Reason Why Chords

KeyEm Capo1st fret TuningStandard Difficulty Plays552

Reason Why by Nickel Creek is a moderately challenging guitar song played in the key of Em with a capo on the 1st fret. It uses the chords Em, D, C, A, G and A7. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
Em
Text
16
Speed
  			From: John Baumann 
Intro = verse 1st half 
 
Verse 1: 
Em                   D           C     D 
Where am I today?  I wish that I knew, 
       Em                     D          A    C  D 
'Cause looking around there's no sign of you. 
Em                   D           C 
I don't remember one jump or one leap,   
     Em           D             A       C  (D) 
Just quiet steps away from your lead. 
 
Verse 2: 
I'm holding my heart out but clutching it too,   
Feeling this sort of a love that we once knew.   
I'm calling this home when it's not even close,   
Playing the role with nerves left exposed. 
 
Chorus 1: 
D             C        G      D                     C      G 
Standing on a darkened stage, stumbling through the lines. 
A7            D          Em        G  C    D  
Others have excuses, but I have my reasons why. 
 
 
Verse 3: 
We get distracted by dreams of our own,   
But nobody's happy while feeling alone, 
And knowing how hard it hurts when we fall, 
We lean another ladder against the wrong wall.   
 
Chorus 2: 
    D                 C       G        D                  C 
And climb high to the highest rung, to shake fists at the sky. 
                             Em      G  C    D  
While others have excuses, I have my reasons why. 
 
Bridge: 
               D            C           Em      D 
With so much deception it's hard not to wander away,   
     C           Em      D 
It's hard not to wander away, 
It's hard not to wander away. 
    	

Chord diagrams

Guitar tuner

--
Start the tuner and play a string

Reference tones

Standard tuning, lowest to highest. Click a string to play it; the string the mic hears is highlighted.

Click Start tuner and allow microphone access. The needle centers and turns green when a string is in tune (within 5 cents).
No microphone? You can still tap any string above to hear its exact reference pitch.

Metronome

100 BPM Andante