James Taylor - Fire and Rain
Hello! Below you'll find my "Fire and Rain" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
This beautiful song by James Taylor is a total classic. It's full of great jazzy sounding chord voicings, and in the video I'll show you how to do a bunch of the cool guitar and piano "fills" you hear on the recording.
Enjoy!
Fire and Rain Piano Tutorial
Here's a piano tutorial video for Fire and Rain:
Fire and Rain Chords & Lyrics
[Intro]
| C Gm7 | F C | C G | Bb9|
| C Gm7 | F C | C G | Bb9|
[Verse 1]
C Gm7
Just yesterday morning
F C*
They let me know you were gone
C G Bb9
Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you
C Gm7 F C*
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
C G Bb9
I just can't remember who to send it to
C G Bb9
Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you
C Gm7 F C*
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
C G Bb9
I just can't remember who to send it to
[Chorus]
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
Bb F/A G7sus4 C7sus2
But I always thought that I'd see you again
[Verse 2]
C Gm7
Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
F C*
You've got to help me make a stand
C G Bb9
You've just got to see me through another day
C Gm7 F C*
My body's aching and my time is at hand
C G Bb9
And I won't make it any other way
[Chorus]
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
Bb F/A G7sus4 C7sus2
But I always thought that I'd see you again
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
Bb F/A G7sus4 C7sus2
But I always thought that I'd see you again
[Verse 3] *C bass notes for all chords*
C Gm7
Been walking my mind to an easy time
F C*
My back turned towards the sun
C G
Lord knows when the cold wind blows
C G
Lord knows when the cold wind blows
Bb9
It'll turn your head around
C Gm7
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line
C Gm7
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line
F C*
To talk about things to come
C G
Sweet dreams and flying machines
C G
Sweet dreams and flying machines
Bb9
In pieces on the ground
[Chorus]
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
F F/E Dm7 G7sus4 C*
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
Bb F/A G7sus4
But I always thought that I'd see you baby
C7sus2
One more time again now
[Outro]
C7sus2
Thought I'd see you one more time again
C7sus2
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now
C7sus2
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now . . .
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
Fire and Rain Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "Fire and Rain" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.
3. Simplify if need be: "Fire and Rain" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
