Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Ralph McTell - Streets of London Chords

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

[Opening]
[C]Have you seen the [G]old man in the [Am]closed down [Em]market
[F]Kicking up the [C]paper with his [Dm]worn out [G]shoes?
[C]In his eyes you [G]see no pride, [Am]and held loosely [Em]by his side
[F]Yesterday’s [C]paper telling [G7]yesterday’s [C]news

[chorus]
So [F]how can you [Em]tell me you’re [C]lone[Am]ly,
[D]And say for [D7]you that the sun don’t [G]shine? [G7]
[C]Let me take you [G]by the hand and
[Am]Lead you through [Em]the streets of London
[F]I’ll show you [C]something to [G]make you change your [C]mind

[verse 2]
[C]Have you seen the [G]old girl who [Am]walks the streets of [Em]London
[F]Dirt in her [C]hair and her [Dm]clothes in [G]rags?
[C]She’s no time for [G]talking, she [Am]just keeps right on [Em]walking
[F]Carrying her [C]home in [G7]two carrier [C]bags.

[chorus]
So [F]how can you [Em]tell me you’re [C]lone[Am]ly,
[D]And say for [D7]you that the sun don’t [G]shine? [G7]
[C]Let me take you [G]by the hand and
[Am]Lead you through [Em]the streets of London
[F]I’ll show you [C]something to [G]make you change your [C]mind

[verse 3]
[C]In the all night [G]café, at a [Am]quarter past [Em]eleven,
[F]Same old [C]man is sitting [Dm]there on his [G]own
[C]Looking at the [G]world over the [Am]rim of his [Em]tea cup,
[F]each tea last an [C]hour then he [G7]wanders home a[C]lone

[chorus]
So [F]how can you [Em]tell me you’re [C]lone[Am]ly,
[D]And say for [D7]you that the sun don’t [G]shine? [G7]
[C]Let me take you [G]by the hand and
[Am]Lead you through [Em]the streets of London
[F]I’ll show you [C]something to [G]make you change your [C]mind

[verse 4]
[C]And have you seen the [G]old man, out[Am]side the seaman’s [Em]mission
[F]Memory fading [C]with the medal [Dm]ribbons that he [G]wears.
[C]In our winter [G]city, the [Am]rain cries a little [Em]pity
For [F]one more forgotten [C]hero and a [G7]world that doesn’t [C]care

[chorus]
So [F]how can you [Em]tell me you’re [C]lone[Am]ly,
[D]And say for [D7]you that the sun don’t [G]shine? [G7]
[C]Let me take you [G]by the hand and
[Am]Lead you through [Em]the streets of London
[F]I’ll show you [C]something to [G]make you change your [C]mind

[Closing]
[F]I’ll show you [C]something to [G]make you change your [C]mind

Report Error
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.
ArtistRalph McTell
AlbumSpiral Staircase
GenresFolk
Year1969
KeyC

How to play Streets of London on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ralph McTell - Streets of London on guitar requires 9 chords and 14 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.

Streets of London uses these transitions most often: C → G (17), F → C (13), and Am → Em (12). 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 - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

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

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.
C to G

2. G → Am chord transition

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

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.
G to Am

3. Am → Em chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from Am to Em;

  1. While playing Am, 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 G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
Am to Em

4. 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

5. F → C chord transition

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.

6. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

7. 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.

8. C → G7 chord transition

To move from C 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 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 1.

9. Em → C chord transition

To move from Em to C;

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

10. C → Am chord transition

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.

11. Am → D chord transition

To move from Am to D;

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

12. D → D7 chord transition

To move from D to D7;

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

13. D7 → G chord transition

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

14. G → G7 chord transition

To move from G to G7;

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

Streets of London chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Streets of London.

  • Streets of London includes 128 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Streets of London contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Streets of London 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 G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
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.