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Leonard Cohen - Tower of Song Chords

ChordsA, A7, D, D7, E7, F#m, E
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

AWellmyfriendsaregoneandmyhairisgrey
IacheintheplaceswhereIA7usedtoplay
AndI’mDcrazyforloveD7butI’mnotcomingAon
I’mjustE7payingmyrent DeverydayintheD7towerofAsong
AIsaidtoHankWilliamshowlonelydoesitget
HankWilliamshasn’tA7answeredyet
ButIDhearhimcoughingD7allnightAlong
AE7hundredfloorsabovemeDintheD7towerofAsong
AIwasbornlikethisIhadnochoice.
IwasbornwiththegiftofaA7goldenvoice
AndD27angelsD7fromthegreat Abeyond
TheyE7tiedmetothistablerightDhereintheD7towerofAsong
ASoyoucanstickyourlittlepinsinthatvoodoodoll
I’mverysorrybabydoesn’tA7looklikemeatall
I’mDstandingbythewindowD7wherethelightisAstrong
Theydon’tE7letawomankillyouDnotintheD7towerofAsong
ANowyoucansaythatI’vegrownbitterbutofthisyoumaybesure:
TherichhavegottheirchannelsintheA7bedroomsofthepoor
Andthere’saDmightyjudgmentcomingD7butImaybeAwrong
YouseeyouE7hearthesefunnyvoicesDintheD7towerofAsong
F#mIseeyoustandingontheEotherside
F#mIdon’tknowhowtheriverEgotsowide
IDlovedyoubabyD7waybackAwhen
F#mAndallthebridgesareburningthatweEmighthavecrossed
F#mButIfeelsocloseto Eeverythingthatwelost
We’llDneverhavetoloseit E7again
AIbidyoufarewellIdon’tknowwhenI’llbeback
They’removingustomorrowtothatA7towerdownthetrack
Butyou’llbeDhearingfrommebabyD7longafterI’mAgone
I’llbeE7speakingtoyousweetlyfromaDwindow
IntheD7towerofAsong
AlbumI'm Your Man
GenresFolk, Pop
Year1988
KeyA
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Tower of Song on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Leonard Cohen - Tower of Song 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.

Tower of Song uses these transitions most often: D → D7 (13), D7 → A (13), and A → A7 (6). 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 A - A7 chord transition.

1. A → A7 chord transition

Switching from A to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

A to A7

2. A7 → D chord transition

Switching from A7 to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

A7 to D

3. D → D7 chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

D to D7

4. D7 → A chord transition

Switching from D7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

D7 to A

5. A → E7 chord transition

Here's how to move from A to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

6. E7 → D chord transition

Here's how to move from E7 to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. A → F#m chord transition

To move from A to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. F#m → E chord transition

Switching from F#m to E:

  1. While playing F#m, lift your pinky from D string fret 4.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 4 to D string fret 2.
  4. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

9. E → D chord transition

To move from E to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

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

  • Tower of Song includes 62 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Tower of Song connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → F#m: 6%
    • A → E7: 4%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → D7: 1%
    • D → E7: 1%