Sep252020

Beetlebug – An Ode To Lmanburg Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 9, 2026

ChordsD Em G G73 Bm Gm A Em71Em5EM B7 G#

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This is the chords of Beetlebug An Ode To Lmanburg on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

[Verse]
   D                Em  
It all started on a day 
          G
like any other
         D          Em         G
All the salmon had swum to the sea
        D         Em     
When my lover she darted,
               G
 away down the stream
       D              
With a heart that she'd
  G          D
 taken from me
D Em G D G D

[Verse]
       D               Em    
And my chest though it ached,
           G
 there was hope
  D      Em        G
A little beacon of light
          D        Em  
Though my sunniest days 
                 G
were now stolen away
  D             G         G
I still had our son by my side
          G               
And as he looked up at me, 
            G73
with those wondering eyes
       Em              
I just knew that I must 
         G
protect him with my life
           D            Em
And make a land that is good
                   G
And a land that is free
        Em        G          G
For the better of you and of me

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[Chorus]
      G                 
We'll build these walls, 
          D
with our own fair hands
            G           
Through the wind and the 
              D
rain and the snow
      Em              
And I swear on my life, 
            G
that I'll stay by your side
            Em       G    
Through whatever the world
        D
 has to throw
D Em G D G D

[Verse]
     D           Em        G
So I summoned my men to my side
       D      Em       G
And we sung a familiar tune
     D         Em           
As a final goodbye, with our
              G
 fists to the sky
       D          G       D
To our past as we started anew

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

[Chorus]
   G                
We built these walls,
           D
 with our own fair hands
            G                
Through the wind and the rain 
         D
and the snow
       Em                     
And we swore that we'd keep an
   G
 unwavering faith
       Em           G            D
To the land that we carved for a home
D  Em  Bm  G  Gm  D
Em  A  Em71  Bm
D  Em  Bm  G  Gm  D
Em  Em5  EM  Em71  G73  Bm  B7

[Verse]
        Em             
Oh, the dawn of the day
         G
 set our country aflame
       D        G#          Bm  B7
As the sun rose bloody and true
       Em                      
Arrows burned through the skies,
        G
 as we swallowed our pride
       D            G#            B7
And we ran with our backs to the moon
       Em
To our demise...
                Em5
From a friend full of lies...
        D            Em      
Oh, the break of the day shed 
      G
it's light
       D           Em      
On our hearts left battered
     Em5
 and bruised
        D               Em   
All the hopes that we'd laid,
                     G
 on the home that we made
        D          G           D
Torn to pieces and left in the blue
       D              Em    G
But my friend with an angry cry
         D             Em   
Held the weight of our world
       G
 at his side
       D         Em   
Took a trembling stand, 
                   G
with an arrow in hand
      D          Em5   D
As he muttered a final goodbye

How to play An Ode To Lmanburg: key, chords and progression

An Ode To Lmanburg by Beetlebug is built around G major (one sharp: F♯), with 12 chords in all: D, Em, G, G73, Bm, Gm, A, Em71, Em5, EM, B7 and G#.

The progression the song keeps returning to is D – Em – G – D (V – vi – I – V in G major). In solfa, that is soh – lah – doh – soh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Good to know: Bm, Gm and G# are played as barre or movable shapes on guitar. Practise the change into them slowly; on piano and ukulele the same chords are easier.