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Melanie Safka - What Have They Done to My Song Ma Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Em, C, C7, A, A7, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[G]Look what they’ve done to my [Em]song, Ma
[C]Look what they’ve done to my [C7]song
Well it’s the [G]only thing I could [A]do half right
And it’s [C]turning out all [A7]wrong, Ma
[G]Look what they’ve [D7]done to my [G]song. [D7]

[verse 2]
[G]Look what they’ve done to my [Em]brain, Ma
[C]Look what they’ve done to my [C7]song
Well they [G]picked it like a [A]chicken bone
And I [C]think I’m half in[A7]sane, Ma
[G]Look what they’ve [D7]done to my [G]song. [D7]

[verse 3]
[G]I wish I could find a good [Em]book to live in,
[C]Wish I could find a good [C7]book
Well if [G]I could find a [A]real good book,
I’d [C]never have to come [A7]out and look at
[G]what they’ve [D7]done to my [G]song. [D7]

[verse 4]
[G]Ils ont change ma chan[Em]son, Ma
[C]Ils ont change ma chan[C7]son
C’est la [G]seule chose que [A]je peux faire
Et [C]ce n’est pas [A7]bon, Ma
[G]Ils ont [D7]change ma chan[G]son. [D7]

[verse 5]
[G]But maybe it’ll all be all [Em]right ma, [C]maybe it’ll all be [C7]OK
Well [G]if the people are [A]buying tears, [C]I’ll be rich some[A7]day, ma
[G]Look what they’ve [D7]done to my [G]song. [D7]

[verse 6]
[G]Look what they’ve done to my [Em]song, Ma
[C]Look what they’ve done to my [C7]song
Well they [G]tied it up in a [A]plastic bag
and they [C]turned it upside down
[G]Look what they’ve [D7]to my [G]song.

[Closing]
[G]Look what they’ve done to my [Em]song, Ma
[C]Look what they’ve done to my [C7]song
Well it’s the [G]only thing I could [A]do all right,
and they [C]turned it upside down
[G]Look what they’ve [D7]to my [G]song.

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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.
ArtistMelanie Safka
AlbumCandles in the Rain
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock
Year1970
KeyG

How to play What Have They Done to My Song Ma on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Melanie Safka - What Have They Done to My Song Ma on guitar requires 7 chords and 10 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 Have They Done to My Song Ma uses these transitions most often: D7 → G (12), G → D7 (12), and A → C (7). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from G to Em;

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

2. Em → C chord transition

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

To move from Em to C;

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.
Em to C

3. C → C7 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

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.
C to C7

4. C7 → G chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from C7 to G;

  1. While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D 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.
C7 to G

5. G → A chord transition

To move from G to A;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  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 2.

6. A → C chord transition

To move from A to C;

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

7. C → A7 chord transition

To move from C to A7;

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

8. A7 → G chord transition

To move from A7 to G;

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

9. G → D7 chord transition

To move from G to D7;

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

10. C → G chord transition

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.

What Have They Done to My Song Ma chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in What Have They Done to My Song Ma.

  • What Have They Done to My Song Ma includes 78 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • What Have They Done to My Song Ma contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how What Have They Done to My Song Ma connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → Em: 9%
    • G → A: 6%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → C7: 2%
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.