"
Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song written and performed by
Bob Dylan for the
soundtrack of the
1973 film
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. It reached _12 on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In 2004, representatives of the music industry and the press voted it _190 in
Rolling Stone magazine's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time issue.
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was written for the Western film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The song describes the feelings and impressions of a dying deputy, who notices that it is getting dark around him as he is knocking on heaven's door. He realizes that he will never use his badge or his guns anymore.
The song consists of four chords in the key of G major G, D, Am7, and C. The basic pattern throughout the song is G-D-Am7-Am7 and then G-D-C-C, and this is repeated.
Over the years (and various cover versions), Dylan has changed the lyrics (as have others who have covered the song) during various version and live renditions.
