Billy Joel - We Didn’t Start The Fire Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram
[Opening]
[G] Harry Truman, Doris Day, [D] Red China, Johnnie Ray
[Am] South Pacific, Walter Winchell, [C] Joe DiMaggio
[G] Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, [D] Studebaker, television
[Am] North Korea, South Korea, [C] Marilyn Monroe
[interlude]
[G] [D] [Am] [C]
[verse 2]
[G] Rosenbergs, H-bomb, [D] Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
[Am] Brando, “The King and I” [C] and “The Catcher in the Rye”
[G] Eisenhower, vaccine, [D] England’s got a new queen
[Am] Marciano, Liberace, [C] Santayana goodbye
[chorus]
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire;
It was [Am] always burning,
Since the [C] world’s been turning
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
No we [Am] didn’t light it,
But we [C] tried to fight it
[verse 3]
[G] Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, [D] Nasser and Prokofiev
[Am] Rockefeller, Campanella, [C] Communist Bloc
[G] Roy Kahn, Juan Peron, [D] Toscanini, Dacron
[Am] Dien Bien Phu falls, “[C] Rock Around the Clock”
[G] Einstein, James Dean, [D] Brooklyn’s got a winning team
[Am] Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, [C] Elvis Presley, Disneyland
[G] Bardot, Budapest, [D] Alabama, Khrushchev
[Am] Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, [C] trouble in the Suez
[chorus]
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire;
It was [Am] always burning,
Since the [C] world’s been turning
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
No we [Am] didn’t light it,
But we [C] tried to fight it
[verse 4]
[Am] Little Rock, Pasternak, [Em] Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
[Am] Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, [D] “Bridge on the River Kwai”
[Am] Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, [Em] California baseball
[Am] Stark weather, homicide, [D] children of thalidomide
[verse 5]
[G] Buddy Holly, “Ben Hur”, [D] space monkey, Mafia
[Am] Hula hoops, Castro, [C] Edsel is a no-go
[G] U-2, Syngman Rhee, [D] payola and Kennedy
[Am] Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, [C] Belgians in the Congo
[chorus]
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
It was [Am] always burning,
Since the [C] world’s been turning
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
No we [Am] didn’t light it,
But we [C] tried to fight it
[verse 6]
[G] Hemingway, Eichmann, “[D] Stranger in a Strange Land”
[Am] Dylan, Berlin, [C] Bay of Pigs invasion
[G] “Lawrence of Arabia”, [D] British Beatle mania
[Am] Ole Miss, John Glenn, [C] Liston beats Patterson
[G] Pope Paul, Malcolm X, [D] British politician sex
[Am] JFK, blown away, [C] what else do I have to say
[chorus]
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
It was [Am] always burning,
Since the [C] world’s been turning
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
No we [Am] didn’t light it,
But we [C] tried to fight it
[verse 7]
[G] Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, [D] Richard Nixon back again
[Am] Moon shot, Woodstock, [C] Watergate, punk rock
[G] Begin, Reagan, Palestine, [D] terror on the airline
[Am] Ayatollah’s in Iran, [C] Russians in Afghanistan
“[G] Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, [D] heavy metal, suicide
[Am] Foreign debts, homeless vets, [C] AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
[G] Hypodermics on the shores, [D] China’s under martial law
[Am] Rock and roller cola wars, [C] I can’t take it anymore
[verse 8]
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
It was [Am] always burning,
Since the [C] world’s been turning
[G] We didn’t start the [D] fire
But when [Am] we are gone
[Closing]
Will it [C] still burn on, and [G] on, and [D] on, and [Am] on [C]
Will it [C] still burn on, and [G] on, and [D] on, and [Am] on [C]
How to play We Didn't Start The Fire on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire on guitar requires 5 chords and 5 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.
We Didn't Start The Fire uses these transitions most often: D → Am (31), Am → C (30), and G → D (30). 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 G - D chord transition.
1. G → D chord transition
To move from G to D;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
2. D → Am chord transition
To move from D to Am;
- 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 G string fret 2.
3. Am → C chord transition
To move from Am to C;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
4. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
5. Am → Em chord transition
To move from Am to Em;
- While playing Am, 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 G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
We Didn't Start The Fire chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in We Didn't Start The Fire.
- We Didn't Start The Fire includes 127 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- We Didn't Start The Fire contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how We Didn't Start The Fire 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 → C: 16%
- Am → Em: 10%
After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).- D → G: 29%
- D → Am: 4%