The Rolling Stones – Live By The Sword Chords on Piano & Ukulele

The Rolling Stones – Live By The Sword Chords on Piano & Ukulele

ChordsAEBDC#m

Key
View
[Intro]
One, two-, one, two, three
A E A E

[Verse 1]
       E
If you live by the sword,
gonna die by the sword
       A
If you live by the gun,
you gonna die by the gun
       E
If you live for the knife,
 well, you’re gonna
 get stabbed
A
Run into the law, well,
you’re gonna get nabbed
       E
If you live for revenge,
 gonna feel the backlash
       A
If you live to be cruel,
gonna bite you in the ass

[Chorus]
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you right
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you good

[Verse 2]
       E
If you wanna get rich,
better sit on the board
       A
If you wanna be poor,
 better pay the landlord
          E
If you’re deep in the crime,
well, you’re deep in the slime
          A
If you’re living a lie,
look me straight in the eye
          E
If you’re locked in the jail,
well, you better get free
          A
If you’re looking for love,
 don’t go running to me

[Chorus]
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you right
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you good


[Bridge]
         D
It’s too late to say you’re
 C#m
 sorry, sorry, sorry
    B               D
And soon it will be gone,
                   E    A
 gone, gone, gone, gone

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Instrument]
E A
E A
E A

[Verse 3]
       E
If you live like a whore,
better be hardcore
       A
If you live by the clock,
 well, you’re in for a shock
          E
If you’re living for food,
 better lick up your plate
       A
If you wanna be in fashion,
well, you’ll be out of date

[Chorus]
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you right
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you good
B         A         E
I’m gonna treat you right
B         A         E    A
I’m gonna treat you good


[Verse 4]
           E
Oh, if you live by the sword,
 A
oh yeah
E
Get shot up, you better
call 911
             A
And then you better hang out
until the ambulance comes
       E
If you live by the sword
      A
Gonna die by the sword,
oh yeah

[Outro]
E       A
 If you die by the sword
       E
If you live by the gun
       A
If you live by the gun
       E
If you live by the gun,
gonna die by the gun
A
 Oh yeah
E                  A
 Oh yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
                  E
Oh yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah

How to play Live By The Sword: key, chords and progression

These are Live By The Sword chords by The Rolling Stones on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

Live By The Sword by The Rolling Stones is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯). The song uses 5 chords: A, E, B, D and C#m.

The backbone of the song is B – A – E – B (V – IV – I – V in E major). In solfa, that is soh – fah – doh – soh. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes G, D, A, C, Bm (80% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 60% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

A chord on guitar (x02220)
AA C♯ E
E chord on guitar (022100)
EE G♯ B
B chord on guitar (x24442)
BB D♯ F♯
D chord on guitar (xx0232)
DD F♯ A
C#m chord on guitar (x46654)
C♯mC♯ E G♯

Live By The Sword chords: questions

What key is Live By The Sword in?

Live By The Sword by The Rolling Stones is centred on E major (four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯).

What chords are in Live By The Sword?

Live By The Sword uses 5 chords: A, E, B, D, C#m.

What is the chord progression of Live By The Sword?

The main progression is B – A – E – B (V – IV – I – V).

Is Live By The Sword easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 2nd fret and play the shapes G, D, A, C, Bm (80% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 60% without a capo).

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