Good Riddance Chords (Time of Your Life): Green Day

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, released in 1997, is the song that gets played at every high school graduation. The chord progression is G-Cadd9-D-Em (the I-IV-V-vi in G major). The arpeggiated picking pattern, the slow folk-rock tempo, and the reflective lyric all give the song its emotional weight.

The Chords

• G major
• Cadd9
• D major
• Em

The verse: G-Cadd9-D-G, then G-Cadd9-D-D. The bridge: Em-D-Cadd9-G, then Em-D-Cadd9-Cadd9.

Notice the chord shapes use Cadd9 instead of plain C. This lets the middle and ring fingers stay anchored at the 2nd and 3rd frets across all four chords. Mechanically efficient.

The Picking Pattern

The original is fingerpicked. For each chord, the pattern arpeggiates the strings in sequence:

• Beat 1: thumb on the bass string
• Beat 2: index on the 3rd string
• Beat 3: middle on the 2nd string
• Beat 4: ring on the 1st string

Each chord gets one full bar of arpeggio. The pattern simplifies to four notes per bar, one per beat.

The Strummed Version

If you don't want to fingerpick, the song works as a strum: down-down-up-up-down-up at about 90 BPM. Less intimate but still recognizable.

Common Mistakes

• Tempo too fast. The song is reflective. About 90 BPM. Don't rush.
• Picking too loud. The fingerpicking should be gentle. The song's intimacy depends on quiet, careful picking.
• Treating Cadd9 as plain C. The Cadd9 voicing is what lets the middle and ring fingers stay anchored. Switching to plain C breaks the efficient finger movement.

FAQ: Good Riddance Questions

What key is "Good Riddance" in?

G major. No capo.

Is "Good Riddance" easy?

Yes. Four chords, all open shapes, with shared fingers across the changes. One of the easiest songs to learn fingerpicking with.

Do I need to fingerpick this song?

The original is fingerpicked. Strumming works but loses the song's character. Try fingerpicking; the pattern is approachable.

What's the chord progression?

I-IV-V-vi in G major: G-Cadd9-D-Em.

Why use Cadd9 instead of C?

Because the Cadd9 shape lets the middle and ring fingers stay at the 2nd and 3rd frets across all four chords. The chord changes happen in the index and pinky alone. Less hand movement, smoother changes.