Song chords
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) chords
Hillsong UNITED
Recorded in D and playable with four open-position shapes, which is most of why it became the default response song of the 2010s. The verse opens on the relative minor and leaves the tonic sitting in the middle of the phrase, so the chord never lands where you expect it.
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 D, no capo: Bm–A–D–A–G. The chorus is the first place the D arrives on a downbeat, and that arrival is the entire reason the section feels like it opens up. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 66 bpm.
Verse
5 barsOpens on the vi; the tonic never gets a downbeat.
Chorus
9 barsThree IV–I–V lines, then G–A to land on the tonic.
Bridge
4 barsFour chords under the long build — dynamics carry it, not the harmony.
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.
Bm is the only barre in the song. At 66 bpm the three-string x244xx shape is indistinguishable from the full barre — save the barre for the bridge, where the strumming widens out.
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 — Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) was written and recorded by Hillsong UNITED, 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 Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) in?
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) is in D 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 Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)?
No. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) is played open in D 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 Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)?
Bm, A, D and G — 4 chords across 3 sections. Key of D, no capo: Bm–A–D–A–G. The chorus is the first place the D arrives on a downbeat, and that arrival is the entire reason the section feels like it opens up.
What is the easiest way to play Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)?
Beginner overall. Bm is the only barre in the song. At 66 bpm the three-string x244xx shape is indistinguishable from the full barre — save the barre for the bridge, where the strumming widens out.
How fast is Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)?
About 66 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 Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) 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.