Learn to Play “Goodnight, Irene”—A Folk Standard Made Famous by Lead Belly and the Weavers

“Goodnight, Irene” is one of America’s most enduring folk songs. Huddie Ledbetter—better known as Lead Belly—said he learned it from family members in the early 1900s, though its roots stretch back to at least the 1880s. By the time he recorded it in the 1930s, he had reshaped the song into his own, revising the lyrics and molding it into the iconic version now inseparable from his name.

Lead Belly’s “Irene” balances a gentle, waltz-like melody with stark, unsettling lyrics. The chorus comes across like a lullaby—“Goodnight, Irene, I’ll see you in my dreams”—but the verses speak of heartbreak, despair, and even suicide. It’s hardly the stuff of bedtime songs, despite its soothing refrain.

After Lead Belly’s death in 1949, the Weavers recorded a version that softened the darker edges. Their rendition became a runaway hit, topping the Billboard chart for 13 weeks and bringing “Goodnight, Irene” to a worldwide audience. Since then, it’s been covered by artists across genres—from Lawrence Welk to Keith Richards—cementing its place as a true standard.

For our purposes, we’ll work with the softened, post–Lead Belly version of the lyric. Musically, this is a straightforward song, built on just a handful of chords that repeat through both verses and chorus: E, B7, E7, A, and F#m7.

The rhythm is a waltz, with an alternating bass on the downbeat followed by the rest of the chord on beats two and three. I’m starting with a simple fingerpicking style, though you can just as easily strum it with a flatpick for more drive. Think mostly downstrokes, with the occasional light upstroke on the and of beat three to add lift.

Finally, a simple ascending walk-up—B–C#–D#, shown here in notation—brings each verse and chorus (bars 16 and 32) to a satisfying close.