Last updated on August 15th, 2023

O Come O Come Emmanuel is a song translated by John M. Neale to the tune Veni Emmanuel. In this post, we cover the guitar chords you can use for this song, sheet music for the melody including tabs and also a finger style guitar arrangement. Grab your guitar and let’s get started!

How to read the guitar chord charts

To clarify how to read the chord charts in the next section, the top horizontal line represents the high E string and the bottom horizontal line represents the low E string. The vertical lines separate each fret. The numbers in the blue dots tell you which fingers to use on the fretting hand.

For example, on the A minor chord, you use the:

1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret
2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret

3rd finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret
Circles represent open strings
X means to avoid the string

You can check this link for more on how to read guitar notation symbols.

O Come O Come Emmanuel chords

The guitar chords you can use for this song are A minor, D minor, E minor, G Major, C Major, and F Major. You can click on the chords with links to learn different ways of playing that chord.

Try the following chords one at a time until you feel comfortable switching between them. These chords will be written above the melody in the next section.

Here are some other resources on chords:

How to play barre chords and 5 tips to get better at playing them!

O Come O Come Emmanuel guitar tabs

The sheet music below includes the guitar tabs and chords which are meant to be played as separate parts. We’ll look at how to connect these parts later in the arrangement section of this post.

You can refer to this simple guide to understanding music symbols if needed.

O Come O Come Emmanuel guitar tabs and chords

O Come O Come Emmanuel lyrics

Verse 1:
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Chorus:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

Verse 2:
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

Verse 3:
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

Verse 4:
O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave. Refrain

Verse 5:
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain

Verse 6:
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

Verse 7:
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain

Reference: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. hymnary.org

O Come O Come Emmanuel – fingerstyle arrangement

In this section, we are essentially connecting the melody and chords together using a finger picking method of playing. If needed, check out this post to learn how to finger pick on guitar.

The numbers next to some notes on the top staff indicate which fingers to use on the fretting hand.