Learn to play "Once Upon a Time" 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 C#m The hour's late and the lights are low A B I'm walking home just kicking stones E C#m I waited at the depot you never showed A B You missed the last bus hours ago E I remember the first time C#m I saw you on the street E A You looked so pretty my heart skipped a beat A B I can't wait any longer but I still feel the heat E B I'm down but I'm still on my feet I walked on down by the old fairground Up from the docks blew a lonely sound I sat for a while on the cold hard ground Watched the stars slowly turn as the earth spun around As the past falls behind, up ahead there's a crack Of light shining bright through the night so black Like a runaway train rolling down the track From here, there's no turning back Chorus: E Listen to me baby Once upon a time A My heart was an ocean B You swam against the tide E The time is past for grieving My tears have all run dry A I'll leave you with my love B And now I say goodbye The bottle's broken, the glasses are cracked The cards are all dealt and the chips have been stacked The lampshade's busted and the curtains are torn The door keeps knocking but there's nobody home I stood by the road, brushed a tear from my eye Cursed the cars and the rain and the rolling skies I turned around, turned my back on that town I never looked back again Chorus Listen to me, baby, once upon a time My heart was an ocean, you swam against the tide The time has passed for grieving, my tears have all run dry I leave you with my love and now I say goodbye You can simplify chords by removing barre | TransposeReset Font SizeReset Guitar Chord DiagramsA B C#m E 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 "Once Upon a Time" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Once Upon a Time" by The Pogues.