"A Horse With No Name" by America (Easy Chord Version)

America · possibly the easiest song to play in this collection

Key E Minor

Verse Em · D6/9

Chorus Em9 · Dmaj9

Difficulty Beginner

Capo None

“A Horse With No Name” might be the single easiest song to physically play in this entire collection — even though its chord names suggest otherwise. The whole song uses just four chord names: Em, D6/9, Em9, and Dmaj9. Those last three look like jazz vocabulary, but physically they’re some of the simplest shapes you can play on the guitar. If you know how to play a basic Em chord, you already know 90% of this song.

This is the same arrangement I teach in my 30 Day Guitar Chord Fluency course. America wrote this song as a meditation, and that’s how it plays — slow, hypnotic, two-chord patterns repeating like waves. Don’t be intimidated by the chord names; the explanations below break each shape down into the fingers you actually need to put down. Let’s dive in!

The Chords You’ll Need

For the verse

FOR THE CHORUS

Chord Chart

Intro

Em  D6/9     (x2)

Verse 1

       Em                 D6/9
On the first part of the journey
      Em                  D6/9
I was looking at all the life
           Em                    D6/9
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
           Em                  D6/9
There were sand and hills and rings
    Em                      D6/9
The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
        Em            D6/9
And the sky with no clouds
    Em                   D6/9
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
        Em                D6/9
But the air was full of sound

Chorus 1

     Em9                          Dmaj9
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
        Em9                   Dmaj9
It felt good to be out of the rain
       Em9              Dmaj9
In the desert you can remember your name
             Em9                 Dmaj9
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la

Verse 2

      Em              D6/9
After two days in the desert sun
   Em                 D6/9
My skin began to turn red
      Em                D6/9
After three days in the desert fun
      Em                  D6/9
I was looking at a river bed
        Em                 D6/9
And the story it told of a river that flowed
        Em                  D6/9
Made me sad to think it was dead

Chorus 2

             Em9                          Dmaj9
You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
        Em9                   Dmaj9
It felt good to be out of the rain
       Em9              Dmaj9
In the desert you can remember your name
             Em9                 Dmaj9
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

    Em9        Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
     Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la

Solo

Em  D6/9     (x4)

Verse 3

      Em                  D6/9
After nine days I let the horse run free
           Em                    D6/9
'Cause the desert had turned to sea
           Em                    D6/9
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
           Em                  D6/9
There were sand and hills and rings
    Em                         D6/9
The ocean is a desert with its life underground
      Em                 D6/9
And a perfect disguise above
          Em            D6/9
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
        Em                   D6/9
But the humans will give no love

Chorus 3

              Em9                          Dmaj9
You see, I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
        Em9                   Dmaj9
It felt good to be out of the rain
       Em9              Dmaj9
In the desert you can remember your name
             Em9                 Dmaj9
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

Outro

Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la

Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la
Em9         Dmaj9
La, la, la lala la la la, la, la

Song Notes

Don’t let the chord names intimidate you D6/9. Em9. Dmaj9. These look like advanced jazz chords — but on the guitar, they’re actually some of the easiest shapes you can play. Each one is essentially a basic open chord (Em or D) with one or two extra notes added by simply pressing down a finger or letting an open string ring out. Read on, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

The verse chords: Em & D6/9 Em is the basic two-finger open chord most beginners learn first (fingers 1 and 2 on the 2nd fret of the A and D strings).

D6/9 is even easier — just one finger. Place finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd string), and let everything else ring open. When you strum, start from the open D string (4th string) downward and avoid the low E and A strings to keep the chord from sounding muddy.

For the curious: The chord you’re playing contains the notes D, A, B, and E. A standard D major chord is D-F#-A (the root, third, and fifth). The “6” in D6/9 refers to the B note (the 6th of D), and the “9” refers to the open high E (the 9th of D — that’s the 2nd note of the scale, an octave up). Hence “D6/9” = “D chord with the 6th and 9th added.”

The chorus chords: Em9 & Dmaj9 Em9 is the only slightly tricky shape in this song. Start with a normal Em chord, then reach over with finger 2 to the 2nd fret of the high E string (1st string). Keep finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the A string. The stretch can feel a little awkward at first, but with a minute or two of practice your hand learns the shape and it becomes easy.

Dmaj9 is built right on top of D6/9. Keep finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the G string, then add finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the B string (2nd string) just below it. As with D6/9, strum starting from the open D string downward — skip the low E and A strings.

For the curious: The “9” in Em9 means we’ve added an F# (the 9th of E) to the basic Em chord. Dmaj9 is more theoretically complex (it’s a Dmaj7 chord with the 9th added), but the shape gives you the notes D, A, C#, and the open high E ringing — close enough to the full theoretical chord to do the job beautifully.

Practice Tips

The whole verse is just two chord pairs: Em → D6/9 in the verse, and Em9 → Dmaj9 in the chorus. Master each pair separately before stitching them together.
The Em → D6/9 change is one finger’s worth of work. From Em (two fingers down on the A and D strings), simply lift those fingers and place finger 1 on the 2nd fret of the G string. Practice the back-and-forth slowly until it feels effortless — it’s the workhorse change of the entire song.
The Em9 stretch is the song’s only real physical challenge. From a regular Em, just reach with finger 2 (or your pinky) to the 2nd fret of the high E string. The first time will feel awkward; the tenth time will feel normal. Trust the process.
The strumming is gentle and hypnotic — America wrote this as a meditation, and it works best when each chord is given room to breathe before changing. Try a soft, steady down-down-up rhythm, and focus on consistency more than complexity.