Great Southern Land chords by Icehouse (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

Intro 1

Verse 1
A5 
Standing at the  (A5) limit of an endless ocean
B5 
Stranded like a  (B5) runaway, lost at sea
A5 
City on a  (A5) rainy day down in the harbor
B5 
Watching as the  (B5) grey clouds shadow the bay
A5 
Looking every (A5) where 'cause I had to find you
B5 
This is not the  (B5) way  that I remember it here
A5 
Anyone will  (A5) tell you it's a prisoner island
B5 
Hidden in the  (B5) summer for a million years

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Chorus 1

Great Southern Land,

burned you black

Verse 2
A5 
So you look into the  (A5) land
and it will tell you you a story
B5 
Story 'bout a  (B5) journey ended long ago
A5 
Listen to the  (A5) motion of the wind
in the mountains
B5 
Maybe you can  (B5) hear them talking like I do
A5 
They're gonna betray  (A5) you,
they're gonna forget you
B5 
Are you gonna let them  (B5) take you over
that way

Chorus 2
C#5 
E5 
Great Southern Land,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
Great  (F sharp5) Southern Land  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
You walk alone  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
like a  (F sharp5) primitive man  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
And they make it work,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
with  (F sharp5) sticks and bones  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
See their hungry eyes,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
its a  (F sharp5) hungry home  (C sharp5) 

Bridge 1

I hear the sound

of the stranger's voices

I see their hungry eyes,

their hungry eyes

Chorus 3

Great Southern Land,

Great Southern Land

They burned you black,

black against the ground

Verse 3
A5 
Standing at the  (A5) limit of an endless ocean
B5 
Stranded like a  (B5) runaway, lost at sea
A5 
City on a  (A5) rainy day down in the harbor
B5 
Watching as the  (B5) grey clouds shadow the bay
A5 
Looking every (A5) where, I had to find you
B5 
This is not the  (B5) way  that I remember it here
A5 
Anyone will  (A5) tell you it's a prisoner island
B5 
Hidden in the  (B5) summer for a million years

Chorus 4
C#5 
E5 
Great Southern Land,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
in the  (F sharp5) sleep ing sun  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
You walk alone  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
with the  (F sharp5) ghost of time  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
Where they burned you black,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
black a (F sharp5) gainst the ground  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
And they make it work,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
with  (F sharp5) rocks and sand  (C sharp5) 

Bridge 2

I hear the sound

of the stranger's voices

I see their hungry eyes,

their hungry eyes

Chorus 5
C#5 
E5 
Great Southern Land,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
Great  (F sharp5) Southern Land  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
You walk alone  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
like a  (F sharp5) primitive man  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
You walk alone  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
with the  (F sharp5) ghost of time  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
And they burned you black,  (C sharp5)  (E5) 
F#5 
C#5 
Yeah, they  (F sharp5) burned you black  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
F#5 
C#5 
Great Southern Land  (C sharp5)  (E5)  (F sharp5)  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
F#5 
C#5 
Great Southern Land  (C sharp5)  (E5)  (F sharp5)  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
F#5 
C#5 
Great Southern Land  (C sharp5)  (E5)  (F sharp5)  (C sharp5) 
C#5 
E5 
F#5 
C#5 
Great Southern Land  (C sharp5)  (E5)  (F sharp5)  (C sharp5) 
[Repeat and fade]

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GuitarPianoUkulele

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: EasyKey: C# minorBPM: 120

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Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

A5: x-0-2-x-x-x
B5: x-2-4-x-x-x
C#5: x-4-6-x-x-x
E5: 0-2-x-x-x-x
F#5: 2-4-x-x-x-x
G#5: 4-6-x-x-x-x

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

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This is the definitive original version of Great Southern Land by Icehouse, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of C# minor. It suits players who want to learn Great Southern Land the way Icehouse intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.