Oct142022

Rival Sons – Nobody Wants To Die Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

ChordsEm D G A B CA/C#

KeyKeyCapo

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[Intro]
Em D Em

[Verse]
Em
The priest took off his collar
        Em
Started wearing it like
a headband he said
G            A
X’s and O’s, fingers and toes
        Em
Now you want to kiss a dead man?
       Em                       D A
Do you want to kiss a dead man?
Em
Sun coming over the mountain,
Em
Nobody’s telling the truth.
      G
That fire you started down
    A
 in Chaparral,
       Em
Burned everybody that you knew.
   Em
It burned everybody
               D A
that you knew.

[Chorus]
Em
Nobody wants to die,
         B
But they know they’re
 gonna have to.
D
X’s and O’s, ribbons and bows,
      A                      D A
Ain’t nothin gonna save you.
Em
Nobody wants to die.
         B
But they know they’re gonna have to.
D
Silver and gold, people you know,
      A
Ain’t no one gonna save you.
        C
But whatever you do.
    B
Whatever you do.
                  Em
It’s coming after you.

[Verse 2]
Em

It burned north through the county,
Like a fire’s been known to do.
          G
It’s been on your trail,
         a
Now it’s on your tail.
            em
And it’s surrounding you.
        Em            D A
It’s surrounding you.

[Chorus 2]
Em
Nobody wants to die,
         B
But they know they’re gonna have to.
D
X’s and O’s, ribbons and bows,
      A                      D A
Ain’t nothin gonna save you.
Em
Nobody wants to die.
         B
But they know they’re gonna have to.
D
Silver and gold, people you know,
      A
Ain’t no one gonna save you.
        C
But whatever you do.
    B
Whatever you do.
                  Em
It’s coming after you.
Em C B A/C#
Em

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[Chorus 3]
Em
Nobody wants to die,
         B
But they know they’re
 gonna have to.
D
X’s and O’s, ribbons and bows,
      A                      D A
Ain’t nothin gonna save you.
Em
Nobody wants to die.
         B
But they know they’re gonna have to.
D
Silver and gold, people you know,
      A
Ain’t no one gonna save you.
        C
But whatever you do.
    B
Whatever you do.
                  Em
It’s coming after you.

How to play Nobody Wants To Die: key, chords and progression

These are Nobody Wants To Die chords by Rival Sons on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

Nobody Wants To Die by Rival Sons sits in E minor (one sharp: F♯), and you need 7 chords to play it: Em, D, G, A, B, C and A/C#.

The backbone of the song is Em – B – D – A (i – V – VII – IV in E minor). Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Beginner-friendly: almost every chord here is an open shape on guitar: no capo, no barre chords needed.