The Decemberists – Once In My Life Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression

The Decemberists – Once In My Life Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression

ChordsEAA/C#A/BBAsus2

Key
View

This is the chord progression of Once In My Life by The Decemberists on Piano, Guitar, Ukulele and Keyboard.

[Verse 1]
E                   A                 A/C#                 A/B
Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life
E                 A                 A/C#                 A/B
Could just something go, could just something go right?
E A A/C# A/B
E                 A                 A/C#                 A/B
Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life
E                 A                 A/C#                                 A/B
Could just something go, could just something go right?

[Chorus 1]
B                                                 A
I’ve been waiting all my life
B                                        A
I’ve been waiting all my life
E          A     E         A
All my life, my life

[Verse 2]
E                 A                 A/C#                 A/B
Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life
E                 A                                 A/C#                 A/B
Could just something go, could just something go right?

[Chorus 2]
B                                                 A
I’ve been waiting all my life
B                                        A
I’ve been waiting all my life
E                                A
All my life, my life
E                                 A
All my life, all my life

[Chorus 3]
B                 A                 Asus2
I’ve been waiting all my life
B                 A                 Asus2
I’ve been waiting all my life
E                                 A
All my life, my life
(Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life)
E                                 A
All my life, all my life
(Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life)
E                                                                 A
All my life, all my life, all my life, all my life
(Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life)
E                                                 A
(Oh for once in my, oh for once in my life)
E A
E A

[Outro]
E                                 A
I could wait for hours
E                                                                                 A
I could wait and never fall down, never fall down
E                 A
Never fall down
E                                                 A
Lays down beside the river
E                 A                 E
Face down beside the river

For corrections please use the comment box below.

How to play Once In My Life: key, chords and progression

Once In My Life by The Decemberists is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯). The song uses 6 chords: E, A, A/C#, A/B, B and Asus2.

The backbone of the song is E – A – A/C# – A/B (I – IV – IV – IV in E major). In solfa, that is doh – fah – fah – fah. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 7th fret and play the shapes A, D, E, Dsus2 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

E chord on guitar (022100)
EE G♯ B
A chord on guitar (x02220)
AA C♯ E
B chord on guitar (x24442)
BB D♯ F♯
Asus2 chord on guitar (x02200)
Asus2A B E

Need another chord or a different shape? Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator.

Once In My Life chords: questions

What key is Once In My Life in?

Once In My Life by The Decemberists is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

What chords are in Once In My Life?

Once In My Life uses 6 chords: E, A, A/C#, A/B, B, Asus2.

What is the chord progression of Once In My Life?

The main progression is E – A – A/C# – A/B (I – IV – IV – IV).

Is Once In My Life easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 7th fret and play the shapes A, D, E, Dsus2 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo).

New chords in your inbox

Fresh piano, guitar and ukulele chords and playing tips, once a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.