Ben Rector – The Thanksgiving Song Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Ben Rector – The Thanksgiving Song Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated

ChordsCC/EFC/GGAmG7G/CG7/B

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These are the chords for The Thanksgiving Song by Ben Rector on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

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[Intro]
C C/E F C/E C/G G
x2

[Verse 1]
         C  C/E  F  C/E
Familiar highways
           C/G               G
Lined with leaves turned brown
       C  C/E  F
Making my way
 C/E         C/G     G
Back into my hometown

[Pre-Chorus]
      C/E                F          
Funny how this all looks different, 
       C/G           G
but it feels the same
         C/E              F        
Like how life never stops changing 
                C/G         G
but some things never change

[Chorus]
   Am                  G
So fill your plate and fill 
your drink
    G7                   C
And fill this house with family
            F             
The kind of love that all 
      C/E                  G/C      G
these years can’t wash away
          Am           G         
Cause the older that I get I see 
     G7                C
that life is short and bittersweet
      F                  C/G
Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day

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[Repeat Intro]
C C/E F C/E C/G G
x2

[Verse 2]
         C  C/E  F  C/E
Watching football
         C/G         G
Watching families grow
              C  C/E  F  C/E 
The old kid’s table all have 
     C/G         G
kids of their own

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[Pre-Chorus]
         C/E            F      
Starting to see my grandfather 
      C/G          G
in my nephew’s eyes
    C/E                  F     
Mom still can’t talk about him 
        C/G       G
and not almost cry

[Chorus]
   Am                  G
So fill your plate and fill 
your drink
    G7                   C
And fill this house with family
            F               C/E   
The kind of love a thousand miles 
               C/G     G
can’t wash away
          Am           G         
Cause the older that I get I see 
     G7      G7/B      C
that life is short and bittersweet
      F                  C/G
Thank God for this Thanksgiving Day

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Repeat Intro]
C C/E F C/E C/G G
x2

[Solo]
C C/E F C/E C/G G
x2

[Chorus]
   Am                  G
So fill your plate and fill 
your drink
         G7            C
Put your dishes in the kitchen sink
           F         C/E  
And let the leftover year 
              C/G     G
just wash away
         Am                G  
Cause we made it through I do 
            G7      G7/B    C
believe the longest year in history
      F                   C/G
Thank God that it’s Thanksgiving Day

[Closing]
C C/E F C/E C/G G
x3
C C/E F C/E C/G G C

How to play The Thanksgiving Song: key, chords and progression

The Thanksgiving Song by Ben Rector is centred on C major (no sharps or flats). The song uses 9 chords: C, C/E, F, C/G, G, Am, G7, G/C and G7/B.

The progression the song keeps returning to is F – C/E – C/G – G (IV – I – I – V in C major). In solfa, that is fah – doh – doh – soh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, C, D, Em, D7 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 80% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

C chord on guitar (x32010)
CC E G
F chord on guitar (133211)
FF A C
G chord on guitar (320003)
GG B D
Am chord on guitar (x02210)
AmA C E
G7 chord on guitar (320001)
G7G B D F

The Thanksgiving Song chords: questions

What key is The Thanksgiving Song in?

The Thanksgiving Song by Ben Rector is centred on C major (no sharps or flats).

What chords are in The Thanksgiving Song?

The Thanksgiving Song uses 9 chords: C, C/E, F, C/G, G, Am, G7, G/C, G7/B.

What is the chord progression of The Thanksgiving Song?

The main progression is F – C/E – C/G – G (IV – I – I – V).

Is The Thanksgiving Song easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, C, D, Em, D7 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 80% without a capo).

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