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There Was A Time

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There Was A Time - Donovan
From 'A Gift from a Flower to a Garden' (1968)
[Verse 1]
 GThere was a time, G/F#I thought of mine Emonly.
 GCould it be, oc-G/F#curred to me while Emlonely.
[Chorus 1]
 CI was noble Bmpersonage, Emborn to beauti-Cfy the page.
If EmI used Ctime to set it Emdown.C  D7  
[Verse 2]
 GThere was a time, G/F#I thought of mine Emonly.
 GCould it be, oc-G/F#curred to me while Emlonely.
[Chorus 2]
 CI was of high Bmlineage, Emcast up in a Cdreadful age.
 EmBorn to be the Chermit of my Emline.C  D7  
[Bridge 1]
 BmOn a windy F#msaturday, BmSt. Alban's F#mmarket day.
 EmLittle did I know the work I C/Gwas to do,
Or the Bmlove I had to Emshow.D7  
[Verse 3]
 GThere was a time, G/F#I thought of mine Emonly.
 GCould it be, oc-G/F#curred to me while Emlonely.
[Chorus 3]
 CI was of high Bmlineage, Emcast up in a Cdreadful age.
 EmBorn to be the Chermit of my Emline.C  D7  
[Outro]
G  G/F#  Em

All chords in this song (8)

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There Was A Time

by Donovan

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

G/F#

F#m

C/G

There Was A Time - Donovan

From 'A Gift from a Flower to a Garden' (1968)

[Verse 1]

G G/F# Em

There was a time, I thought of mine only.

G G/F# Em

Could it be, oc-curred to me while lonely.

[Chorus 1]

C Bm Em C

I was noble personage, born to beauti-fy the page.

Em C Em C D7

If I used time to set it down.

[Verse 2]

G G/F# Em

There was a time, I thought of mine only.

G G/F# Em

Could it be, oc-curred to me while lonely.

[Chorus 2]

C Bm Em C

I was of high lineage, cast up in a dreadful age.

Em C Em C D7

Born to be the hermit of my line.

[Bridge 1]

Bm F#m Bm F#m

On a windy saturday, St. Alban's market day.

Em C/G

Little did I know the work I was to do,

Bm Em D7

Or the love I had to show.

[Verse 3]

G G/F# Em

There was a time, I thought of mine only.

G G/F# Em

Could it be, oc-curred to me while lonely.

[Chorus 3]

C Bm Em C

I was of high lineage, cast up in a dreadful age.

Em C Em C D7

Born to be the hermit of my line.

[Outro]

G G/F# Em

About There Was A Time Chords by Donovan

Learn how to play There Was A Time by Donovan with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “There Was A Time chords”, “There Was A Time guitar chords”, or “Donovan There Was A Time 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 There Was A Time chords and for experienced players who want accurate There Was A Time lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include A, G, G/F#, Em, C, Bm.

FAQ — There Was A Time by Donovan

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What key is "There Was A Time" in?

The chords for "There Was A Time" show the original chord names (including A, G, G/F#, Em, C, Bm). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.