Jan112026

Zach Bryan – Dry Deserts Chords on Piano & Ukulele

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These are Dry Deserts chords by Zach Bryan on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

[Intro]
C  G  Em  D
C  G  Em  D

[Verse 1]
C                  G
Driving out to California, 
            Em
the night I met you in this 
       D
bed of mine
    C                          G
The wind blowing through all those 
             Em
palm trees, shaking bodies, 
             D
under napalm skies
    C                          
The kids and all their fucked up 
 G                  Em
virtues, I know it hurts you, 
         D
when the party dies

[Chorus]
                    C
Would you cross dry deserts, babe?
                      G
Would you cut through pines?
                 Em7
Would you swim upriver when 
                   D
I'm surely on your mind?
                  C
And you're always calming me
              G
Only in these dreams
              Em7
Waking up the neighbors, 
                    D
screaming in these sweaty sheets

[Interlude]
C  G  Em7  D

[Verse 2]
    C                        G
And I've been on the run for so long, 
         Em
I want a sad song that 
          D
lasts all night
    C                             G
The whites and blues on big, wide opens, 
          Em
the way I'm coping with 
        D
passing time

[Chorus]
                    C
Would you cross dry deserts, babe?
                      G
Would you cut through pines?
                 Em7
Would you swim upriver when 
                   D
I'm surely on your mind?
                  C
And you're always calming me
              G
Only in these dreams
              Em7
Waking up the neighbors, 
                    D
screaming in these sweaty sheets

[Interlude]
C  G  Em7  D

[Guitar Solo]
Am7 C G D
Am7 C G D
Am7 C G D
Am7 C G

[Out-Chorus]
                    C
Would you cross dry deserts, babe?
                      G
Would you cut through pines?
                 Em7
Would you swim upriver when 
                   D
I'm surely on your mind?
                  C
And you're always calming me
              G
Only in these dreams
              Em7
Waking up the neighbors, 
                    D
screaming in these sweaty sheets

How to play Dry Deserts: key, chords and progression

Dry Deserts by Zach Bryan sits in G major (one sharp: F♯), and you need 6 chords to play it: C, G, Em, D, Em7 and Am7.

Most of the song cycles through C – G – Em7 – D (IV – I – vi7 – V in G major). In solfa, that is fah – doh – lah – soh. Get these 4 changes smooth and the rest comes quickly.

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