Traditional Welsh, words by Thomas Oliphant · Key of C · Public domain
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This chart is written in C. Tap any key above the chart to see the whole song in that key, with every chord already worked out. To stay in C with different chord shapes, play it capo 3 with the A shapes, or capo 5 with the G shapes. Singing with a group? Pick the key where the highest note is comfortable for everyone, then print that page.
The melody of Deck the Halls is far older than its English words. It is the Welsh air Nos Galan, "New Year's Eve," a dance tune from the sixteenth century that was sung in Wales with harp accompaniment, the singers improvising verses while the harp answered between lines. Those instrumental answers are exactly where the famous "fa la la" refrains live: they began as the harp's reply, later sung by the whole room.
The Christmas words in English were written by the Scottish musicologist Thomas Oliphant in 1862, originally as "Deck the Hall." His lyric keeps the old carol's best qualities: it is entirely about celebrating (holly, harps, blazing fires, and the turning of the year) and it hands half of every line to the crowd, since nobody needs a lyric sheet to sing fa la la. Melody and words alike are firmly in the public domain.
A brisk, cheerful 4/4 in C. The verses sit on C and G7, and the one spot to practice is the third line's answer phrase, where the fa la las walk through Am, D7, and G7 before the last line resolves home through F. That little chord walk is the song's only trick, and it is a lovely first taste of a moving bass line. Strum lightly and let the room sing the refrains; transpose in the Chord Sheet Maker if C does not fit.
Deck the Halls in other easy guitar keys: key of D, key of E, key of F, key of G, key of A. Every other key is at the top of the chart.
Tap any chord for its diagram, other voicings, and the notes inside it.
In the key of C, Deck the Halls uses 5 chords: C, G7, Am, D7 and F. The chords sit over the words in the chart above, and tapping a chord name under Chords in This Song opens its diagram.
This chart is in the key of C. The other easy guitar keys for it are the key of D, key of E, key of F, key of G, key of A, each with the whole song rewritten. Pick the key whose chords you know, or the one that sits best for the singers: all twelve are one tap away at the top of the chart, with capo options for keeping the open shapes.
Yes. The words and the melody of Deck the Halls are in the public domain, which is why the full lyrics and chords are published here. You can print this sheet, hand it out, and perform or record the song anywhere without a license.
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All the Christmas carol chord sheets, each one in every key.
