Is Free Chord Book really free?

Yes. Free Chord Book is 100% free with no sign-up required. Access 670,000+ guitar chords, tabs, and lyrics for every song you want to learn.

How do I transpose chords to a different key?

Open any song and use the transpose buttons to move every chord up or down by half-steps. Perfect for singers who need a different key or capo players.

Can I see chord diagrams while I play?

Yes. Tap any chord in a song to instantly see its interactive guitar chord diagram, including alternate fingerings and variations.

What's the difference between guitar chords and guitar tabs?

Chords show you which strings to strum together (great for rhythm playing and singing). Tabs (tablature) show you exact note-by-note fingerings, which is great for solos, riffs, and fingerpicking.

Does Free Chord Book work on mobile?

Yes. Free Chord Book is fully responsive and works on phones, tablets, and desktops. Use auto-scroll to play hands-free. There is also a free iPhone app (The Chord Book) and Android app (Free Chords).

Is there an iPhone or Android app?

Yes. Download The Chord Book on the Apple App Store and Free Chords on Google Play. Same 670,000+ songs, transpose, tuner, and auto-scroll — 100% free.

Can I print guitar chords?

Yes. Open any song and tap the Print button next to Save. You'll get a branded chord sheet with the Chord Book logo, ready for practice.

Is there a built-in guitar tuner?

Yes. Free Chord Book includes a free online guitar tuner that uses your microphone and YIN pitch detection for accurate tuning in standard and alternate tunings.

How many songs are available?

Over 670,000 songs with chords, tabs, and lyrics — covering every genre, from rock and pop to country, indie, folk, and Hebrew songs.

Is Free Chord Book a good alternative to Ultimate Guitar?

Yes. Free Chord Book is a fast, ad-free, 100% free alternative to Ultimate Guitar with interactive chord diagrams, instant transpose, auto-scroll, and a built-in tuner — no account required.

SavedFavorites

Passing Through

Chords

4.664 votes

Listen

YouTubeYouTube SpotifySpotify AppleApple Music

Font15

KeyOriginal

Chords

Scroll

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Passing Through (written by R. Blakeslee - ar. L. Cohen)
[Verse 1]
I saw CJesus on the cross, on a Fhill called CalvaCry
"Do you Chate mankind for what they done to Gyou?"
He said, "CTalk of love not hate, things to Fdo - it's getting Clate.
I've so Clittle time and I'm Gonly passing tChrough."
[Chorus]
CPassing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes C7blue,
Glad that FI ran into Cyou
Tell the Cpeople that you Gsaw me passing tChrough.
[Verse 2]
I saw CAdam leave the Garden with an Fapple in his Chand,
I said "CNow you're out, what are you gonna Gdo?"
"Plant some Ccrops and pray for rain, maybe Fraise a little CCain.
I'm an oCrphan now, and I'm Gonly passing tChrough." (And so are you).
[Chorus]
CPassing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes C7blue,
Glad that FI ran into Cyou
Tell the Cpeople that you Gsaw me passing tChrough.
[Verse 3]
I was with CWashington at Valley Forge, Fshivering in the sCnow.
I said, "CHow come the men here suffer like they Gdo?"
"Men will Csuffer, men will fight, even Fdie for what is Cright
even tChough they know they're Gonly passing tChrough"
[Chorus]
CPassing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes C7blue,
Glad that FI ran into Cyou
Tell the Cpeople that you Gsaw me passing tChrough.
[Verse 4]
I was at CFranklin Roosevelt's side on the Fnight before he Cdied.
He said, "COne world must come out of World War GTwo" (ah, the fool)
"Yankee, CRussian, white or tan," he said, "A Fman is still a Cman.
We're all Con one road, and we're Gonly passing tChrough."
[Chorus]
CPassing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes C7blue,
Glad that FI ran into Cyou
Tell the Cpeople that you Gsaw me passing tChrough.
(let's do it one more time)
CPassing through, passing through.
Sometimes happy, sometimes C7blue,
Glad that FI ran into Cyou
Tell the Cpeople that you Gsaw me passing tChrough.
---
The French songwriter Graeme Allwright sings also this song. Here are the
French lyrics.
de passage
J'ai vu J?sus sur la croix sur le mont Golgotha
J'ai dit "En veux-tu aux hommes pour ce qu'ils t'ont fait"
Il dit: "Parle d'amour et pas de haine
Pour toute la race humaine
J'ai si peu de temps je suis seulement de passage."
De passage, de passage
Parfois heureux, parfois "triste",
Je suis bien content de t'avoir croisé
Dis aux gens que tu m'as vu de passage.
J'ai vu Adam quitter le jardin une pomme dans sa main
J'ai dit: "Et maintenant qu'est-ce tu vas faire ?"
"Je travaillerai la terre, et je ferai des pri?res
Je suis orphelin, je suis seulement de passage"
De passage, de passage ...
J'ai suivi Washington at Valley Forge, grelottant de froid
J'ai dit: "Pourquoi les hommes souffrent tant ici?"
"Pour une cause ils peuvent souffrir, sont m?me pr?ts ? mourir
Meme s'ils savent qu'ils sont seulement de passage."
De passage, de passage ...

