

Puff the Magic Dragon uses these transitions most often: F → C (28), G7 → C (18), and C → Em (14). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

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

To move from C to Em;

  1. While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D 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.
C to Em

2. Em → F chord transition

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

To move from Em to F;

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Em 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 → 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 → D7 chord transition

To move from Am to D7;

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

6. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from B 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. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 1.

7. G7 → C chord transition

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.

8. C → Am7 chord transition

To move from C to Am7;

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

9. Am7 → D7 chord transition

To move from Am7 to D7;

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

Puff the Magic Dragon chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Puff the Magic Dragon.

  • Puff the Magic Dragon includes 134 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Puff the Magic Dragon contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Puff the Magic Dragon 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%
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.