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Forest Lawn

Chords

4.931 votes

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1/8

Tempo 80 BPMVol

Sound:

Position

Step 1 / 8Position: 4

1 index2 middle3 ring4 pinkyO openSpace = play/pause

[Intro]
e|------------E4--------B7-------E---|
B|-----5---7------7----5---4---5-|
G|---4---------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|
[Verse]
Oh, lay me Edown in Forest Lawn in a silver B7casket,
Put golden B7flowers over my head in a silver Ebasket.
Let the Adrum and bugle corps play Etaps while E/D#cannons C#roar,
Let F#sixteen liv'ried employees sell B7souvenirs from the funeral store.
[Chorus]
I Ewant to go B7simply, when I Ego,
They'll G#give me a simple fun'ral there, I C#mknow,
With a Acasket lined in fleece,
And Efireworks E/D#spelling out "C#Rest In Peace."
Oh, F#take me, when I'm B7gone, to Forest ELawn.B7  
[Verse]
Oh, lay me Edown in Forest Lawn – they underB7stand there,
And they B7have a heavenly choir and a military Eband there.
Oh, just Aput me in their care and I'll Efind my E/D#comfort C#there,
With F#sixteen planes in a last salute, they'll B7drop a cross in a parachute.
[Chorus]
EI want to go B7simply, when I Ego,
They'll G#give me a simple fun'ral there, I C#mknow,
With a Ahunderd strolling strings,
And Etopless E/D#dancers with C#golden wings,
Oh, F#take me, when I'm B7gone, to Forest ELawn ...F#  
[Bridge]
Oh, Bcome, come, come, come,
Come to the church in the wildF#wood,
Kindly F#7leave a contriBbution in the pail.B7  
Be as Esimple and as trusting as a Bchild would,
And we'll F#sell you the church in the Bdale.
[Verse]
To find a Esimple resting place is my B7desire,
To lay me B7down with a smiling face comes a little bit Ehigher.
My Alikeness, cast in brass, will sEtand in E/D#plastic C#grass,
While F#hidden weights and springs tip its B7hat to the mourners filing past.
[Chorus]
I Ewant to go B7simply, when I Ego,
They'll G#give me a simple fun'ral there, I C#mknow.
I'll lAie beneath the sand,
With Epiped-in E/D#tapes of C#Billy Graham.
Oh, F#take me, when I'm B7gone, to Forest ELawn.
[Outro]
Rock of EAges, Acleft for Eme, for a B7slightly higher Efee.
Oh, F#take me, when I'm B7gone, to Forest ELawn.A  E  
A E    (optional E7 for flourish)
Amen

The story behind the song

John Denver, known for his acoustic guitar and songs celebrating nature and relationships, was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s. This song, "Forest Lawn," appeared on his 1970 release "Take Me to Tomorrow." He recorded approximately 300 songs, writing about 200 of them himself, and became one of the best-selling artists of his decade.

AI-written from these sources:John Denver — Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗

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Forest Lawn

by John Denver

Lyrics & chords · Original key

[Intro]

E B7 E

e|------------4------------------|

B|-----5---7------7----5---4---5-|

G|---4---------------------------|

D|-------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------|

[Verse]

E B7

Oh, lay me down in Forest Lawn in a silver casket,

B7 E

Put golden flowers over my head in a silver basket.

A E E/D# C#

Let the drum and bugle corps play taps while cannons roar,

F# B7

Let sixteen liv'ried employees sell souvenirs from the funeral store.

[Chorus]

E B7 E

I want to go simply, when I go,

G# C#m

They'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know,

With a casket lined in fleece,

E E/D# C#

And fireworks spelling out "Rest In Peace."

F# B7 E B7

Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn.

[Verse]

E B7

Oh, lay me down in Forest Lawn – they understand there,

B7 E

And they have a heavenly choir and a military band there.

A E E/D# C#

Oh, just put me in their care and I'll find my comfort there,

F# B7

With sixteen planes in a last salute, they'll drop a cross in a parachute.

[Chorus]

E B7 E

I want to go simply, when I go,

G# C#m

They'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know,

With a hunderd strolling strings,

E E/D# C#

And topless dancers with golden wings,

F# B7 E F#

Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn ...

[Bridge]

Oh, come, come, come, come,

Come to the church in the wildwood,

F#7 B B7

Kindly leave a contribution in the pail.

E B

Be as simple and as trusting as a child would,

F# B

And we'll sell you the church in the dale.

[Verse]

E B7

To find a simple resting place is my desire,

B7 E

To lay me down with a smiling face comes a little bit higher.

A E E/D# C#

My likeness, cast in brass, will stand in plastic grass,

F# B7

While hidden weights and springs tip its hat to the mourners filing past.

[Chorus]

E B7 E

I want to go simply, when I go,

G# C#m

They'll give me a simple fun'ral there, I know.

I'll lie beneath the sand,

E E/D# C#

With piped-in tapes of Billy Graham.

F# B7 E

Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn.

[Outro]

E A E B7 E

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, for a slightly higher fee.

F# B7 E A E

Oh, take me, when I'm gone, to Forest Lawn.

A E (optional E7 for flourish)

Amen

About Forest Lawn Chords by John Denver

Learn how to play Forest Lawn by John Denver with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Forest Lawn chords”, “Forest Lawn guitar chords”, or “John Denver Forest Lawn 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 Forest Lawn chords and for experienced players who want accurate Forest Lawn lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include E, B7, B, G, D, A.

FAQ — Forest Lawn by John Denver

How do I play "Forest Lawn" by John Denver on guitar?

Open the free chords for "Forest Lawn" by John Denver 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 "Forest Lawn" by John Denver free?

Yes. The chords for "Forest Lawn" by John Denver are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "Forest Lawn" to a different key?

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

Can I see chord diagrams for "Forest Lawn"?

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

Is "Forest Lawn" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Forest Lawn" by John Denver with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by John Denver below.

What key is "Forest Lawn" in?

The chords for "Forest Lawn" show the original chord names (including E, B7, B, G, D, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.