Apr132019

The Lumineers – Nightshade Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression and Tab

ChordsEm C A

KeyKeyCapo

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This is Nightshade chords by The Lumineers on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.

[Intro]
Em C A

[Verse]
Em
Some of us love to think of life as a game
C
I wasn’t born into royalty and can never behave
A
Some final freedom like a man in a cage, oh no
Em
Some priest insisted it’s a test of the faith
C
And only holy devotion can keep the devils away
A Em
There’s only so much that a man can pray, oh no

[Chorus]
C
Oh my love
A Em
Oh my love
C
Spare my blood
A Em
Spare my blood

[Verse]
Em
I saw the footprints in the white of the snow
C
I counted thousands of hours just to ride all along
A
18 degrees and 80 miles from home, oh no

[Verse]
Em
We built a wall to keep the devils at bay
C
A distant army was marching through the night and the day
A
I swore an oath and with my life I would pay, oh no

[Chorus]
C
Oh my love
A Em
Oh my love
C
Spare my blood

[Bridge]
C A
Nightshade won’t you take me away
Em A
And I could hold my breath for another day
C A Em
But it was all, it was all, for the throne

[Verse]
Em
We were surrounding and the ending was near
C
All of the sudden a ranger arrived, a savior appeared
A
Made it to safety but the devil was here, oh no
Oh my love

[Bridge]
C A
Nightshade won’t you take me away
Em A
And I could hold my breath for another day
C A Em
But it was all, it was all, for the throne

How to play Nightshade: key, chords and progression

Nightshade by The Lumineers is centred on D major (two sharps: F♯, C♯). The song uses 3 chords: Em, C and A.

The backbone of the song is C – A – Em – C (♭VII – V – ii – ♭VII in D major). Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Beginner-friendly: on guitar every chord is an open shape, which makes this a good song to learn early on.