Don McLean - Tapestry: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Tapestry" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Tapestry Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Don McLean

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Tapestry" smoothly on your guitar.

G                 Em                   Am7
Every thread of creation is held in position
     C                            D
by still other strands of things living.
G                       Em
In an earthly tapestry hung from the skyline
    Am7                    C
of smouldering cities so gray and so vulgar,
G                             Em
as not to be satisfied with their own negativity
Am7             C             D         G
but needing to touch all the living as well.

And every breeze that blows kindly is
one crystal breath
We exhale on the blue diamond heaven
As gentle to touch as the hands of the healer
As soft as farewells whispered over the coffin
We're poisoned by venom with each breath we take
From the brown sulphur chimney
And the black highway snake

And every dawn that breaks golden is
held in suspension
Like the yolk of the egg in albumen
Where the birth and the death of unseen generations
Are interdependent in vast orchestration
And painted in colors of tapestry thread
When the dying are born and the living are dead

And every pulse of your heartbeat
is one liquid moment
That flows through the veins of your being
Like a river of life flowing on since creation
Approaching the sea with each new generation
You're now just a stagnant and rancid disgrace
That is rapidly drowning the whole human race

And every fish that swims silent,
every bird that flies freely
Every doe that steps softly
Every crisp leaf that falls,
all the flowers that grow
On this colorful tapestry, somehow they know
That if man is allowed to destroy all we need
He will soon have to pay with his life for his greed

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Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am7

Guitar chord Am7

C

Guitar chord C

D

Guitar chord D

Em

Guitar chord Em

G

Guitar chord G

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