Sweet Caroline | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
||: F#11 :|| x7
Verse 1
| B | B | E | E |
Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing.
| B | B | F# | F# |
But then I know it’s growing strong.
| B | B | E | E |
Was in the spring, and spring became the summer.
| B | B | F# | F# |
Who’d have believed you’d come along.
Bridge 1
| B | B | B6 | B6 |
Hands, touching hands.
| F# | F# | E | E | F# | F# (F#sus4) |
Reaching out, touching me, touching you.
Chorus 1
| B | E (Emaj7) |
Sweet Caroline.
| E | E | F# | F# (F#sus4) |
Good times never seemed so good.
| B | E (Emaj7) |
I’ve been inclined.
| E | E | F# E | B/D# F#/C# |
To believe they never would, but now I.
Verse 2
Look at the night, and it don’t seem so lonely.
We filled it up with only two.
And when I hurt, hurting runs off my shoulders.
How can I hurt when holding you.
Bridge 2
One, touching one.
Reaching out, touching me, touching you.
Chorus 2
Sweet Caroline.
Good times never seemed so good.
I’ve been inclined.
To believe they never would, oh no, no.
Instrumental (re-intro)
||: F#11 :|| x7
Chorus 3
||: B | E (Emaj7) | E | E | F# | F# (F#sus4) :||
Sweet Caroline. Good times never seemed so good.
Sweet Caroline. I believe they never could.
Sweet Caroline. Good times never seemed so good.
Sweet Caroline | Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)
Intro
||: D/E :|| x7
Verse 1
| A | A | D | D |
Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing.
| A | A | E | E |
But then I know it’s growing strong.
| A | A | D | D |
Was in the spring, and spring became the summer.
| A | A | E | E |
Who’d have believed you’d come along.
Bridge 1
| A | A | A6 | A6 |
Hands, touching hands.
| E | E | D | D | E | E (Esus4) |
Reaching out, touching me, touching you.
Chorus 1
| A | D (Dmaj7) |
Sweet Caroline.
| D | D | E | E (Esus4) |
Good times never seemed so good.
| A | D (Dmaj7) |
I’ve been inclined.
| D | D | E D | A/C# E/B |
To believe they never would, but now I.
Verse 2
Look at the night, and it don’t seem so lonely.
We filled it up with only two.
And when I hurt, hurting runs off my shoulders.
How can I hurt when holding you.
Bridge 2
One, touching one.
Reaching out, touching me, touching you.
Chorus 2
Sweet Caroline.
Good times never seemed so good.
I’ve been inclined.
To believe they never would, oh no, no.
Instrumental (re-intro)
||: D/E :|| x7
Chorus 3
||: A | D (Dmaj7) | D | D | E | E (Esus4) :||
Sweet Caroline. Good times never seemed so good.
Sweet Caroline. I believe they never could.
Sweet Caroline. Good times never seemed so good.
Sweet Caroline Chords: Learn the progressions
I guess it does make sense to put a capo on the second fret when playing Neil Diamond‘s Sweet Caroline.
For a while I contemplated fret 4, thinking in the key of G, and I also made a case for no capo, thinking in B but at the end of the day, it’s probably best in the key of A, with a capo on fret 2.
Above, I’ve written it in A but also what it would be without a capo, in the key of B.
The verse chords are a simple I – IV – I – V, like this in the key of A.
||: A (I) | A | D (IV) | D |
| A | A | E (V) | E :||
The bridge introduces a 6 chord which, because it’s the first extension, really stands out, here are Sweet Caroline’s bridge chords:
| A (I) | A | A6 | A6 |
| E (V) | E | D (IV) | D | E | E (Esus4) |
The chorus is slightly more adventurous with some extensions in maj7 and sus4. The descending chords in the last two bars are a nice touch.
| A (I) | D (IV) Dmaj7 | D | D | E (V) | E Esus4 |
| A | D Dmaj7 | D | D | E D | A/C# (/3) E/B (V/5) |
There’s TAB for playing in the key of A, including those horn lines into the comping. Most musicians complain when asked to play Sweet Caroline, but I think it’s great fun to play this tune, you just have to go go the extra mile, beyond strumming open-position chords.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Sweet Caroline – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Having put the hours in, this chord chart is all you need to bring to the gig.
Sweet Caroline Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Sweet Caroline Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Sweet Caroline iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which is important in case you forgot the capo!
Sweet Caroline is many sports fan’s signature song!
Released in 1969 under the full title Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good), it is said to be written about John F. Kennedy’s 11-year-old daughter (called Caroline) and Neil Diamond’s wife.
A top 10 hit in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, and South Africa, Neil has sold around 5 million copies of this classic.
It has since become the song to sing when an English football team wins something important. As late as 2021, when the English Men reached the Euro final, it re-entered the charts in the U.K.
In 2022, when the England Women’s team won a tournament, BBC Radio 2 played the song on the hour, every hour.
This tradition started in America for the Boston Red Sox when the song was played to honour the birth of an employee’s daughter named Caroline. It had such a great response from the crowd, that they just kept doing it.
Soon the tradition spread to other countries and sports.
People seem to not be able to get their heads around why this particular song has worked so well but I know, it’s simple, audience participation! Works every time.
Sweet Caroline Chords | Related Pages
Sweet Caroline | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond using TAB and chord analysis.
| A | A | D | D |
Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing.
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- The Gambler
- Islands In The Stream
- Leaving, On A Jet Plane
- Rhinestone Cowboy
- Take Me Home, Country Roads
Neil Diamond tunes
Neil Diamond dropped out of college to go work for Tin Pan Aley as a songwriter as a teenager.
His best tunes include Solitary Man, Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon, I’m A Believer, Red Red Wine, Sweet Caroline, and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.
Neil Diamond on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Sweet Caroline chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
