Taylor Swift - Dear John: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Dear John" 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 Dear John Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Taylor Swift

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 "Dear John" smoothly on your guitar.

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

Intro: E  E  A  A - x2

 E
Long were the nights when
                              A
My days once revolved around you
 E
Counting my footsteps
                         A
Praying the floor won't fall through again

    B                    C#m       B
My mother accused me of losing my mind
        A   B      C#m
But I swore I was fine

     E
You paint me a blue sky
                             A
Then go back and turn it to rain
       E
And I lived in your chess game
                                A
But you changed the rules everyday

 B                         C#m
Wonderin' which version of you
         B           A       C#m
I might get on the phone, tonight
         B
Well I stopped pickin' up and
     C#m         B          A     A
This song is to let you know why

Chorus:
      E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone.
                          C#m
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
     B                            A        C#m
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.
            E   E   A   A
I shoulda known.

      E
Well maybe it's me
                           A
And my blind optimism to blame
               E
Or maybe it's you and your sick need
                           A
To give love and take it away

     B
And you'll add my name to your
C#m            B
Long list of traitors
     A           C#m
Who don't understand
            B
And I look back in regret how
    C#m              B
I ignored when they said
         A           A
"Run as fast as you can"

Chorus:
      E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone.
                          C#m
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
     B                            A        C#m
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.
      E                              A
Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong.
                               C#m
Don't you think nineteen's too young
                      B
To be played by your dark twisted games
        A         C#m
When I loved you so?
            E   E   A   A
I shoulda known.

           C#m
You are an expert at sorry
     B
And keeping lines blurry
     A
And never impressed by me acing your tests
        C#m
All the girls that you run dry
      B
Have tired lifeless eyes
            A          C#m
'Cause you burned them out
    B
But I took your matches
  C#m              B
Before fire could catch me
    A         C#m
So don't look now
      B
I'm shining like fireworks
A                    E  E  A  A C#m B A
Over your sad empty town

Chorus:
      E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
                          C#m
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
     B                            A        C#m  E
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home
           E                         A
       I see it all now that you're gone
                           C#m
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
     B                       A     C#m
The girl in the dress wrote you a song
              E
You shoulda known
              A      E
You shoulda known.
 E                         A
Don't you think I was too young?
                  E
You shoulda known.


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

C#m

Guitar chord C#m

E

Guitar chord E

B

Guitar chord B

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 "Dear John" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Dear John" by Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift Song List