Great Unknown chords by
Dar Williams

N/A•

Key: G major•

Verse 1

G

G

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Once upon a time there was

Em

Em

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a nuclear family,

Bm

Bm

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C

C

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D

D

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An d we lived in a family time,

C

C

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D

D

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Bm

Bm

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D

D

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And we'd unite in a family way.

G

G

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And off in the ancient mountain,

They were splitting every nucleus.

C

C

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They said, "Don't be alarmed,

D

D

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Bm

Bm

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C

C

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Just don't try this at home."

Verse 2

C

C

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And they were the mystery

that made the world run

Bm

Bm

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G

G

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And we had the power,

'cause they were the sun

Am

Am

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And we called them our heroes,

G

G

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and the fu ture had come.

C

C

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They said, "Look at the light

we're giving you,

D

D

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And the darkness we're saving

G

G

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you from."

D

D

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Soon they were bringing it into our

Verse 3

Em

Em

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showroom,

C

C

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And they'd unveil it with it's title,

A

A

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Bring your family, bring your family,

C

C

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It's the great unknown.

A

A

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You can look, but you can't fathom,

C

C

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It's the Great Unknown.

G

G

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C

C

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Verse 4

G

G

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I'm no ordinary princess,

Em

Em

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I was born in the Cold War,

C

C

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And my team is the Rockets,

Bm

Bm

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D

D

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Go team, it's a dangerous time

G

G

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And I dream of the moon and

Em

Em

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building lunar clone colonies.

C

C

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And I build my peace with strength,

Bm

Bm

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That's the best weapon you've got.

C

C

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Oh, I am the brainchild, I am the mortar,

Em

Em

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With a plastic trophy and

an eating disorder,

Am

Am

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Bm

Bm

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And vision as big as a great big wall,

C

C

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And they tell me that I'll move forward

D

D

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For the good of us all,

And the good of nuclear families all.

Verse 5

G

G

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D

D

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Em

Em

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And they think I think I am important.

C

C

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I know I never was, no, I wasn't.

A

A

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No, I never, and how could I be?

C

C

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A

A

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It's the great unknown.

C

C

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Now we've built it, now it's ticking,

A

A

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It's the great unknown.

Verse 6

C

C

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G

G

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Em

Em

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And I am your children, I am millions

C

C

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And I wanted to sell out, I wanted to try,

D

D

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C

C

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But the sky got too low

D

D

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And the ocean got too high.

G

G

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D

D

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Em

Em

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And I tried to take God into my own hands

C

C

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Am I too late? Is it over?

A

A

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Have I sacrificed my family to

C

C

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the great unknown?

A

A

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There's a war between my conscience

C

C

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and the great unknown.

Interlude 1

G

G

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C

C

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G

G

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C

C

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G

G

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Verse 7

G

G

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So I walked out into the gamma fields

Em

Em

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Bm

Bm

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Em

Em

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Out in Mercury, Nevada.

C

C

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Where I stood in circle,

D

D

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Bm

Bm

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D

D

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And that circle started to pray.

G

G

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And the wind at the nuclear test sites

Em

Em

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Bm

Bm

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Floats the data of the radiation.

C

C

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D

D

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From the underground testing,

Cross the line,

C

C

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you'll get arrested.

And we came from all over

in a silent appeal

Em

Em

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G

G

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As the drill comes down like

a presidential seal.

Am

Am

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And we stand for the living,

Em

Em

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and we stand for the dead,

C

C

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And we looked out to see

your enemies,

D

D

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And we see that you're

Verse 8

looking all at us instead.

G

G

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D

D

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Em

Em

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An d you think I am being disruptive?

C

C

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But no, I'm running home,

I'm running,

A

A

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'Cause I'm trying to put the

C

C

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atom back together.

A

A

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It's the great unknown.

C

C

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I'm just trying to put the

A

A

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atom back together.

C

C

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It's the great unknown.

Outro 1

G

G

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C

C

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G

G

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C

C

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G

G

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An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 7 Strings

B ₁

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 12 stringStandard

E ₃

E ₂

A ₃

A ₂

D ₄

D ₃

G ₄

G ₃

B ₃

B ₃

E ₄

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 6 stringPower

Guitar Tuner 6 stringOpen

Guitar Tuner 6 stringExtras

G ₄

C ₄

E ₄

A ₄

CavaquinhoStandard

D ₄

G ₄

B ₄

D ₅

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

Bass Tuner 5 Strings

B ₀

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

C ₂

G ₂

D ₃

A ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

G ₃

G ₃

D ₄

D ₄

A ₄

A ₄

E ₅

E ₅

Balalaika Tuner

E ₄

E ₄

A ₄

G ₄

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

D ₄

Banjo Tuner 4 Strings

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

An acoustic guitar head with tuning pegs

Tuning:Standard Open Tuner

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 7 Strings

B ₁

E ₂

A ₂

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 12 stringStandard

E ₃

E ₂

A ₃

A ₂

D ₄

D ₃

G ₄

G ₃

B ₃

B ₃

E ₄

E ₄

Guitar Tuner 6 stringPower

Guitar Tuner 6 stringOpen

Guitar Tuner 6 stringExtras

G ₄

C ₄

E ₄

A ₄

CavaquinhoStandard

D ₄

G ₄

B ₄

D ₅

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

Bass Tuner 5 Strings

B ₀

E ₁

A ₁

D ₂

G ₂

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

C ₂

G ₂

D ₃

A ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

E ₅

G ₃

G ₃

D ₄

D ₄

A ₄

A ₄

E ₅

E ₅

Balalaika Tuner

E ₄

E ₄

A ₄

G ₄

D ₃

G ₃

B ₃

D ₄

Banjo Tuner 4 Strings

C ₃

G ₃

D ₄

A ₄

Chords

G
Em
Bm
C
D
Am
A

Capo: 0

Transpose: 0

0

Autoscroll20%

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Frequently asked questions

The original key of Great Unknown by Dar Williams is G major.

The primary chords used in Great Unknown are G, Em, Bm, C, D, Am.

No capo is required for this song.

Yes, this version uses open chords like G, Em, Bm, C, making it a great song for beginner guitarists.

The tempo of Great Unknown is approximately 92 beats per minute.

You can easily change the key of Great Unknown using our Transpose button located in the toolbar. This will automatically update all chord diagrams on the page to match your new key.

Yes! Click the Print icon to generate a clean, one-page version of the chords and lyrics for Great Unknown. This is perfect for practicing offline or adding to a physical songbook.

Yes, we have integrated a Mini-Tuner directly on this page. Use it to quickly check your string pitch (Standard Tuning: E A D G B E) before you start playing along with Dar Williams.

Absolutely. Click the Save or Heart icon to add Great Unknown to your account. You can access all your saved songs under My Library at any time.

You can view the full chord sheet and lyrics for Great Unknown by Dar Williams on this page for free. We provide high-quality, verified chords to help you start playing immediately.