Get Here | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
||: Csus2 | G/B Amadd2/E | Am7 D13sus4:||
Verse 1
| Csus2 | G/B Amadd2/E |
You can reach me by railway, you can reach me by trailway.
| Am7 D13sus4 | Bm7/E Em7 |
You can reach me on an airplane, you can reach me with your mind.
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
You can reach me by caravan, cross the desert like an Arab man.
| Am9 D7sus4 | G (Gsus2/4) |
I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can.
Verse 2
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
You can reach me by sailboat, climb a tree and swing rope to rope.
| Am7 D7sus4 | Bm7/E Em7 |
Take a sled and slide down slow, into these arms of mine.
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
You can jump on a speedy colt, across the border in a blaze of hope.
| Am9 D7sus4 | G F/A G/B |
I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can.
Bridge 1
| Cmaj9 D/C | Bm7 D5 |
There are hills and mountains between us always something to get over.
| Em7 Em7/D | Cmaj9 D/E | Am11 Dsus24 |
If I had my way, surely you would be closer, I need you closer.
Solo
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
| Am7 D7sus4 | Bm7/E Em7 |
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
| Am9 D7sus4 | G F/A G/B |
Bridge 2 (same as bridge 2)
There are hills and mountains between us, always something to get over.
If I had my way, surely you would be closer, I need you closer.
Verse 3
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
You can windsurf into my life, take me up on a carpet ride.
| Am7 D7sus4 | Bm7/E Em7 |
You can make it in a big balloon, but you better make it soon.
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 |
You can reach me by caravan, cross the desert like an Arab man.
| Am7 D7sus4 |
I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can.
Outro
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 | Am7 D7sus4 |
I don’t care, I don’t care, I need you right here right now.
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 | Am7 D7sus4 |
I need you right here right now right by my side, yeah yeah, yeah yeah.
| Csus2 | G/B Em7 | Am7 D7sus4 | D7sus4 | Gsus2/4 G |
Yeah, yeah, oh, oh. I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can.
Get Here Chords: Breaking Down the Key Progressions and Extensions
When playing Get Here on a single acoustic guitar, using a capo on fret 3 and thinking in the key of G makes perfect sense.
This simplifies the chords into familiar open-position shapes, though they come with plenty of extensions.
The song has two main sections. The verse follows a IV – I/3 – VI progression, followed by II – V – VI. However, with so many added intervals, the chords appear more complex than they are.
For instance, the first time we play the VI chord, we add so many notes that it makes more sense to call it Amadd2/E rather than Em7sus4(b6)! This also happens in the intro, so it’s worth checking out the TAB lesson for a clearer breakdown. Here’s the link: Get Here – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once we simplify the voicings, an Em7 works just fine, and the verse chords become:
||: Csus2 (IV) | G/B (I) Em7 (VI) |
|1. Am7 (II) D7sus4 (V) | Bm7/E (III) Em7 (VI) :||
|2. Am9 (II) D7sus4 (V) | G (I) Gsus2/4 :||
Before transitioning to the bridge, the final line of the verse (“hills and mountains…”) plays like this:
| Am9 (II) D7sus4 (V) | G (I) F/A (bVIIIx/3) G/B (I/3) |
Get Here bridge chords
The bridge introduces more complex harmonic ideas compared to the verse. Here’s the progression:
| Cmaj9 (IV) D/C (V/b7) | Bm7 (III) D5 (V) |
| Em7 (VI) Em7/D (VI/b7) | Cmaj9 (IV) D/E (V/2) | Am11 (II) Dsus2/4 (V) |
The opening maj9 chord creates a beautiful Lydian release (check the TAB for how to incorporate all the key intervals in this section). The D/C adds a strong Gospel flavour but remains easy to play on the guitar.
Bm7 – D5 function as III – V, while Em7 – Em7/D are the VI chord with a descending bass.
The final two bars, Cmaj9 – D/E, outline a IV – V movement, though D/E could also be seen as E11. The Am11 – Dsus2/4 is a classic II – V, and despite sounding harmonically rich, it’s surprisingly easy to play—almost all open strings, with just fret 1 on the second string!
Here’s a chord chart to bring to the gig so you can easily recall all the chords in Get Here.
Get Here Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Get Here chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Get Here chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Get Here – The Stockholm Connection
In a way, Get Here has strong ties to the city I left behind—Stockholm.
Brenda Russell originally wrote the song there and released it as the title track of her fourth album in 1988. However, it didn’t achieve major success at the time.
A couple of years later, while in Stockholm (!), Oleta Adams heard the song playing in a record store and decided to record it for her 1990 album Circle of One. Produced by Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal, her version became a huge hit.
I first came across Get Here during a performance in Stockholm by a duo named Chapter 2. I believe both members, Johan Norbert and Nils Landgren, are also based in Stockholm.
The only connection I’ve found that isn’t linked to Stockholm is Jessie J’s cover with Jools Holland—I’m fairly certain that performance took place in London.
You can find all these versions of Get Here in the playlist at the top of this page.
Get Here Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Get Here (Oleta Adams) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
- All In Love Is Fair
- At Last
- I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
- Over The Rainbow