Dire Straits - Single Handed Sailor: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Single Handed Sailor" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Dm C                  A#      F
Two in the morning, dry-dock town
Dm                C          A# F
The river rolls away in the night
Dm      C               A#        F
Little gypsy moth she's all tied down
Dm                 C            A# F
She quiver in the wind and the light

Yeah, and a sailing ship just held down in chains
From the lazy days of sail
She's just lying there in silent pain
He lean on the tourist rail

Am                              Dm
A mother and her baby and the college of war
A#                C
In the concrete graves
Dm                 C                 A#      F
You never want to fight against the river law
Gm                A#
Nobody rules the waves

Chorus:
               C              C#dim          Dm
Yeah and on a night when the lazy wind is a-wailing
A#                  C
Around the Cutty Sark
Dm             C         A#   F
Single handed sailor goes sailing
Gm                   A#
Sailing away in the dark

He's upon the bridge on the self same night
The mariner of dry dock land
Two in the morning, but there is one green light
And a man on the barge of sand

She's going to slip away below him
Away from the things he's done
But he just shouts "Hey man, what do you call this thing?"
He could have said "Pride of London"

Chorus:
On a night when the lazy wind is a-wailing
Around the Cutty Sark
Yeah the single handed sailor goes sailing
Sailing away in the dark


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

F

Guitar chord F

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Single Handed Sailor" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Single Handed Sailor" by Dire Straits.