Chris de Burgh Guitar Lessons: Songs You Can Play On Acoustic
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Few songwriters can turn a story into a song the way Chris de Burgh does.
The Irish singer-songwriter is best known for “The Lady In Red,” which reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 3 in the US, but his catalog is full of storytelling songs, from the ghostly “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” to the Christmas favorite “A Spaceman Came Travelling.”
On this page you’ll find six Chris de Burgh lessons I’ve arranged and taught for acoustic guitar. Each one shows you the chords, the rhythm pattern and the picking touches that bring his songs to life, so you can play them with confidence.
Chris de Burgh Guitar Lessons — Video Previews
performance clips taken directly from the complete lesson videos.
Click Play, then drag the timeline to quickly preview any Chris De Burgh lesson featured on this page.
Note: Every arrangement has been personally created, recorded and taught by Kirby
using teaching methods refined through decades of acoustic guitar instruction.
What's Included With Every Lesson
📦 Your Lesson Package Includes
✓ 8–12 minute HD video lesson so you can learn each song step-by-step.
✓ Printable chords & lyrics PDF for easy practice away from the screen.
✓ Instant download—start playing in minutes.
✓ Learn at your own pace on any device.
Chris de Burgh Guitar Lessons Included On This Page
Borderline Guitar Lesson
Don't Pay The Ferryman Guitar Lesson
High On Emotion Guitar Lesson
Seven Bridges Road Guitar Lesson
The Lady In Red Guitar Lesson
A Spaceman Came Travelling - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
A Spaceman Came Traveling is Chris de Burgh’s most enduring story song, even though he has said he never meant it to be a Christmas song. It first appeared on his 1975 album Spanish Train and Other Stories on A&M and was released as a single in the mid-1970s, reaching No. 1 in Ireland.
The story follows a visitor from space who comes to Earth long ago and witnesses the events of the first Christmas, wondering about their meaning. It became a seasonal favorite, and a 1986 re-release was a UK top-40 hit.
The album also includes “Spanish Train” and “Patricia the Stripper,” and de Burgh’s biggest hit, “The Lady in Red,” would come in 1986.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
For this song you'll need a capo 3rd fret to be in the original key and played in standard tuning. The song has arpeggio picking notes as you move through the chords Bm, A, G, D and Gbm. Once you reach the chorus of the song the rhythm kicks in and is played as a down down up down up down up and repeat until it switches back to arpeggio. There is no lead in this song.
Learn the chords and the arpeggio pattern as you play each chords. Then transition into the main rhythm pattern for the chorus.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Borderline - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Borderline is a track from Chris de Burgh’s 1982 album The Getaway, the album that gave him a US top-40 hit with “Don’t Pay the Ferryman.”
It was released as a single and peaked at No. 12 in Ireland. It runs 4 minutes and 33 seconds on the album, and de Burgh later used it as the B-side of his 1986 hit “The Lady in Red.” The Getaway was produced by Rupert Hine and reached No. 30 on the UK albums chart and No. 43 in the US.
De Burgh included “Borderline” on greatest-hits collections such as Spark to a Flame, and he played it in the live show recorded on High on Emotion: Live from Dublin.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
The original key here is with a capo 3rd fret in standard tuning and is played mainly with down strokes for the verses and then you'll switch to a down down up down down up and repeat pattern. There is an intro riff pattern which repeats in several places in the song as well as a main picking pattern which can be blended into the rhythm. For chords you'll play a Bm, G, D, A7, C, Em, Gbsus, Gb and an A/Db.
Learn to play the two rhythm patterns and the chords first. Then work on the intro riff which will repeat during the song and then go back to the main melody line picking pattern.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Don't Pay The Ferryman - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Don't Pay The Ferryman was Chris de Burgh’s breakthrough single, the lead track on his 1982 album The Getaway. Rupert Hine produced the album, which reached No. 30 in the UK and No. 43 in the US.
The single climbed to No. 5 in Australia, No. 9 in Ireland and No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, and it was his first single to chart in the UK. It’s a supernatural story song that warns the traveler not to pay the ferryman until he has reached the other side.
A live version from de Burgh’s 1990 concert album High on Emotion: Live from Dublin was released as a single that August.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Don't Pay The Ferryman is played in standard tuning and starts with a with blended with rhythm which you'll use again later in the song. There are two patterns in this one for rhythm. The first is a down up pause up down up pause up and then the secord is a down down up down up which kinda chops up the rhythm. There are also a few quick bass runs in this number but no lead picking. The chords here are Em, C, G, D, Am, G6 and a B7.
