Willie Nelson with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band feat. Tom Petty – Goodnight Irene Chords

Willie Nelson with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band feat. Tom Petty – Goodnight Irene Chords

Updated

ChordsEB7E7AB

Key
View
[Chorus]
E          B7                E
Irene goodnight - Irene goodnight
            E7        A
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
     B7              E
I'll see you in my dreams

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[Verse 1]
      E                    B
Last Saturday night I got married
                        E
Me and my wife settled down
                         A
But me and my wife have parted
           B7
I'm gonna take another
            E
stroll downtown

[Chorus]
E          B7                E
Irene goodnight - Irene goodnight
            E7        A
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
     B7              E
I'll see you in my dreams

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[Interlude]
E  E  B7 B7
B7 B7 E  E
E  E7 A  A
B7 B7 E  E

[Verse 2]
 E                       B7
Sometimes I live in the country
 B7                      E
Sometimes I live in the town
                          A
Sometimes I take a great notion
    B7                     E
To jump in the river and drown

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[Chorus]
E          B7                E
Irene goodnight - Irene goodnight
            E7        A
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
     B7              E
I'll see you in my dreams

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

[Interlude]
E  E  B7 B7
B7 B7 E  E
E  E7 A  A
B7 B7 E  E

[Verse 3]
 E
Quit your rambling,
           B7
quit your gambling
      B7                  E
Stop staying out late at night
                              A
Stay home with your wife and family
     B7             E
And stay fireside bright

[Chorus]
E          B7                E
Irene goodnight - Irene goodnight
            E7        A
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
     B7              E
I'll see you in my dreams

[Chorus]
E          B7                E
Irene goodnight - Irene goodnight
            E7        A
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
     B7              E
I'll see you in my dreams

How to play Goodnight Irene: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Goodnight Irene by Willie Nelson with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band feat. Tom Petty on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Goodnight Irene by Willie Nelson with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band feat. Tom Petty is built around E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯), with 5 chords in all: E, B7, E7, A and B.

The backbone of the song is A – B7 – E – B7 (IV – V7 – I – V7 in E major). In solfa, that is fah – soh – doh – soh. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes D, A7, D7, G, A (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 80% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

E chord on guitar (022100)
EE G♯ B
B7 chord on guitar (x21202)
B7B D♯ F♯ A
E7 chord on guitar (020100)
E7E G♯ B D
A chord on guitar (x02220)
AA C♯ E
B chord on guitar (x24442)
BB D♯ F♯

Goodnight Irene chords: questions

What key is Goodnight Irene in?

Goodnight Irene by Willie Nelson with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band feat. Tom Petty is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

What chords are in Goodnight Irene?

Goodnight Irene uses 5 chords: E, B7, E7, A, B.

What is the chord progression of Goodnight Irene?

The main progression is A – B7 – E – B7 (IV – V7 – I – V7).

Is Goodnight Irene easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes D, A7, D7, G, A (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 80% without a capo).

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