The Cranberries - Promises Chords

ChordsEm, Bm, D, C

Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

EmBmDC

EmYoubetterbelieveI’mcoming,BmyoubetterbelievewhatIsay

DYoubetterholdontoyourDpromises,’causeCyoubet,you’llgetwhatyoudeserve

EmShe’sgoingtoleavehimover,she’sBmgonnatakeherloveaway

SoDmuchforyoureternalvows,well,itCdoesnotmatteranyway

EmWhycan’tyoustayhereBmawhile,stayhereDawhilestaywithCme

EmOh,alltheBmpromiseswemade,alltheDmeaninglessandemptywords

ICprayed,prayed,prayed,Emoh,alltheBmpromiseswebroke

AlltheDmeaninglessandemptywordsICspoke,spoke,spoke

EmDododo,Bmdododo,DDododo,Cdododo

EmWhatofallthethingsthatyoutaughtme,Bmwhatofallthethingsthatyou’dsay

DWhatofallyourpropheticpreaching,you’rejustCthrowingitallaway

EmMaybeweshouldburnthehousedown,Bmhaveourselvesanotherfight

DLeavethecobwebsinthecloset,’causeCtearingthemoutisjustnotright

EmWhycan’tyoustayhereBmawhile,stayhereDawhilestaywithCmeoheh

EmOh,alltheBmpromiseswemade,alltheDmeaninglessandDemptyDwordsD

ICprayed,prayed,prayed,Emoh,alltheBmpromiseswebroke

AlltheDmeaninglessandemptywords,ICspoke,spoke,spoke

EmOheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,Bmoheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,oheh

DOheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,Coheh,oheh,oheh,oheh,oheh

ArtistThe Cranberries

AlbumBury the Hatchet

GenresRock

Year1993

KeyEm

DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Promises on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Cranberries - Promises on guitar requires 4 chords and 4 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.

Promises uses these transitions most often: Bm → D (13), D → C (13), and Em → Bm (13). 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 Em - Bm chord transition.

1. Em → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

2. Bm → D chord transition

Switching from Bm to D:

While playing Bm, lift your pinky from G string fret 4.
Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

3. D → C chord transition

To move from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

4. C → Em chord transition

To move from C to Em:

While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Promises chord transition analysis

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

Promises includes 51 chord transitions, 4 of them unique.
These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
Promises contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
These transition patterns show how Promises connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
- D → C: 14%
After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
- Em → Bm: 5%