Song chords
Knockin' on Heaven's Door chords
Bob Dylan
Three chords, one of them a minor seventh, and a second half that swaps that Am7 for a C. That single substitution is the entire harmonic content of the song.
Before you start
The chords you need.
4 shapes covers the whole song. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Key of G, no capo. G–D–Am7 for the first half, then G–D–C for the second. Two bars per chord throughout. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 68 bpm.
Verse
12 barsChorus
12 barsNeed 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.
Am7 is an Am with the third finger lifted — one less finger, not one more. Practise Am → Am7 → C as a single motion.
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 — Knockin' on Heaven's Door was written and recorded by Bob Dylan, 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 Knockin' on Heaven's Door in?
Knockin' on Heaven's Door is in G Major, and it is played in that key with no capo — the chords you read here are the chords you hear.
Do I need a capo for Knockin' on Heaven's Door?
No. Knockin' on Heaven's Door is played open in G Major. A capo will only move it out of the recorded key, which matters if you are playing along with the record.
What chords are in Knockin' on Heaven's Door?
G, D, Am7 and C — 4 chords across 2 sections. Key of G, no capo. G–D–Am7 for the first half, then G–D–C for the second. Two bars per chord throughout.
What is the easiest way to play Knockin' on Heaven's Door?
Beginner overall. Am7 is an Am with the third finger lifted — one less finger, not one more. Practise Am → Am7 → C as a single motion.
How fast is Knockin' on Heaven's Door?
About 68 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 Knockin' on Heaven's Door 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.