Don McLean - Castles in the Air: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Castles in the Air" 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.

E                  Emaj7
And if she asks you why
         A               E                 F#m7
you can tell her that I told you that I'm tired
    B7             E               F#m7
of castles in the air, I've got a dream
   B7                 E              F#m7
I want the world to share and castle walls
      B7            E  Emaj7 E6 E
just lead me to despair

Hills of forest green where the mountains touch
the sky
A dream come true, I'll live there till I die
I'm asking you to say my last goodbye
The love we knew ain't worth another try

Chorus:
F#m7                   B7             E
Save me from all the trouble and the pain
            A               F#m7
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl
  B7 F#m7 B7 F#m7 B7
again
F#m7                  B7            E
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
          A          F#m7
Perhaps she'll understand, if you tell it
         B7   F#m7 B7 F#m7 B7
to her plain

But how can words express the feel of sunlight
in the morning
In the hills, away from city strife
I need a country woman for my wife;
I'm city born, but I love the country life

For I cannot be part of the cocktail generation:
Partners waltz, devoid of all romance
The music plays and everyone must dance
I'm bowing out. I need a second chance

Chorus

And if she asks you why, you can tell her that
I told you
That I'm tired of castles in the air
I've got a dream I want the world to share
And castle walls just lead me to despair


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

E

Guitar chord E

Emaj

Guitar chord Emaj

Emaj7

Guitar chord Emaj7

E6

Guitar chord E6

F#m

Guitar chord F#m

F#m7

Guitar chord F#m7

B7

Guitar chord B7

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 "Castles in the Air" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Castles in the Air" by Don McLean.