Nov182022

Neil Young – The Long Day Before Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

ChordsG D Em C

KeyKeyCapo

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[Intro]
One, two, three,
               G
two , two, three

[Verse 1]
G
In the old days and
the newer days
    D
The present days and
the future days
  Em          G           C
Tomorrow will never be late
        D
If your dreams can
      G    D G
come true

[Verse 2]
G
On the true days and
the lyin' days
    D
The proud stays
in the purple haze
     Em       G             C
It's floating down from the sky

D               G    D G
That's where it shows

[Verse 3]
G
On the TV and the news cast
G
They're never gonna talk about
       D
On the front page
of the internet
D
You're never gonna see about
    Em               G   C
The big thing in the room
       D               G   G
That's happenin' right now

[Bridge]
       C
In the long day before
       G
To the night of the
morning after it
      Em
We'll live on as
  G         C
a memory of fate

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[Verse 4]
      G
It's so faint that
 you can't see it
D
So large that's you and me
     Em         G
It's nothing if not
              C
the dream we have
     D             G  D  G
It's not coming true
G   D   Em  G  C
D  G

[Verse 5]
G
People swear
 it's a conspiracy
  D
A dirty trick to
 get you and me
     Em  G   C
Into believing
D               G D G
Something's not real

How to play The Long Day Before: key, chords and progression

These are The Long Day Before chords by Neil Young & Crazy Horse on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

The Long Day Before by Neil Young is centred on G major (one sharp: F♯). The song uses 4 chords: G, D, Em and C.

Listen for G – D – Em – G (I – V – vi – I in G major): the song comes back to it again and again. In solfa, that is doh – soh – lah – doh. Once these 4 changes are comfortable, most of the song is done.

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