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Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsGm, F, Bb, D#, D
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

[chorus]
And [Gm]who [F]by [Gm]fire
[Gm]Who [F]by [Gm]water
[Bb]Who [F]in the [Bb]sunshine
[Bb]Who [F]in the [Bb]night time
[Gm]Who by [F]high or[Gm]deal
[Gm]Who by [F]common [Gm]trial
[Bb]Who in your [F]merry merry [Bb]month of May
[Bb]Who by [F]very [Bb]slow decay
And [Gm]who shall I [D#]say is [D]calling?

[Opening]
And [Gm]who [F]in her [Gm]lonely slip
[Gm]Who [F]by bar[Gm]biturate
[Bb]Who [F]in these [Bb]realms of love
[Bb]Who [F]by [Bb]something blunt
[Gm]Who [F]by [Gm]avalanche
[Gm]Who [F]by [Gm]powder
[Bb]Who [F]for his [Bb]greed
[Bb]Who [F]for his [Bb]hunger
And [Gm]who shall I [D#]say is [D]calling?

[Closing]
And [Gm]who [F]by [Bb]brave a[Gm]ssent
[Gm]Who [F]by [Gm]accident
[Bb]Who [F]in [Bb]solitude
[Bb]Who [F]in this [Bb]mirror
[Gm]Who by [F]his [Bb]lady’s command
[Gm]Who by [F]his own [Gm]hand
[Bb]Who [F]in [Bb]mortal chains
[Bb]Who [F]in [Bb]power
And [Gm]who shall I [D#]say is [D]calling?

[chorus]
And [Gm]who [F]by [Gm]fire
[Gm]Who [F]by [Gm]water
[Bb]Who [F]in the [Bb]sunshine
[Bb]Who [F]in the [Bb]night time
[Gm]Who by [F]high or[Gm]deal
[Gm]Who by [F]common [Gm]trial
[Bb]Who in your [F]merry merry [Bb]month of May
[Bb]Who by [F]very [Bb]slow decay
And [Gm]who shall I [D#]say is [D]calling?

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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.
ArtistLeonard Cohen
AlbumNew Skin for the Old Ceremony
GenresPop, Soul
Year1974
KeyGm

How to play Who By Fire on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire on guitar requires 5 chords and 6 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.

Who By Fire uses these transitions most often: F → Bb (18), Bb → F (16), and Gm → F (16). 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 Gm - F chord transition.

1. Gm → F chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Gm to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 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 B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from E string fret 3 to D string fret 3.
Gm to F

2. Gm → Bb chord transition

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

To move from Gm to Bb;

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

3. Bb → F chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Bb to F;

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

4. Gm → D# chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram

To move from Gm to D#;

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

5. D# → D chord transition

To move from D# to D;

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

6. D → Gm chord transition

To move from D to Gm;

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

Who By Fire chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Who By Fire.

  • Who By Fire includes 93 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Who By Fire contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Who By Fire connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (9%).
    • Gm → F: 12%
    • Gm → Bb: 9%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → Gm: 6%
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.