Jun152019

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Sail On Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression

ChordsC#m B A E

KeyKeyCapo

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This is the chord progression of Sail On by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.

[Intro]
C#m B A E

[Chorus]
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the girl behind the counter
B A
That I loved her once but soon I must be gone
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the world I’m gonna miss them
B E
But I’ve got to find a place where I belong

[Verse 1]
C#m B
When you make up your mind
A E B C#m
I’ll tell you all my secrets as we slip between the city streets tonight
C#m B
When you say your goodbyes
A E
Don’t let them see the tears that sparkle in your eyes

[Pre-Chorus]
C#m B
While you’re sick and tired of feeling sorry for yourself
A E
Life will chew you up and spit you out and put you on the shelf
C#m B
And you will wake up every morning expecting to be free
A
You’ve gotta float on

[Verse 2]
C#m B
And time is on loan
A E
All the hopes and dreams you had were left behind
C#m
And taken by the storm
B
It won’t be long
A E
And all the pain that’s in your life will soon be gone

[Pre-Chorus]
C#m B
While you’re sick and tired of feeling sorry for yourself
A E
Life will chew you up and spit you out and put you on the shelf
C#m B
And you awoke a million times, you were expecting to be free
A
You gotta float on
A
Out of here
A
You and I

[Chorus]
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the girl behind the counter
B A
That I loved her once but soon I must be gone
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the world I’m gonna miss them
B A
But I’ve got to find a place where I belong
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the girl behind the counter
B A
That I loved her once but soon I must be gone
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the world I’m gonna miss them
B E
But I’ve got to find a place where I belong

[Outro]
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the girl behind the counter
B A
That I loved her once but soon I must be gone
E
Sail on
C#m
Tell the world I’m gonna miss them
B E
But I’ve got to find a place where I belong
E
Sail on

How to play Sail: key, chords and progression

Sail by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is in the key of E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯). The song uses 4 chords: C#m, B, A and E.

The progression the song keeps returning to is C#m – B – A – E (vi – V – IV – I in E major). In solfa, that is lah – soh – fah – doh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes Bm, A, G, D (75% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 50% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.