Harvest Moon | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :|| x4
Verse 1
| Em7 | Em7 |
Come a little bit closer.
| Em7 | Em7 | D5 Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D | D Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D |
Hear what I have to say.
| Em7 | Em7 |
Just like children sleepin’.
| Em7 | Em7 | D5 Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D | D Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D |
We could dream this night away.
Verse 2
| G | G |
But there’s a full moon risin’.
| G | G ||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :||
Let’s go dancin’ in the light.
| G | G |
We know where the music’s playin’.
| G | G ||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :||
Let’s go out and feel the night.
Chorus 1
||: G/A | G/A | A | A :||
Because I’m still in love with you, I wanna see you dance again.
Because I’m still in love with you, on this harvest moon.
Instrumental 1
||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :|| x4
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
When we were strangers.
I watched you from afar.
When we were lovers.
I loved you with all my heart.
Verse 4 (as verse 2)
But now it’s getting late.
And the moon is climbing high.
I wanna celebrate.
See it shining in your eye.
Chorus 2
Because I’m still in love with you, I wanna see you dance again.
Because I’m still in love with you, on this harvest moon.
Instrumental 2
||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :|| x4
Solo
||: G | G | G | G |
| D D6 | Dmaj7 D | D D6 | Dmaj7 D :||
Chorus 3
Because I’m still in love with you, I wanna see you dance again.
Because I’m still in love with you, on this harvest moon.
Outro
||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :|| x4
| D |
Harvest Moon Chords: Learn the Simple Progressions
To play Harvest Moon like Neil Young, you’ll need to drop your low E string to a D. Use my chromatic guitar tuner to get it right.
This song consists of two chord riffs and a chorus, making it easy once you learn how Neil himself plays it. To do that, you’ll need TAB—here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Harvest Moon – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve mastered it, the chords and lyrics above and the chord chart below will serve as a handy reminder.
In the key of D, the verse moves from II to I, using characteristic chord extensions like this:
| Em7 (II) | Em7 | Em7 | Em7 |
| D5 (I) Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D | D Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 A/D D |
The next verse varies by going to chord IV instead of II, slightly altering the riff—very clever!
| G (IV) | G | G | G |
||: D (I) D6 | Dmaj7 D :||
| G | G | G | G |
||: D D6 | Dmaj7 D :||
You could argue that this section is a bridge, but I just can’t bring myself to call it that—not sure why…
Anyway, the chorus moves between IV and V, keeping the root of V throughout. You could also call this A11 – A:
||: G/A | G/A | A | A :||
Here’s a chord chart for Harvest Moon that I made for you.
Harvest Moon Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
In the chord chart, I labeled the verses as Sections A and B—it feels a bit off, but calling them both A didn’t seem right either!
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Harvest Moon chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s a link to that file: Harvest Moon chord chart iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can even change the key to suit your playing style.
Harvest Moon was Neil Young’s last hit!
Harvest Moon was Neil Young’s last big hit—and one of my favourites.
Released in 1992 as a single from the album of the same name, it proved that Neil still “had it,” even after a long stretch without one of his best-known songs.
Since then, he’s released more albums post-1992 than before, but all of his major hits came between Cinnamon Girl (1969) and this Harvest Moon gem.
Harvest Moon Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Harvest Moon (Neil Young) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
- (They Long To Be) Close To You
- (Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay
- A Horse With No Name
- Heart Of Gold
- Wish You Were Here