Oct222021

Catatonia – My Selfish Gene Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

ChordsA Amaj7A/BAm/C Fmaj7 Dm7 E F Fm Em Dm G

KeyKeyCapo

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[Verse 1]
A           Amaj7    A/B   Am/C
You, me and destiny
Fmaj7
Guess that it was
never meant to be
Dm7
All you did was give me allergy
E
I'm not looking for your sympathy

[Verse 2]
A           Amaj7    A/B   Am/C
You, me and destiny
Fmaj7
I am courted by uncertainty
Dm7
Lost my will to live unselfishly
E
Altruism stinks of fallacy

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[Chorus]
   F               Fm
My selfish gene it fills
               Em
my spleen with bile
    Dm
And all the while
                     G
I thought you gave a damn

[Verse 3]
A           Amaj7    A/B   Am/C
You, me and destiny
Fmaj7
Guess that it was never meant to be
Dm7
All you needed was some courtesy
E
And I'm not waiting for an apologies

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

[Chorus]
   F               Fm
My selfish gene it fills
               Em
my spleen with bile
    Dm
And all the while
                     G
I thought you gave a damn
Dm
Way back then
                     G
I thought you gave a damn

How to play My Selfish Gene: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for My Selfish Gene by Catatonia on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

My Selfish Gene by Catatonia keeps coming home to D minor (one flat: B♭). You need 12 chords: A, Amaj7, A/B, Am/C, Fmaj7, Dm7, E, F, Fm, Em, Dm and G.

The backbone of the song is A – Amaj7 – A/B – Am/C (V – Vmaj7 – V – v in D minor). Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Beginner-friendly: almost every chord is an open chord on guitar, so you can play it without a capo or barre chords.