Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
intermediateChordsKey G66 BPM
Playing shapes:C · D · Am · Em · G · D/F# · E
Capo:No capo
Chords
Strumming
66 BPM↓D
↓D
↓D
↑U
↓D
↑U
Lyrics & chords
Verse 1
C
So,
so
you
think
you
can
D/F#
tell
Heaven
from
Am
hell,
E
blue
skies
from
G
pain
Can
you
tell
a
green
D/F#
field
From
a
cold
steel
rail
E
A
smile
from
a
Am
veil?
Do
you
think
you
can
tell?
Verse 2
Your
heroes
for
D/F#
ghosts
E
Hot
ashes
for
Am
trees
Hot
air
for
a
cool
breeze
Cold
comfort
for
D/F#
change?
Did
you
exchange
E
A
walk
on
part
in
the
Am
war
For
a
lead
role
in
a
cage?
Chorus
C
How
I
wish
How
I
wish
you
were
D/F#
here
We're
just
Am
two
E
lost
souls
Swimming
in
a
fish
bowl
Year
after
year
D/F#
Running
over
the
same
old
ground
What
have
we
found?
E
The
same
old
Am
fears
G
Wish
you
were
here
Coach tips
- ✦Wish You Were Here's main chord loop alternates C, D/Am, Em and G — nail the C-to-Am transition as it appears on nearly every verse phrase change
- ✦The song sits around 66 BPM with a laid-back feel — resist rushing the D strum; let each chord ring and sustain before changing, especially on the chorus line 'How I wish you were here'
- ✦The original uses a D/F# slash chord (bass note F# with D chord shape) — intermediate players can approximate this by fretting a standard D and plucking the open low E or hitting the 4th string as the bass note first
- ✦The iconic intro is a fingerpicked solo guitar riff in G — once you know the C-Am-Em-G strumming, try plucking the individual strings of each chord arpeggiated to get closer to Gilmour's acoustic feel