How to Play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen on Guitar Chords

SobiSeptember 9, 2023Last Updated: September 9, 2023

1 5 minutes read

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen on Guitar Chords

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is a traditional English Christmas carol that dates back to the 16th century or earlier. It is one of the oldest carols in the English language and has been sung by many generations of people to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics tell the story of how an angel announced the good news of Christ’s birth to some shepherds in Bethlehem, and how they rejoiced and praised God for this great gift.

The melody of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is in the minor key, which gives it a solemn and mysterious tone. The song has a simple structure, with four verses and a chorus that repeats after each verse. The chorus is the most recognizable part of the song, with the words “O tidings of comfort and joy” sung in a rising and falling pattern.

If you want to learn how to play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords and strumming patterns. You can find many versions of the chords online, but here is one that is easy to play and sounds good.

Chords

The chords you will need to play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen are Em, C, B7, Am, G, and D. These are all common chords that you can find in many songs. Here is how to finger them on the guitar:

[Verse 1]
    Em                             C              B7
God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
    Em                           C              B7
For Jesus Christ our Saviour was born upon this day
   Am               G                  Em            D
To save us all from Satan's pow'r when we were gone astray
 
[Chorus]
  G          B7          Em               D
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
  G          B7          Em
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
[Verse 2]
     Em                        C             B7
From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came
    Em                             C              B7
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
    Am            G                Em            D
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name
 
[Chorus]
  G          B7          Em               D
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
  G          B7          Em
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
[Verse 3]
    Em                           C              B7
The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind
    Em                             C                  B7
And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm and wind
    Am            G                    Em              D
And went to Bethlehem straightway this blessed Babe to find
 
[Chorus]
  G          B7          Em               D
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
  G          B7          Em
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
[Verse 4]
    Em                               C              B7
But when to Bethlehem they came whereat this Infant lay
     Em                          C            B7
They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay
    Am          G          Em              D
His mother Mary kneeling unto the Lord did pray
 
[Chorus]
  G          B7          Em               D
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
  G          B7          Em
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
[Verse 5]
    Em                            C               B7
Now to the Lord sing praises, all you within this place
    Em                                  C           B7
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace
     Am           G             Em           D
This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface
 
[Chorus]
  G          B7          Em               D
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
  G          B7          Em
O tidings of comfort and joy

Strumming

There are many ways to strum God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, but here is one that is simple and effective. You can use a pick or your fingers to strum.

The basic pattern is down-down-up-up-down-up for each chord. You can accentuate some beats by strumming harder or softer, or by adding some muted strums or pauses. You can also vary the pattern by adding or skipping some up or down strokes.

The arrows indicate where to accentuate or emphasize some beats. You can experiment with different patterns and rhythms to suit your style and preference.

Lyrics and Chords

Here are the lyrics and chords for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. You can sing along as you play, or have someone else sing while you play. You can also play along with a recording or a backing track.

[Verse 1] Em C B7 God rest you merry, gentlemen, Em C B7 Let nothing you dismay. Em C B7 Remember Christ, our Savior, Em C B7 Was born on Christmas Day Am G Em D To save us all from Satan’s pow’r Em C B7 When we were gone astray