Great Expectations Chords

KeyAm CapoNone TuningStandard Difficulty Plays472

Great Expectations by The Gaslight Anthem is a moderately challenging guitar song played in the key of Am. It uses the chords C, Am, Fmaj7 and G. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.

Transpose
Am
Text
16
Speed
  			
Intro: C  Am  C  Am  Fmaj7  C 

C 
Mary, this station is playing every sad song 
  Am 
I remember like we were alive 
  C 
I heard and sung them all from inside of these walls 
     Am 
In a prison cell, where we spent those nights 
         C 
And they burned up the diner where I always used to find her 
Am 
Licking young boys blood from her claws 
      C 
And I learned about the blues from this kitten I knew 
             Am 
Her hair was raven and her heart was like a tomb 

Fmaj7                   G 
My heart's like, like a wound 

          Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
But I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife 
Am        Fmaj7            C                   G 
Everybody leaves and I'd expect this much from you 
      Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life 
Am        Fmaj7      C    G            C  
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you? 

C 
Mary, I worried and stalled every night of my life 
       Am 
Better safe than making then making the party 
    C 
And I never had a good time, I sat by my bedside 
     Am 
With papers and poetry about Estella 

Fmaj7      G 
Great expectations 
           Fmaj7         G 
We had the greatest expectations 

      Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife 
Am        Fmaj7         C            G 
Everybody left me Mary, why wouldn't you? 
      Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life 
Am        Fmaj7      C    G            Am   Fmaj7  C  G 
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you? 

                   Am         Fmaj7  C  G 
It's funny how the night moves 
                    Am    Fmaj7  C  G 
Humming a song from 1962 

        Fmaj7  G 
We were always waiting 
        Fmaj7  G 
We were always waiting 
        Fmaj7  G                        Am     G 
We were always waiting for something to happen 

      Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my first wife 
Am        Fmaj7         C            G 
Everybody left me Mary, why wouldn't you? 
      Am          Fmaj7           C              G 
I saw tail lights last night in a dream about my old life 
Am        Fmaj7      C    G            C     Am    C   Am  Fmaj7  G   C  
Everybody leaves, so why, why wouldn't you? 
    	

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