Feb242022

Big Thief – The Only Place Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

ChordsA7 A7sus4 Em/GEm/F#EmE7 C#D Bm Dsus4

KeyKeyCapo

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[Verse 1]
A7
What if all the worlds in space
      A7sus4
Would melt into one single place
    Em/G           Em/F#
And intertwine the human race
     Em
With other kinds?
    A7
The atom is an empty vase
  A7sus4
A vehicle to know embrace
    Em/G
The way you feel,
   Em/F#
the way you taste
Em
It multiplies

[Pre-Chorus]
E7
So much to share
E7
So much to share

[Chorus]
     C#    D      Bm
When all material scatters
    C#    D    Bm
And ashes amplify
    C#   Dsus4      Bm
The only place that matters
   A7
Is by your side

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[Verse 2]
A7
What if all the time between
    A7sus4
The words we say and what we mean
      Em/G           Em/F#
Would roll as softly as a stream
     Em
That we could ride?
     A7
We'd ride the bend
from source to mouth
  A7sus4
I want a friend from north to south
   Em/G                Em/F#
To build that question as a house
      Em
Where we'd reside

[Pre-Chorus]
E7
So much to share
E7
So much to share

[Chorus]
     C#    D      Bm
When all material scatters
    C#    D    Bm
And ashes amplify
    C#   Dsus4      Bm
The only place that matters
   A7
Is by your side

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

[Chorus]
     C#    D      Bm
When all material scatters
    C#    D    Bm
And ashes amplify
    C#   Dsus4      Bm
The only place that matters
   A7
Is by your side

How to play The Only Place: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for The Only Place by Big Thief on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

The Only Place by Big Thief is written in D major (two sharps: F♯, C♯) and moves through 10 chords: A7, A7sus4, Em/G, Em/F#, Em, E7, C#, D, Bm and Dsus4.

Most of the song cycles through C# – D – Bm – C# (VII – I – vi – VII in D major). In solfa, that is te – doh – lah – te. Get these 4 changes smooth and the rest comes quickly.

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