All chords in this song (4)

The story behind the song

"Passing Through" captures the essence of life's journey, acknowledging its transient nature and the experiences we gather along the way. Leonard Cohen, known for exploring themes of faith, mortality, and regret, imbues this song with a reflective spirit. It plays like a contemplation of the ever-flowing river of existence, where every moment is a step in a larger, unfolding story.

AI-written from these sources:Leonard Cohen — Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗

🎸 Tips from players

Got a tip for playing this song — capo position, easier chords, strumming? Be the first to share one.

Chord Book

670,000+ free guitar chords · free-chords.com

Passing Through

by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Passing Through (written by R. Blakeslee - ar. L. Cohen)

[Verse 1]

C F C

I saw Jesus on the cross, on a hill called Calvary

C G

"Do you hate mankind for what they done to you?"

C F C

He said, "Talk of love not hate, things to do - it's getting late.

C G C

I've so little time and I'm only passing through."

[Chorus]

Passing through, passing through.

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,

F C

Glad that I ran into you

C G C

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

[Verse 2]

C F C

I saw Adam leave the Garden with an apple in his hand,

C G

I said "Now you're out, what are you gonna do?"

C F C

"Plant some crops and pray for rain, maybe raise a little Cain.

C G C

I'm an orphan now, and I'm only passing through." (And so are you).

[Chorus]

Passing through, passing through.

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,

F C

Glad that I ran into you

C G C

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

[Verse 3]

C F C

I was with Washington at Valley Forge, shivering in the snow.

C G

I said, "How come the men here suffer like they do?"

C F C

"Men will suffer, men will fight, even die for what is right

C G C

even though they know they're only passing through"

[Chorus]

Passing through, passing through.

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,

F C

Glad that I ran into you

C G C

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

[Verse 4]

C F C

I was at Franklin Roosevelt's side on the night before he died.

C G

He said, "One world must come out of World War Two" (ah, the fool)

C F C

"Yankee, Russian, white or tan," he said, "A man is still a man.

C G C

We're all on one road, and we're only passing through."

[Chorus]

Passing through, passing through.

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,

F C

Glad that I ran into you

C G C

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

(let's do it one more time)

Passing through, passing through.

Sometimes happy, sometimes blue,

F C

Glad that I ran into you

C G C

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

---

The French songwriter Graeme Allwright sings also this song. Here are the

French lyrics.

de passage

J'ai vu J?sus sur la croix sur le mont Golgotha

J'ai dit "En veux-tu aux hommes pour ce qu'ils t'ont fait"

Il dit: "Parle d'amour et pas de haine

Pour toute la race humaine

J'ai si peu de temps je suis seulement de passage."

De passage, de passage

Parfois heureux, parfois "triste",

Je suis bien content de t'avoir croisé

Dis aux gens que tu m'as vu de passage.

J'ai vu Adam quitter le jardin une pomme dans sa main

J'ai dit: "Et maintenant qu'est-ce tu vas faire ?"

"Je travaillerai la terre, et je ferai des pri?res

Je suis orphelin, je suis seulement de passage"

De passage, de passage ...

J'ai suivi Washington at Valley Forge, grelottant de froid

J'ai dit: "Pourquoi les hommes souffrent tant ici?"

"Pour une cause ils peuvent souffrir, sont m?me pr?ts ? mourir

Meme s'ils savent qu'ils sont seulement de passage."

De passage, de passage ...

About Passing Through Chords by Leonard Cohen

Learn how to play Passing Through by Leonard Cohen with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Passing Through chords”, “Passing Through guitar chords”, or “Leonard Cohen Passing Through chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Passing Through chords and for experienced players who want accurate Passing Through lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, F, G, C7, A.

FAQ — Passing Through by Leonard Cohen

How do I play "Passing Through" by Leonard Cohen on guitar?

Open the free chords for "Passing Through" by Leonard Cohen on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

Are the chords for "Passing Through" by Leonard Cohen free?

Yes. The chords for "Passing Through" by Leonard Cohen are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "Passing Through" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "Passing Through" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "Passing Through"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "Passing Through" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Passing Through" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Passing Through" by Leonard Cohen with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Leonard Cohen below.

What key is "Passing Through" in?

The chords for "Passing Through" show the original chord names (including C, F, G, C7, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.