Song chords
Good Good Father chords
Chris Tomlin
The verse is one chord with a suspension moving inside it, and the chorus is where the song finally changes chords at all. Recorded in A and played nearly everywhere capo 2 out of G.
Before you start
The chords you need.
5 shapes covers the whole song, fretted with the capo at fret 2. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Capo 2 with G shapes: G sounds as A, C as D, Am as Bm and D as E. The verse is really G–Gsus4–G over and over; the C–G–Am–D that closes each verse is the only movement in it. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 70 bpm.
Verse
8 barsFour bars of a suspended tonic vamp, then the line resolves.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Chorus
8 barsShapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Bridge
7 barsThe Em appears only here — the darkest moment in the song.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Need it in a different key, or without the capo? Run it through the transposer — move every chord by the same interval and the song is unchanged.
Playing it
What actually trips people up.
Learn the sus figure first — lift and drop your third finger on the high E while the rest of the G shape stays planted. That one motion is two-thirds of the song.
The chart above is the commonly played arrangement — the version a competent player would hand you, not a bar-for-bar transcription of a specific master. Section labels are there to orient you; live and studio versions repeat, extend and drop sections freely, and none of that changes which chords you need.
About this page
Chord names and song structure are facts; for lyrics and official notation, support the artist. This page carries no lyrics on purpose — Good Good Father was written and recorded by Chris Tomlin, and the words belong to them. What you get here is the harmony: the key, the capo, the tempo, and which chord goes where.
Next
Songs that sit near this one.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What key is Good Good Father in?
Good Good Father sounds in A Major. The common arrangement gets there with a capo at fret 2 and G Major shapes, which is why the chords written here are G Major chords rather than A Major ones.
Do I need a capo for Good Good Father?
Yes for the standard arrangement: capo 2. Without it you would be playing A Major shapes, which needs barre chords. With the capo on, the shapes are G Major — much friendlier under the hand.
What chords are in Good Good Father?
G, C, Am, D and Em — 5 chords across 3 sections. Capo 2 with G shapes: G sounds as A, C as D, Am as Bm and D as E. The verse is really G–Gsus4–G over and over; the C–G–Am–D that closes each verse is the only movement in it.
What is the easiest way to play Good Good Father?
Beginner overall. Learn the sus figure first — lift and drop your third finger on the high E while the rest of the G shape stays planted. That one motion is two-thirds of the song.
How fast is Good Good Father?
About 70 bpm. Every section on this page plays back at that tempo, so you can hear how long each chord is meant to be held before you try it yourself.
Can I play Good Good Father in a different key?
Yes — the progression is the song, not the letters. Move every chord by the same number of semitones and it still works. The transposer will do the arithmetic, or you can move the capo and keep these shapes.