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Taylor Swift - Willow Chords

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ChordsEm, D, C, G, Am, Bm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] [C]
[Em]I’m like the water when your [D]ship rolled in that [Em] [D]night
[Em]Rough on the surface but you [D]cut through like a [C]knife
[Em]And if it was an [D]open/shut case
[Em]I never would’ve [D]known from the look on your [Em]face
Lost in your [D]current like a [C]priceless wine

[verse 2]
[G]The more that you [D]say, the less I [Am]know
Wherever you [Em]stray, I [G]follow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my man

[verse 3]
[Em]Life was a willow and it [D]bent right to your [Em] [D]wind
[Em]Head on the pillow, I could [D]feel you [C]sneaking in
[Em]As if you were a [D]mythical thing
[Em]Like you were a [D]trophy or a champion [Em]ring
And there was one [D]prize I’d [C]cheat to win

[chorus]
[G]The more that you [D]say, the less I [Am]know
Wherever you [Em]stray, I [G]follow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my [G]man
You know that my [D]train could take you [Am]home
Anywhere [Em]else is [G]hollow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my man

[verse 4]
[Bm] [Em]
[Am]Life was a willow and it [G]bent right to your [Bm] [Em]wind
[Am]They count me out[G]time and time a[Bm]gain[Em]
[Am]Life was a willow and it [G]bent right to your [Bm] [Em]wind
[Am]But I come back [G]stronger than a 90’s trend

[verse 5]
[Em]Wait for the signal and I’ll [D]meet you after [Em] [D]dark
[Em]Show me the places where the [D]others gave [C]you scars
[Em]Now this is an [D]open/shut case
[Em]I guess I should’ve [D]known from the look on your [Em]face
Every [D]bait-and-switch was a work [C]of art

[chorus]
[G]The more that you [D]say the less I [Am]know
Wherever you [Em]stray, I [G]follow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my [G]man
You know that my [D]train could take you [Am]home
Anywhere [Em]else is [G]hollow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s [G]my man

[chorus]
The more that you [D]say the less I [Am]know
Wherever you [Em]stray, I [G]follow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my [G]man
You know that my [D]train could take you [Am]home
Anywhere [Em]else is [G]hollow
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans

[Closing]
That’s [G]my [D]man, hey, that’s my [Am]man [Em]
That’s my [G] [D]man, yeah, that’s my [Am]man
Baby, every [Em]bait-and-switch was a work [G]of art
That’s [D]my [Am]man, hey, that’s my [Em]man [G]
I’m begging for [D]you to take my [Am]hand
Wreck my [Em]plans, that’s my man

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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.
ArtistTaylor Swift
Albumevermore
GenresAlternative, Indie
Year2020
KeyEm

How to play Willow on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - Willow on guitar requires 6 chords and 11 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.

Willow uses these transitions most often: Em → D (21), Am → Em (18), and D → Am (18). 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 Em - D chord transition.

1. Em → D chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Em to D;

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

2. D → C chord transition

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

To move from D to C;

  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 D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
D to C

3. C → Em chord transition

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

To move from C to Em;

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

4. C → G chord transition

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

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.
C to G

5. G → D chord transition

To move from G to D;

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

6. D → Am chord transition

To move from D to Am;

  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 D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

7. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

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

8. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

9. Em → Bm chord transition

To move from Em to Bm;

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

10. Am → G chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

11. G → Bm chord transition

To move from G to Bm;

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

Willow chord transition analysis

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

  • Willow includes 135 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Willow contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Willow connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → D: 17%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → Em: 17%
    • D → C: 14%
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.