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Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Capo
None
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.
Atap to play
Etap to play
Btap to play
Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
G-C-E-A
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.
Atap to play
Etap to play
Btap to play
Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Left Hand
Root notes
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.
Atap to play
Etap to play
Btap to play
Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
gDGBD (Open G)
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.
Atap to play
Etap to play
Btap to play
Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Tuning
G-D-A-E
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.
Atap to play
Etap to play
Btap to play
Dtap to play
Key
A Major
Difficulty
Beginner
Harp Key
C Diatonic
Chords
A · E · B · D
Joni Mitchell’s classic environmental folk-pop song about paradise being paved over. Beginner difficulty in the key of A.
Folk Strum (4/4 Time)
↓↓↑↑↓↑
123456
Tip: This song uses a simple four-chord progression; focus on keeping a light, bouncy rhythm.
Lyrics & Chords
Full Song
Verse 1
A E
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
D A
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Verse 2
A E
Late last night, I heard the screen door slam
D A
And a big yellow taxi took away my old man
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Bridge
A E
Hey now, hey now
D A
I said, hey now, hey now
Verse 3
A E
Listen to the radio
D A
And I wanna take it back sometimes
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Chorus
E D
Hey now, hey now
A E
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum
D
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em
A E
Don’t it always seem to go
D A
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
D A
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Practice tip: Master the A, D, and E chords first, as they form the core of the song; the progression is mostly A-D-E-D-A.