“All For You” is Sister Hazel’s 1997 breakthrough hit and one of the most beloved love songs of late-90s alternative rock. The chord vocabulary is wonderfully beginner-friendly: Am, D, Em, C, and G are all basic open chords, and the same five chords carry the entire song from start to finish.
The original recording sits in B♭ minor, so a capo on the first fret will let you play along with the record. The capo is completely optional, though — the song sounds great in A minor without one. I’ve also written the chorus C chords as Cadd9 for a brighter sound; more on that in the notes below.
The Chords You’ll Need
Chord Chart
Intro G G e|-3-----3-------3-------3-------3--------3-------| B|-3-------3-------3-------3-------3------3-------| G|-0---------0-------0-------0-------0----0-------| D|-0-----------0-------0-------0-------0--0-------| A|-2--------------------------------------2-------| E|-3--------------------------------------3-------| Verse 1 Am D Finally I've figured out Am D But it took a long, long time Am D But now there's a turnabout Am D Maybe cuz I'm trying Pre-Chorus 1 Em Am Em There's been times, I'm so confused Am Em All my roads, they lead to you C G D I just can't turn and walk away Chorus 1 G Cadd9 It's hard to say Am D G What it is I see in you Cadd9 Am D G Wonder if I'll always be with you Cadd9 Am D G Words can't say and I can't do Cadd9 Am Enough to prove D G Cadd9 G It's all for you Verse 2 Am D I thought I'd seen it all Am D Cuz it's been a long, long time Am D But then we'll trip and fall Am D Wondering if I'm blind Pre-Chorus 2 Em Am Em There's been times, I'm so confused Am Em All my roads, they lead to you C G D I just can't turn and walk away Chorus 2 G Cadd9 It's hard to say Am D G What it is I see in you Cadd9 Am D G Wonder if I'll always be with you Cadd9 Am D G Words can't say and I can't do Cadd9 Am Enough to prove D G Cadd9 G It's all for you Bridge C Em Rain comes pouring down C Em Falling from blue skies C Em Words without a sound C D Coming from your eyes Solo (G C Am D) x8 Then repeat: Verse 1 · Pre-Chorus · Chorus Final Chorus G Cadd9 Am D It's hard to say G Cadd9 Am D It's hard to say G Cadd9 G It's all for you
About Cadd9 in the choruses (optional)
The C chords in the choruses are written as Cadd9 — that’s a C chord with a D
note added on the B string at fret 3. It creates a brighter, ringing sound that
pairs beautifully with the G chord that surrounds it. If Cadd9 isn’t comfortable
yet, regular C major still works great and won’t change the song’s feel much. See
the Good
Riddance page for more on the G-to-Cadd9 transition trick.
About the optional capo
The original Sister Hazel recording is in B♭ minor — half a step above A minor.
Putting a capo on the first fret raises every chord by a half step, so the same
Am, D, Em, C, and G shapes will sound in the recording’s key. Skip the capo if
you’d rather play in A minor; the song works perfectly either way.
Practice Tips
- The verses are just Am alternating with D — a great two-chord drill on its own. Lock that change in first and the verses fall into place.
- The chorus mixes G, Cadd9 (or C), Am, and D. Watch your spacing: in places the chord changes happen quickly, sometimes two per measure.
- The pre-chorus is the most harmonically interesting section (Em → Am → C → D). Each chord lands on a strong syllable — let those changes drive the build into the chorus.
- After the solo, the song repeats Verse 1, Pre-Chorus, and Chorus before the final outro chorus. The chord chart shortens this to save space; just scroll back up and play through those sections again.