Learn the chords and the two rhythm patterns first. Then go back and learn the intro opening riff which you'll use again later in the arrangement.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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High On Emotion - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
High On Emotion shows a more urgent, arena-rock side of Chris de Burgh, better known for his ballads. He wrote it for his seventh studio album, Man on the Line, produced by Rupert Hine and released by A&M in May 1984 after sessions at Farmyard Studios in Buckinghamshire.
The single entered the UK chart on May 12, 1984, and peaked at No. 44 there, matching its No. 44 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, and it reached No. 5 in Ireland and Switzerland.
The album reached No. 11 in the UK, No. 69 in the US and No. 1 in Germany and Switzerland. De Burgh later named his 1990 live album High on Emotion: Live from Dublin after the song, and it went 2× Platinum in the UK.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
High on Emotion is a very high song vocally to sing in the original key and even in my version here which is 3 frets lower. Chris de Burgh recorded this in Dm in standard tuning but my version is in Bm. Add a capo 3rd fret to get back to his original key. There are two rhythm patterns here. The first is a steady down up down up shuffle as you play the intro and the verses. In the chorus the vibe changes slightly due to the drummer and the pattern becomes down down up down up and repeat.
Vocally I can sing the verses on the high end in this key but in the chorus, my vocals come down because the key changes to a C and de Burgh takes this vocally really high. There is no room for any major lead work because the lead break follows the chords in the verse and they change quickly but I do have a few bass riffs and one slide you can use to improvise that lead section. For chords you'll need a Bm, A, G, E, C, D and a D#. I had to sing the chorus on the low end because it's still too high even though I'm three frets lower than the original key.
Learn the chords and the two rhythm patterns and then work in the improvised lead break or create one. The biggest challenge is the vocals.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Seven Bridges Road - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Seven Bridges Road isn’t a Chris de Burgh original; he recorded it for his 2011 covers album Footsteps 2, released October 14, 2011.
Steve Young wrote it and first recorded it in 1969 for his album Rock Salt & Nails, inspired by Woodley Road, a country road with several wooden bridges outside Montgomery, Alabama.
Young later described it as a song about a girl and a road in south Alabama. Iain Matthews added the layered harmonies on his 1973 version, and the Eagles’ live recording on Eagles Live took that arrangement to No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. De Burgh’s version runs 3 minutes and 53 seconds and is track six on Footsteps 2.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
This number is played in standard tuning and has a few harmonic taps on the strings you'll want to add. The chords here are G, D, C, C/G, F, Em, Am, Bm and a D/Gb. For rhythm play a down down up down up down up and repeat and in some places you'll just need some down stroke rhythm. There is a melody line picking break in this number.
Learn the chords and rhythm and then learn the harmonic string taps. Then go back and work on the melody line picking break.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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The Lady In Red - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
The Lady In Red is Chris de Burgh’s best-selling single, and it was written for his wife, Diane, who used to come and watch him perform at his parents’ hotel. A&M released it on June 20, 1986, as the second single from his eighth album, Into the Light.
It spent three weeks at No. 1 on the UK singles chart in the summer of 1986, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the adult contemporary chart in the US, and topped the charts in several countries.
Into the Light reached No. 2 in the UK. De Burgh has also re-recorded the song, and it was his first UK top-40 hit.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
The Lady In Red is played in standard tuning with a down down up down up down up rhythm pattern with the chords G, G6, C, D, Cmaj7, B7, Em, Am, D7, G7, A7, Am7 and C/G. There is descending bass run in this one also but no lead guitar work.
Learn the rhythm and the chords and then work in the bass run to complete the arrangement here.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with Chris de Burgh’s songs. They are a great way to build your rhythm playing and to practice smooth chord changes, and many of them sound right at home on an acoustic guitar.
Take them one at a time, start with the chords and the basic strumming pattern, and add the picking when it feels natural. I add new lessons often, so please check back, and if there’s a Chris de Burgh song you’d like to see, send me a note through the Contact page.
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Kirby Swinemar is an acoustic guitar instructor, performer and song arranger who has taught online for 21 years and created more than 4,000 original acoustic guitar lessons. He specialises in song-based acoustic guitar instruction, rhythm guitar techniques, and creating full-sounding solo arrangements that help beginner and intermediate players move beyond basic strumming.
Explore more of Kirby's work at Kirby's Guitar Lessons, watch his performances and tutorials on his YouTube Channel or follow him on Facebook. You can also learn more about his teaching background on the About Me page.
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