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Guy Clark - Homeless Chords

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ChordsC, G, Am, F, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to G key to play this song with easier chords.

[Opening]
[C] [G] [Am] [F] [Dm] [C] [F] [G]
[C]Cardboard sign, [G]old and bent,
Says “[Am]Friend for life, [F]twenty five cents”
[Dm]When did this start [C]making sense;
[F]Man it’s really getting [G]cold

[verse 2]
[C]Sometimes I forget things and I [G]get confused.
I could [Am]still be working but [F]they refuse.
[Dm]Now I’m living with the [C]bums and the whores and the [F]abused;
Man I hate [G]gettin’ old

[chorus]
[C]Homeless, get a[G]way from here;
Don’t [Am]give them no money they’ll just [F]spend it on beer
[Dm]Homeless, will [G]work for food,
You’ll [Am]do anything that you [F]gotta do,
When you’re [C]homeless. [G] [Am] [F] [C] [G] [C]

[verse 3]
[C]Betty sings a song that [G]no one hears,
As the [Am]wind begins to [F]freeze her tears
[Dm]She says ‘God, it’s been [C]so many years’,
She’s [F]way past com[G]plainin’.

[verse 4]
[C]She sings a heartfelt [G]melody,
[Am]One that begs for [F]harmony
[Dm]No, it’s not what she [C]thought it would be,
But [F]hey, it could be [G]rainin’

[chorus]
[C]Homeless, get a[G]way from here;
Don’t [Am]give them no money they’ll just [F]spend it on beer
[Dm]Homeless, will [G]work for food,
You’ll [Am]do anything that you [F]gotta do,
When you’re [C]homeless. [G] [Am] [F] [C] [G] [C]

[verse 5]
[C]You know life ain’t easy, [G]it takes work,
[Am]It takes healin’ ’cause you’re [F]gonna get hurt.
[Dm]You can lose your faith, [C]you can lose your shirt,
[F]Lose your way some[G]times

[verse 6]
Ah, [C]you never really [G]have control,
Some[Am]times you just gotta [F]let it go
[Dm]When the final [C]line unfolds,
[F]It don’t always [G]rhyme

[chorus]
[C]Homeless, get a[G]way from here;
Don’t [Am]give them no money they’ll just [F]spend it on beer
[Dm]Homeless, will [G]work for food,
You’ll [Am]do anything that you [F]gotta do,
When you’re [C]homeless. [G] [Am] [F] [C] [G] [C]

[chorus]
[C]Homeless, get a[G]way from here;
Don’t [Am]give them no money they’ll just [F]spend it on beer
[Dm]Homeless, will [G]work for food,
You’ll [Am]do anything that you [F]gotta do,
When you’re [C]homeless.

[Closing]
[C]Cardboard sign, [G]old and bent,
Says “[Am]Friend for life, [F]twenty five cents” [C]

SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistGuy Clark
AlbumThe Dark
GenresCountry
Year2002
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Homeless on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Guy Clark - Homeless on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Homeless uses these transitions most often: Am → F (19), G → Am (19), and C → G (18). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
C to G

2. G → Am chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from G to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
G to Am

3. Am → F chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Am to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Am to F

4. F → Dm chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from F to Dm;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Dm

5. Dm → C chord transition

To move from Dm to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

6. C → F chord transition

To move from C to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

7. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

8. Dm → G chord transition

To move from Dm to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

Homeless chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Homeless.

  • Homeless includes 110 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Homeless contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Homeless connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.