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Bon Iver - Skinny Love Chords

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

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • 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
  • 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]
[Am]Come on skinny [F]love just last the [C]year
[Am]Pour a little [F]salt we were never [C]here
My, my, [Am]my, my, my, [F]my, my, [C]my
Staring at the [F]sink of [dm]blood and crushed ve[Am]neer

[verse 2]
[Am]I tell my [F]love to wreck it [C]all
[Am]Cut out all the [F]ropes and let me [C]fall
My, my, [Am]my, my, my, [F]my, my, [C]my
Right in this [F]mo[Dm]ment this order’s [Am]tall

[chorus]
I [C]told you to be patient
I [G]told you to be [Am]fine
I [C]told you to be balanced
I [G]told you to be [Am]kind

[verse 3]
In the [C]morning I’ll be with you
But it will [G]be a different [Am]kind
I’ll be [C]holding all the tickets
And you’ll be [G]owning all the [Am]fines

[verse 4]
[Am]Come on skinny [F]love what happened [C]here
[Am]Suckle on the [F]hope in lite bras[C]siere
My, my, [Am]my, my, my, [F]my, my, [C]my
Sullen load is [F]full, so [Dm]slow on the [Am]split

[chorus]
I [C]told you to be patient
I [G]told you to be [Am]fine
I [C]told you to be balanced
I [G]told you to be [Am]kind

[verse 5]
Now [C]all your love is wasted?
Then [G]who the hell was [Am]I?
Now I’m [C]breaking at the britches
And at the [G]end of all your [Am]lines

[Closing]
[C]Who will love [Em]you?
Who will [Am]fight?
[C]Who will fall [Em]far be[Am]hind?
[Am]Come on skinny [F]love just last the [C]year
My, my, [Am]my, my, my, [F]my, my, [C]my

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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.
ArtistBon Iver
AlbumFor Emma, Forever Ago
GenresAlternative, Indie
Year2007
KeyAm

How to play Skinny Love on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Bon Iver - Skinny Love on guitar requires 6 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.

Skinny Love uses these transitions most often: Am → F (11), F → C (11), and Am → C (10). 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 Am - F chord transition.

1. Am → F chord transition

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

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.
Am to F

2. 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

3. 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

4. F → Dm chord transition

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

To move from F to Dm;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Dm

5. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

6. C → G chord transition

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.

7. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

8. C → Em chord transition

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.

9. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am;

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

Skinny Love chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Skinny Love.

  • Skinny Love includes 67 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Skinny Love contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Skinny Love connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
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.