Zach Bryan – Happy Instead Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Zach Bryan – Happy Instead Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated

ChordsCGAmC/BF

Key
View
[Intro]
C G Am C/B C

[Verse 1]
       C         G
Well, I've been pacin'
      Am       C/B    C
this room for forty hours
    C            G
Crawlin' up the wall
       Am  C/B    C
and tryin' not to call
    C           G
And I saw you walking
       Am   C/B    C
in a supermarket aisle
   C             G
I didn't say a word 'cause
    Am       C/B    C
you had the biggest smile

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[Verse 2]
     C         G
And I've been thinkin'
    Am          C/B    C
of you in the morning times
      C             G
You woke me up so soft that
    Am       C/B          C
I forgot the world ain't kind
    C      G           Am
I pull you in and you kissed
    C/B        C
me through a grin
     C            G
And you say you missed me when
          Am  C/B    C
you were busy sleepin'

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[Chorus]
                 F              C
But what if I'd said happy instead
        G
Is the way that
                   Am
I reckon it should be
            F
And if you called you'd
         C
say that you're okay
     G                    Am
And I'd be wishin' I was there
                      F     C
'Cause you're happy instead
        G    Am
Happy instead

[Verse 3]
     C         G
And I've been dreamin' of
      Am      C/B     C
the life we would have had
  C         G       Am C/B     C
Happy at times but mostly just mad
  C            G
Maybe it'd worked out,
 Am   C/B      C
maybe it'd be fine
     C              G
But every day your smile ain't
          Am      C/B     C
showin', seems a waste of time

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[Chorus]
                 F              C
But what if I'd said happy instead
        G
Is the way that
                   Am
I reckon it should be
            F
And if you called you'd
         C
say that you're okay
     G                    Am
And I'd be wishin' I was there
                      F     C
'Cause you're happy instead
        G    Am
Happy instead

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Verse 4]
 C         G
It's been ten years,
   Am      C/B      C
I hadn't called you once
     C                G
When you called last night
        Am   C/B     C
and my child up and jumped
     C            G
He asked who you were
     Am C/B     C
and you did the same
  C             G
Handed me the phone and
   Am         C/B       C
I couldn't recall your name

[Chorus]
                 F              C
But what if I'd said happy instead
        G
Is the way that
                   Am
I reckon I should be
            F
And if you called you'd
          C
hear that I'm okay
     G                       Am
And you'd be wishin' you was there
                      F     C
'Cause I'm happy instead
        G    Am
Happy instead
               F      C
Oh, I'm happy instead
       G      Am
Happy instead

[Outro]
        F                   C
What if I'd said happy instead
       G                          Am
Is the way that I reckon I should be
            F
And if you called you'd
           C
hear that I'm okay
     G                        Am
And you'd be wishin' you was dead
                  F      C   G  Am
'Cause I'm happy instead

How to play Happy Instead: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Happy Instead by Zach Bryan on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Happy Instead by Zach Bryan keeps coming home to C major (no sharps or flats). You need 5 chords: C, G, Am, C/B and F.

The backbone of the song is C – G – Am – C/B (I – V – vi – I in C major). In solfa, that is doh – soh – lah – doh. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, D, Em, C (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

C chord on guitar (x32010)
CC E G
G chord on guitar (320003)
GG B D
Am chord on guitar (x02210)
AmA C E
F chord on guitar (133211)
FF A C

Happy Instead chords: questions

What key is Happy Instead in?

Happy Instead by Zach Bryan is centred on C major (no sharps or flats).

What chords are in Happy Instead?

Happy Instead uses 5 chords: C, G, Am, C/B, F.

What is the chord progression of Happy Instead?

The main progression is C – G – Am – C/B (I – V – vi – I).

Is Happy Instead easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, D, Em, C (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 75% without a capo).

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