Jun112023

Jason Isbell – When We Were Close Chords on Piano & Ukulele

KeyKeyCapo

View

[Intro]
 Em   G    D
 Em   G    D    D

[Verse 1]
        Em            G
I got a picture of us back
              D
 when we were close
          Em
Before we had somebody
 G           D
 picking out our clothes
        Em     G
But you always dressed
          D
in your Sunday best
     Em             G
Even when we didn't have
            D
nowhere to go
        Em
I got a picture of
    G            D
 us playing in a bar
         Em         G
And your shirt cost more
           D
than your guitar
        Em        G
But you played so heavy and
     D
 you always let me sing
  Em          G
A couple even though
              D
you were the star

[Chorus]
C         G
I was the worse of
     D
the two of us
C         G
But Rex's Blues wasn't
 D
through with us
C                  G
You were bound for glory
     D        Am
and grown to die
C                  Em   G
Oh, but why wasn't I?
D          Em    G    D
Why wasn't I?

[Verse 2]
      Em
Saw a picture of you
 G             D
laughing with your child
      Em
And I hope she will
   G          D
remember how you smiled
        Em
But she probably
        G
wasn't old enough,
      D
 the night somebody
sold you stuff
     Em
That left you on the
 G        D
 bathroom tiles
      Em
Got a picture of you
 G        D
dying in my mind
          Em
With some ghosts you
          G             D
couldn't bear to leave behind
    Em
But I can hear your

Check out our Music Instrumentation Tips and Guides on our Blog

 G
 voice ring,
         D
 as you snap another B-string
        Em
And you finish off
    G          D
the set with only five
Am
And for a minute there,
                     C
 you're still alive

[Chorus]
C         G
I was the worse of
     D
 the two of us
C         G
But Rex's Blues wasn't
 D
 through with us
C                  G
You were bound for glory
      D        Am
 and grown to die
C                  Em   G
Oh, but why wasn't I?
D          Em    G     D
Why wasn't I?

[Solo]
C C G D
C C G D
G D A Am
C

[Verse 3]
C              G
It's not up to me to
    D
 forgive you
C
For the nights that your
 G           D
love had to live through
C                G
Now you'll never need
            D      Am   C
 to look me in the eye

[Outro]
C        G
I am the last of
      D
the two of us
C                  G
But the Fort Worth blues
        D
 isn't through with us
C                 G
You've traveled beyond
     D       Am
the Great Divide
C                  Em   G
Oh, but why haven't I?
D          Em    G    D
Why haven't I?
Em G D
Em G D D

Check out our Music Instrumentation Tips and Guides on our Blog

How to play When We Were Close: key, chords and progression

These are When We Were Close chords by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

When We Were Close by Jason Isbell is in the key of E minor (one sharp: F♯). The song uses 6 chords: Em, G, D, C, Am and A.

The backbone of the song is Em – G – D – Em (i – III – VII – i in E minor). Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Beginner-friendly: every chord here is an open shape on guitar: no capo, no barre chords needed.