Elton John - Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny): Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" 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 Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Elton John

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 "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" smoothly on your guitar.

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

              G#                                    D#
What happened here? As the New York sunset disappeared
                  A#                            Cm
I found an Empty Garden, among the flagstones there
     G#                                             D#
Who lived here?  He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
                                     A#
who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
                  Cm
Now it all looks strange
                   G#          A#             D#
It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain

And what's it for? This little empty garden by the brownstone door
And in the cracks along the sidewalk, nothin' grows no more
Who lived here? He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And we are so amazed, we're crippled and we're dazed
A gardener like that one, no one can replace

Chorus:
               G#
And I've been knockin'
           D#
but no one answers
               G#
And I've been knockin'
             Cm
most all the day
                  Fm
Oh, and I've been callin'
             Cm
oh, hey, hey Johnny
               G# A#    D#
can't you come out to play?

And through their tears
Some say he farmed his best in younger years
But he'd have said that roots grow stronger, if only he could hear
Who lived there? He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls
We hear, we hear your name

Chorus:
And I've been knockin', but no one answers
And I've been knockin' most of the day
Oh, and I've been callin', "Oh, hey, hey, Johnny
Can't you come out to play?"

And I've been knockin', but no one answers
And I've been knockin' most of the day
Oh, and I've been callin', "Oh, hey, hey, Johnny
Can't you come out?
Can you come out to play?"

Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?
Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?
Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?
Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?
Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?
Johnny, can't you come out to play in your empty garden?


You can simplify chords by removing barre

Transpose

Reset

Font Size

Reset

Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

D#

Guitar chord D#

Fm

Guitar chord Fm

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 "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" by Elton John.

Elton John Song List