Other arrangements of Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)
Pick a learning view.
(D)I was the son of a grass land farm er, west ern O kla ho ma, nine teen for ty three.
I al ways felt grate ful to the live in the land of the (D)free.
I (D)gave up my fa ther to South Ko re a, the mind of my broth er to Vi et nam.
And For Now there’s a bank er as who says I must give up my (D)land.
There are four gen er a tions of blood in this top soil, four gen er a tions of love on this (G)farm.
I Be fore I give up, I would glad ly give up my right arm.
(A)What are we mak ing weap ons for?
(Bm)Why keep on feed ing the war ma chine?
We (A)take it right out of the mouths of our ba bies, (A)take it a way from the hands of the poor.
Tell me, (G)what are we (D)mak ing (A)weap ons (D)for?
(D)I had a son and my son was sol dier.
so like my fa ho ther, he was so much like
To be a good com rade was the best that he dreamed he could (D)be.
He (D)gave up his fu ture to rev o lu tion, his life to a bat tle that just can’t be
And I this is not liv ing, as to live at the point of a (D)gun.
I re mem ber the nine hun dred days ing each of in sound of the dy ing, the cut of the (G)cold.
If re mem ber the mo ments I prayed I would nev er grow old.
(A)What are we mak ing weap ons for?
(Bm)Why keep on feed ing the war ma chine?
We (A)take it right out of the mouths of our ba bies, (A)take it a way from the hands of the poor.
Tell me, (G)what are we (D)mak ing (A)weap ons (D)for?
For the (G)what are we (D)mak ing (A)weap ons (D)for?
Have (A)we (D)for (G)got
(D)ten
all the lives (A)that (D)were (G)giv
(D)en,
all the vows (A)that (D)were (G)tak
(D)en,
say ing “nev er a gain”?
(G)Now for the (Em)first
(D)time,
this could (A)be (D)the (G)last
(D)time.
If peace (A)is (D)our (G)vi sion,
let us be (D)gin.
Have (A)we (D)for (G)got
(D)ten
all the lives (A)that (D)were (G)giv
(D)en,
all the vows (A)that (D)were (G)tak
(D)en,
say ing “nev er a gain”?
(G)Now for the (Em)first
(D)time,
this could (A)be (D)the (G)last
(D)time.
If peace (A)is (D)our (G)vi sion,
let us be (D)gin.
Have (A)we (D)for (A)Let us be (D)gin.
Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?) — Classic Piano Sheet Music
2 people have learned this song
Read "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)" by John Denver in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of D. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 100 BPM.
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
Try other practice modes:
About “Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)”
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature D. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)" by John Denver played in?
- Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?) is arranged in the key of D on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)"?
- The arrangement plays at 100 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)" easy to play on piano?
- Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)"?
- "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)" was originally performed by John Denver. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What other songs by John Denver can I play here?
- Try "Rocky Mountain High", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", "Follow Me". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature D, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 100 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.