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Dusty Springfield - Yesterday When I Was Young Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, Dm, G7, C7, F, E7, Am
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

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

  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 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 E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

[Opening]
[A]Yester[Dm]day, when I was [G7]young
The taste of life was [C7]sweet as rain upon my [F]tongue
I teased at life as [Dm]if it were a foolish [E7]game
The way the evening [Am]breeze may tease a candle flame

[verse 2]
The thousand dreams I [Dm]dreamed, the splendid things I [G7]planned
I always built [C7]alas on weak and shifting [F]sand
I lived by night and [Dm]shunned the naked light of [E7]day
And only now I [Am]see how the time ran away

[chorus]
Yester[Dm]day, when I was [G7]young
So many happy [C7]songs were waiting to be [F]sung
So many wild [Dm]pleasures lay in store for [E7]me
And so much pain my [Am]dazzled eyes refused to see

[verse 3]
I ran so fast that [Dm]time and youth at last ran [G7]out
I never stopped to [C7]think what life was all [F]about
And every conver[Dm]sation I can now [E7]recall
Concerned itself with me [Am]and nothing else at all

[verse 4]
The game of love I [Dm]played with arrogance and [G7]pride
And every flame I [C7]lit too quickly, quickly [F]died
The friends I made all [Dm]seemed somehow to slip [E7]away
And only I am [Am]left on stage to end the play

[chorus]
Yester[Dm]day, when I was [G7]young
So many happy [C7]songs were waiting to be [F]sung
So many wild [Dm]pleasures lay in store for [E7]me
And so much pain my [Am]dazzled eyes refused to see

[Closing]
There are so many [Dm]songs in me that won’t be [G7]sung
I feel the bitter [C7]taste of tears upon my [F]tongue
The time has come for [Dm]me to pay for
Yester[E7]day, when I was [Am]young

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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.
ArtistDusty Springfield
AlbumSee All Her Faces
GenresPop
Year1972
KeyA

How to play Yesterday When I Was Young on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Dusty Springfield - Yesterday When I Was Young on guitar requires 7 chords and 8 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.

Yesterday When I Was Young uses these transitions most often: C7 → F (7), Dm → E7 (7), and Dm → G7 (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 A - Dm chord transition.

1. A → Dm chord transition

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

To move from A to Dm;

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

2. Dm → G7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

To move from Dm to G7;

  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 1.
Dm to G7

3. G7 → C7 chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from G7 to C7;

  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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.
G7 to C7

4. C7 → F chord transition

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

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.
C7 to F

5. F → Dm chord transition

To move from F to Dm;

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

6. Dm → E7 chord transition

To move from Dm to E7;

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

7. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 to Am;

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

8. Am → Dm chord transition

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.

Yesterday When I Was Young chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Yesterday When I Was Young.

  • Yesterday When I Was Young includes 49 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Yesterday When I Was Young contains 2 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Yesterday When I Was Young 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 → G7: 6%
    • Dm → E7: 2%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C7: 5%
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.