Don McLean - Vincent: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Vincent" 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.

                G
Starry, starry night,
                    Am
Paint your palette blue and grey.
Am            Am/C
Look out on a summer's day
      D7                                G
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Gsus4           G
Shadows on the hills,
G                         Am
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Am                       Am/C
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
    D7                         G
In colours on the snowy linen land.

Chorus:
 G          Am  D7
Now I understand
D7                 G      D/F#  Em
What you tried to say to me.
Em                         Am7   D7
How you suffered for your sanity
D7                        Em
How you tried to set them free.
                                A7           Am7
They would not listen, they did not know how
   D7                   G
Perhaps they'll listen now?

Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand

Chorus

      G             Am      Asus4 D7
For they could not love you,
     D7                   G  D/F#  Em
But still your love was true.
            Am7
And when no hope was left in sight
         Cm
On that starry, starry night,
     G                 F6      E7
You took your life as lovers often do.
                  Am7
But I could have told you, Vincent,
      C               Am7
This world was never meant for one
    D7           G
As beautiful as you.

Starry, starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn; a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

Asus4

Guitar chord Asus4

A7

Guitar chord A7

Am7

Guitar chord Am7

C

Guitar chord C

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

D

Guitar chord D

D7

Guitar chord D7

Em

Guitar chord Em

E7

Guitar chord E7

F#

Guitar chord F#

F6

Guitar chord F6

G

Guitar chord G

Gsus4

Guitar chord Gsus4

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