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Darius Rucker - What God Wants For Christmas Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Am, Dm, G, C7, F, Fm, Em, Gm, Bb
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 Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Fm chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-1-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar Fm chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[C] [Am] [Dm] [G]
[C]Old man [C7]playing Santa Claus, [F]blue in a town [Fm]with old Jack Frost
Now he’s [Em]handing out [Am]candy canes and [Dm]smiles for [G]free
[C]People scoring [C7]with their lists, [F]rushing around to [Fm]buy those gifts that will
[Em]End up [Am]wrapped up [Dm]underneath the [G]tree
[Gm]I’m sitting at this [C]red light [F]looking at a manger [Fm]scene
Watching [Em]snowflakes kiss [Am]that baby, and [Dm]it makes me [G]think
I wonder [C]what God [Am]wants for [Dm]Christmas [G]
[C]Something that you [C7]can’t find in [F]a [Fm]store
Maybe [Em]peace on [Am]earth, no more [Dm]empty seats [Bb]in church
Might [Dm]be what’s on His [G]wishlist, I wonder [Fm]what God [Bb]wants for [C]Christmas

[Closing]
[C] [Am] [Dm] [G] [C] [C7] [F] [Fm] [Em] [Am] [Dm] [G]
[Fm]What do you [Bb]give [Em]someone, [Am] [Dm]who give His [G]only [C]Son
[Fm]What if we [Bb]believe in [Em]Him, [Dm]like He believes [G]in us
I wonder [C]what God [Am]wants for [Dm] [G]Christmas
[C]What might put a [C7]smile on His [F]face [Fm]
Every [Em]bible with no [Am]dust, the [Dm]devil [Bb]given up
[Dm]Might be [Em]what’s on His [Dm]wishlist [G]
I wonder what [Fm]God w[Bb]ants for [C]Christmas
[Gm]What kind of [C]gift from you [F]and me [Fm]
More [Em]sister, more [Am]brother, more [Dm]loving one [Bb]another
Yeah, I [Dm]wonder, I [G]wonder what [F]God [Fm]wants
By [Em]now we oughta [Am]know what [Dm]God wants [G]for [C]Christmas

[outro]
[C] [Am] [Dm] [G] [C] [C7] [F] [Fm] [Em] [Am] [Dm] [G] [C]

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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.
ArtistDarius Rucker
AlbumHome for the Holidays
GenresChristmas, Country
Year2014
KeyC

How to play What God Wants For Christmas on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Darius Rucker - What God Wants For Christmas on guitar requires 10 chords and 20 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.

What God Wants For Christmas uses these transitions most often: Dm → G (16), Am → Dm (15), and G → C (11). 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 - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

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

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.
C to Am

2. Am → Dm chord transition

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

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
Am to Dm

3. Dm → G chord transition

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

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.
Dm to G

4. G → C chord transition

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

To move from G to C;

  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 A string fret 3.
G to C

5. C → C7 chord transition

To move from C to C7;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

6. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

7. F → Fm chord transition

To move from F to Fm;

  1. While playing F, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Keep pinky on D string fret 3.

8. Fm → Em chord transition

To move from Fm to Em;

  1. While playing Fm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

9. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

10. G → Gm chord transition

To move from G to Gm;

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

11. Gm → C chord transition

To move from Gm to C;

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

12. C → F chord transition

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.

13. Dm → Bb chord transition

To move from Dm to Bb;

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

14. G → Fm chord transition

To move from G to Fm;

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

15. Fm → Bb chord transition

To move from Fm to Bb;

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

16. Bb → C chord transition

To move from Bb to C;

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

17. Bb → Em chord transition

To move from Bb to Em;

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

18. C → Fm chord transition

To move from C to Fm;

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

19. Em → Dm chord transition

To move from Em to Dm;

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

20. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F;

  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 A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

What God Wants For Christmas chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in What God Wants For Christmas.

  • What God Wants For Christmas includes 115 chord transitions, 20 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • What God Wants For Christmas contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how What God Wants For Christmas connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → G: 16%
    • Dm → Bb: 9%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.