Chords + Lyrics | Knocking On Heaven’s Door
Intro
||: G D/F# | Am Am7 | G D/F# | C :||
Ooh-ooh-ooh. Ooh-ooh-ooh. Ooh-ooh-ooh.
Verse 1
| G D/F# | Am Am7 |
Mama take this badge off of me.
| G D/F# | C |
I can’t use it anymore.
| G D/F# | Am Am7 |
It’s getting dark, too dark to see.
| G D/F# | C |
I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.
Chorus 1
||: G D/F# | Am Am7 | G D/F# | C :||
||: Knock-knock-knockin’ on heaven’s door :||
Verse 2
Mama put my guns in the ground.
I can’t shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin’ down.
I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.
Chorus 2
||: Knock-knock-knockin’ on heaven’s door :||
Outro
| G D/F# | Am Am7 |
Ooh-ooh-ooh.
| G D/F# | C |
Ooh-ooh-ooh.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door Chords: A Look at Dylan’s Original and Famous Covers
Knocking On Heaven’s Door is one of the most recognisable beginner guitar songs and a great introduction to Bob Dylan’s music.
Since the early ’90s, many have discovered the song through Guns N’ Roses’ stadium rock version. However, my favourite remains Clapton’s reggae take, which I heard first. Released in 1975, it came just two weeks after he played on Arthur Louis’s version as a session musician.
All these versions are available in the playlist at the top of the page.
Dylan’s progression follows I – V/3 – II, then I – V/3 – IV. In the key of G, that translates to:
||: G (I) D/F# (V/3) | Am (II) Am7 | G D/F# | C (IV) :||
On the C chord, Dylan often adds a G on the first string, third fret. Since G is the 5th, this doesn’t change the chord.
In the intro and during the second chorus, he adds the same note (G, third fret, first string) to the Am chord, turning it into Am7.
This is best explained using TAB—here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Knocking On Heaven’s Door – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Clapton’s version simplifies the progression. Instead of alternating between Am and C, he stays on Am, like this:
||: G D/F# | Am Am7 :||
There’s also TAB for playing this in a reggae style using barre chords (link above). While it might seem advanced for beginners, it’s actually easier than strumming the chords the way Dylan does!
Here’s a chord chart I made for you.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
The chart above is brief because the same chord progression repeats throughout the song. Rather than writing it multiple times, I’ve provided it once and detailed the structure below.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Knocking On Heaven’s Door chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s a link to the file: Knocking On Heaven’s Door iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can easily change the key, which can be a great exercise in itself.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we explore how to play this on acoustic guitar, similar to Dylan’s original version but adjusted to suit a solo guitarist backing a singer. We also take a look at how Clapton approached it.
As a preview, here’s the beginning of the strumming pattern in Dylan’s style.
Knocking On Heaven’s Door was from a soundtrack
Knocking On Heaven’s Door was originally written for a soundtrack—Bob Dylan’s only one. In 1973, he composed all the songs for Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid and even appeared in the film as the character Alias.
The lead role was played by another singer-songwriter, Kris Kristofferson (Me & Bobby McGee, Help Me Make It Through the Night).
The film, described as a revisionist Western, avoided the typical good-versus-evil narrative. It was surrounded by controversy, particularly due to director Sam Peckinpah’s falling out with the studio. He lost control of the editing process, and multiple editors cut so much of the plot that the film no longer made sense, leading to its failure at the box office.
Years later, a version closer to Peckinpah’s original vision was released and praised for its brilliance. At the time, however, the film was mainly remembered for Dylan’s hit Knocking On Heaven’s Door.
Interestingly, another song—Wagon Wheel—was partially recorded during these sessions but ultimately scrapped. A bootleg recording captures Dylan mumbling the chorus. Decades later, Ketch Secor finished the song in 2004 by writing the verses. It went on to become a major hit for Nathan Carter (2012) and Darius Rucker (2013).
Knocking On Heaven’s Door Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Knocking On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
