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Ewan MacColl - Sweet Thames Flow Softly Chords

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

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to D,G,A keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • 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 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

[Opening]
[C]I met my girl at [G]Woolwich Pier be[C]neath the [F]big crane [G]standing
And [C]all the love I [G]felt for her it [C]passed all [G]under[C]standing
Took her sailing [Dm]on the river, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]London town was [Dm]mine to give her, [F]sweet [G]Thames flow [C]softly
[G]Made the Thames in [Dm]to a crown, [F]flow [C]sweet [G]river [C]flow
[C]Made a brooch of [Dm]Silvertown, [F]sweet [C]Thames flow [G]soft[C]ly

[verse 2]
[C]At London Yard I [G]held her hand, at [C]Blackwell [F]Point I [G]faced her
At the [C]Isle of Dogs I [G]kissed her mouth and [C]ten[G]derly em[C]braced her
Heard the bells of [Dm]Greenwich ringing, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]All the time my [Dm]heart was singing, [F]sweet [G]Thames flow [C]softly
[G]Limehouse Reach I [Dm]gave her there, [F]flow [C]sweet [G]river [C]flow
[C]As a ribbon [Dm]for her hair, [F]sweet [C]Thames flow [G]soft[C]ly

[verse 3]
[C]From Shadwell Dock to [G]Nine Elms Reach, we [C]cheek to [F]cheek were [G]dancin’.
Her [C]necklace made of [G]London Bridge,her [C]beauty [G]was en[C]hancin’.
Kissed her once [Dm]again at Wapping, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]After that there [Dm]was no stoppin’, [F]sweet [G]Thames flow [C]softly
[G]Richmond Park it was [Dm]her ring, [F]flow [C]sweet [G]river [C]flow
[C]I’d have given her [Dm]anything, [F]sweet [C]Thames flow [G]soft[C]ly

[verse 4]
[C]From Rotherhithe to [G]Putney Bridge, my [C]love I [F]was [G]declarin’.
And [C]she from Kew to [G]Isleworth, her [C]love for [G]me was [C]swearin’.
Love had set my heart [Dm]aburnin’, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]Never saw the [Dm]tide was turnin’, [F]sweet [G]Thames flow [C]softly
[G]Gave her Hampton [Dm]Court to twist, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]Into a bracelet for [Dm]her wrist, [F]sweet [C]Thames flow [G]soft[C]ly

[Closing]
[C]And now, alas, the [G]tide has changed, my [C]love she [F]has gone [G]from me.
And the [C]winter’s frost has [G]touched my heart, and [C]left its [G]blight [C]upon me.
Creepin’ fog is [Dm]on the river, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]Sun and moon and [Dm]stars gone with her, [F]sweet [G]Thames flow [C]softly
[G]Swift the Thames flows [Dm]to the sea, [F]flow [G]sweet [F]river [G]flow
[C]Bearin’ ships and [Dm]part of me, [F]sweet [C]Thames flow [G]soft[C]ly

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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.
ArtistEwan MacColl
AlbumSingle
GenresFolk
Year1973
KeyC

How to play Sweet Thames Flow Softly on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ewan MacColl - Sweet Thames Flow Softly on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 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.

Sweet Thames Flow Softly uses these transitions most often: G → C (40), C → G (28), and F → G (24). 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. 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

3. F → G chord transition

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

To move from F to G;

  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 3.
F to G

4. C → Dm chord transition

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

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.
C to Dm

5. Dm → F chord transition

To move from Dm to F;

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

6. G → Dm chord transition

To move from G to Dm;

  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 B string fret 3.

Sweet Thames Flow Softly chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sweet Thames Flow Softly.

  • Sweet Thames Flow Softly includes 152 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sweet Thames Flow Softly contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sweet Thames Flow Softly 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 → F: 9%
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.