Fire and Rain chords

by James Taylor

Song Key: C Major

Time Signature: 4/4

Tempo: 75 bpm


Guitar Tuning: Standard (E A D G B e)

Skill Level: Advanced Beginner / Early Intermediate

Capo: 3rd fret (Play using Key of C shapes)

Chords in A Major: A, Bm7, Bm7/E, D, D/C#, D/F#, E, Em7, Em/A, G, Gmaj7

Arrangement Song Details
R-H Chord Charts Chord Chart Legend
A Major E Major Em7 Em/A D Major D/F# D/F#-V2 D/C# G Major Gmaj7 Bm7 Bm7 Bm7/E
L-H Chord Charts Lefties Chord Chart Legend
A Major-LH E Major-LH Em7-LH Em/A-LH D Major-LH D/F#-LH D/F#-V2-LH D/C#-LH G Major-LH Gmaj7-LH Bm7-LH Bm7/E-LH
Performance Video
Speed: x0.1

Fire and Rain

Capo on 3 if playing with the video.
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key 
  
             A     Em7    D    A       A     E      Gmaj7
Intro: 4/4 | 1+2+  3+4+ | 1+2  +3+4+ | 1+2+  3+4+ | 1+2+3+4+ |
Timing Count

 A                  Em7                  D             A
1. Just yes-ter-day morn-in' they let me know you were gone,
               E                      Gmaj7
   Su-san, the plans they made put an end to you.
 A                   Em7            D               A
   I walked out this morn-in' and I wrote down this song,
                   E              Gmaj7
   I just can't re-mem-ber who to send it to.

      D           Bm7      Bm7/E     A
Chorus: I've seen fire and I've seen rain.
               D      D/C#        Bm7           Bm7/E  A
        I seen sun-ny days that I thought would nev-er end,
               D       D/C#         Bm7       Bm7/E  A
        I seen lone-ly times when I could not find a friend,
              G       D/F#             Em7               Em/A    
        But I al-ways thought that I'd see you  a-gain.|      |  %   |

             A                   Em7                D              A
2. Won't you look down u-pon me, Je-sus, you got to help me make a stand,
                   E                Gmaj7
   You just got to see me through a-no-ther day.
 A            Em7            D          A
   My bo-dy's ach-in' and my time is at hand
               E             Gmaj7
   An' I won't make it a-ny  o - ther way.

        D             Bm7      Bm7/E     A
Chorus: Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain.
               D      D/C#        Bm7           Bm7/E  A
        I seen sun-ny days that I thought would nev-er end,
               D       D/C#         Bm7       Bm7/E  A
        I seen lone-ly times when I could not find a friend,
              G       D/F#             Em7               Em/A
        But I al-ways thought that I'd see you  a-gain.|      |   %  |

        A                      Em7            D                        A
3. Been walk-in' my mind to an ea-sy time, my back turned to-wards the sun.
                       E                     Gmaj7
   Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head a-round.
                 A                    Em7                  D                     A
   Well, there's hours of time on the te-le-phone line, to talk a-bout things to come.
                    E                   Gmaj7
   Sweet dreams and fly-ing machines in pie-ces on the ground.

        D             Bm7      Bm7/E     A
Chorus: Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain.
               D      D/C#        Bm7           Bm7/E  A
        I seen sun-ny days that I thought would nev-er end,
               D       D/C#         Bm7       Bm7/E  A
        I seen lone-ly times when I could not find a friend,
              G       D/F#             Em7
        But I al-ways thought that I'd see you ba-by,
    Em/A                             Em/A
        One more time a-gain, now.|        |...


Outro: Thought I'd see you one more time a-gain.

       There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now.

       Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you, fire and rain, now...

Arrangement Details:

  • Key Signature: C Major - no sharps or flats
  • Piano chords set: C, G, Gm7, Gm/C, F, F/E, F/A, Bb, Bbmaj7, Dm7, Dm7/G
  • Time Signature: 4/4 — Four quarter-note beats per measure
  • Tempo: Moderately
  • Metronome: ♩ = 75
  • Voice Range: G3 - D5

Beginner Guitarists:

You may look at some of these chords and think '😕', but if you study the chord charts, you'll find they're all fairly easy to play.

Slash chords such as Em/A, D/C#, D/F#, and Bm7/E, indicate that you play the chord before the slash, while leading with the bass note after the slash, e.g.,
  • Em/A indicates an E chord leading with an 'A' bass note.
  • D/C# indicates a D chord leading with a 'C#' bass note etc.

D/F# and D/C# can be a bit of a stretch, so here is an easy workaround that will make them much easier to play.
  • Barre the first 3 strings on the second fret with your first finger.
  • Place your second finger where your 3rd finger was when playing the D chord.
  • Use your 4th or 3rd finger to play the bass note — F# or C# — depending on the chord you're playing.

Please note that Bm7 and Bm7/E look identical. The difference is:
  • Bm7 doesn't include the E bass note
  • Bm7/E does include the E bass note
  • You don't have to move anything — just play all 6 strings.🥳

If you still find the slash chords difficult to play, simply play them as regular chords without the leading bass notes: A, E, Em7, D, G, Gmaj7, Bm7

Song Details:

Sweet Baby James Album Cover
Album Cover
  • Songwriter: James Taylor
  • Lyrics Begin: Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone.
  • Genre: Folk rock, soft rock
  • Featured Artist: James Taylor
  • Single:
    Recorded: December 1969
    Released: August 30, 1970
    B-side: Anywhere Like Heaven) (US), Sunny Skies (UK)
  • Album: Sweet Baby James
    Recorded: December 1969
    Released: February 1, 1970
Song / Artist Capo Key Core Chords
After the Goldrush - Neil Young - D D, Dsus2, G, A, Bm, C
The Air That I Breathe - The Hollies +4 G G, B7, C, Cm, D, Dm
Dust In The Wind - Kansas - C C, Cmaj7, Cadd9, Dm7, F, F6, G, Asus2, Asus4, Am
Hotel California - The Eagles - Bm Bm, D, E, Em F#7, G, A
Ventura Highway - America - D Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7, G, G6
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby - G G, Am7, C, Cadd9, D, Em7, Fmaj7
Back to 70s Songs Back To Top
Contact Me

A seasoned performer joyfully playing the guitar