How the West was won and where it got Us Chords

by REM
KeyD CapoNone TuningStandard Difficulty Plays444

How the West was won and where it got Us by REM is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of D. It uses the chords D, G, Em and A. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
D
Text
16
Speed
  			Piano riff: 
E|-14-14-14-14-15-14-14-14-14-12 
B|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 
G|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 
 
Verse riff: 
--4-2-4...--4h7p4-4-2-24---------        
--------------------------0-02-- 
--------------------------------- 
 
{Verse riff} 
Blood from a stone 
Water from wine. 
Born under earplay design. 
A stroke of bad luck, 
wrong place, wrong time. 
This flyer is out of the lime. 
 
D                       G         Em 
The story is a sad one, told many times. 
D                       G      Em 
The story of my life in trying times. 
D               G       Em 
Just add water, stir in lime. 
D                                 A 
How the west was won and where it got us. 
 
{Verse riff} 
Canary got trapped, the uranium mine. 
A stroke of bad luck, now the bird has died. 
a marker to mark where my tears run dry. 
I cross it, bless it, alkali. 
 
D                       G         Em 
The story is a sad one, told many times. 
D                       G      Em 
The story of my life in trying times. 
D               G       Em 
Just add water, stir in lime. 
D                                 A 
How the west was won and where it got us. 
 
{Piano solo} 
 
{Verse riff} 
I didn't wear glasses cause I thought it might rain. 
Now I can't see anything. 
I made a mistake, chalked it up to design. 
I cracked through time, space, Godless and dry. 
I point my nose to the northern star, 
watch the decline from a hazy distance. 
 
D                       G         Em 
The story is a sad one, told many times. 
D                       G      Em 
The story of my life in trying times. 
D               G       Em 
Just add water, stir in lime. 
D                                 A 
How the west was won and where it got us. 

    	

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