Oct162026

Zach Bryan – Dog Days Chords on Piano & Ukulele

ChordsC D Em G

KeyKeyCapo

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[Intro]
You know somethin', Luke?
If you ride like lightin', you're gonna crash like thunder


[Verse 1]
           C              D
Welcome to dog days darlin'
Em         C          G   D
Welcome to hard times too
Em       C          G           D        Em
All them tumultuous times of my troubled youth
       C            G
Just a-troublin' you?


[Interlude]
D  C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D


[Verse 2]
Em                C         G       D
I was born in the dog days, darlin'
Em           C           G           D
I ain't ever eat from no silver spoon
Em       C             G              D             Em
All this bureaucratic, gotta-have-it, surface-level shit's
       C            G D
Got me feelin' blue


[Chorus]
Em         C
On the day I was born
          G          Em    D      C
They told me I would never be somethin'
           G               Em  D            C
Gotta make it through them dog days, darlin'
       G        Em            D          C
If you wanna go far, then you oughta go alone
            Em        D         C                G
But I ain't a boy, darlin', I'm all the way grown


[Interlude]
C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D Em

[Verse 3]
           C          G       D
Welcome to hard work, brother
Em         C          G      D
Welcome to me workin' harder
Em         C        G
Welcome to me bein' stronger for longer
    D      Em           C             G    D
And always goin' just a little bit farther
Em                        C         D
Let me tell you 'bout the dog days, darlin'
Em                    C         G    D
Let me tell you about writin' a song
Em                    C                   G          D
Let me tell you about writin' things down your whole life
              Em          C    G      D
Just to spend it rightin' your wrongs


[Interlude]
C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D Em
C G D


[Verse 4]
Em         C         G       D
Welcome to dog days, darlin'
Em         C        G    D
Welcome to young manhood
Em         C              G             D              Em
Welcome to everything you ever said and everything you ever did
     C       G     D
Been misunderstood


[Out-Chorus]
           C
On the day I was born
     G               Em    D
They told me I would never be somethin'
C          G          Em       D
Gotta make it through them dog days, darlin'
C      G        Em                D      C
If you wanna go far, then you oughta go alone
      G            Em           D           C
But I ain't a boy, darlin', I'm all the way grown
  G            Em           D           C
I ain't a boy, darlin', I'm all the way grown
  G            Em           D           C
I ain't a boy, darlin', I'm all the way grown
  N.C.                                        C G D
I ain't a boy, darlin', I'm all the way grown

How to play Dog Days: key, chords and progression

Dog Days by Zach Bryan is in the key of G major (one sharp: F♯). The song uses 4 chords: C, D, Em and G.

The progression the song keeps returning to is D – Em – C – G (V – vi – IV – I in G major), a rotation of the “four-chord” pop progression (I–V–vi–IV). In solfa, that is soh – lah – fah – doh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

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