Chords + Lyrics | Love Story
Intro
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | Dsus2/A | Dsus2/A |
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
Verse 1
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
We were both young when I first saw you.
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B |
I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I’m standin’ there.
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
On a balcony in summer air.
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B |
See you make your way through the crowd and say: “Hello”.
| Asus4 | A |
Little did I know.
Bridge 1
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/A |
That you were Romeo, you were throwin’ pebbles.
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2 |
And my daddy said: “Stay away from Juliet”.
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/A |
And I was cryin’ on the staircase.
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2/G A |
Beggin’ you, “Please don’t go”, and I said:
Chorus 1
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone.
| A | A |
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run.
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 |
You’ll be the prince, and I’ll be the princess.
| Dsus2/G | Asus4 A |
It’s a love story, baby just say: “Yes”.
Instrumental 1
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Verse 2
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B |
We keep quiet ’cause we’re dead if they knew, so close your eyes.
| Asus4 | A |
Escape this town for a little while, oh, oh.
Bridge 2
‘Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter.
And my daddy said: “Stay away from Juliet”.
But you were everything to me.
I was beggin’ you, “Please don’t go”, and I said:
Chorus 2 (double)
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone.
| A | A |
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run.
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 |
You’ll be the prince, and I’ll be the princess.
| Dsus2/G | A |
It’s a love story, baby just say: “Yes”.
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Romeo save me, they’re tryna’ tell me how to feel.
| A | A |
This love is difficult, but it’s real.
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 |
Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess.
| Dsus2/G | A |
It’s a love story, baby just say “Yes”.
Solo
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | A | A |
Oh, oh-oh.
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 | Dsus2/G | A |
Middle 8
| Bmadd4 | Gmaj13 |
I got tired of waiting.
| Dsus2 | Asus4 |
Wonderin’ if you were ever comin’ around.
| Bmadd4 | Gmaj13 |
My faith in you was fading.
| Dsus2 | A5 |
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said:
Chorus 3
| D | D |
Romeo save me, I’ve been feeling so alone.
| A | A |
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
| Bm | Bm |
Is this in my head? I don’t know what to think.
G | A N.C |
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said:
Chorus 4
| E | E |
Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone.
| B | B |
I love you and that’s all I really know.
| C#m | C#m |
I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress.
| A | B |
It’s a love story, baby just say “Yes”.
Outro
| E | E |
Oh, oh-oh
| B | B | C#m | C#m |
Oh, oh-oh, oh.
| A | A |
‘Cause we were both young when I first saw you.
Love Story Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find two backing tracks for playing Love Story. I’ve used AI to extract the chords while keeping the drums and bass intact, with vocals included on the first track in the playlist.
As the tune begins with guitar only—and that part has been removed so you can play it—there’s a long intro and first half of verse 1 where you’ll be playing to a click. Follow the chord chart after a one-bar count-in.
After studying the chords and TAB, use these backing tracks to prepare for playing Love Story with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Love Story is a masterclass in pop songwriting, so let’s examine each section and uncover the formula.
A key ingredient is taking something familiar and giving it a twist. Here, Taylor Swift draws inspiration from Mr. Brightside by The Killers, reshaping the riff from an add9 into a sus2 and transposing it into the more guitar-friendly key of D.
The order of notes in the moving bass line beneath the static sus2 shifts in each section.
Intro
The intro establishes the modified riff like this:
Dsus2 – /A – /B – /G.
This outlines a I – V – VI – IV progression, one of the most common in modern pop.
Each chord lasts two bars. Written out fully, it looks like this:
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | Dsus2/A | Dsus2/A |
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
Verse
In the verse, the bass line changes to:
Dsus2 – /G – /B – /G.
After repeating, it resolves to A. The full progression for verse 1 is:
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | Dsus2/G | Dsus2/G |
| Dsus2/B | Dsus2/B | Asus4 | A |
To maintain momentum, verse 2 is shortened to just the second half of verse 1.
To see how to play these chords effectively in a band setting, check out the TAB lesson here: Love Story – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Bridge
The bridge reshuffles the order, starting on the IV before moving V – VI – I, while keeping Dsus2 as the anchor.
The final bar after the repeat moves IV – V:
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/A | Dsus2/B | Dsus2 |
| Dsus2/G | Dsus2/A | Dsus2/B | Dsus2/G A |
Chorus + Solo
The first chorus builds on familiar material, now outlining I – V – VI – IV – V:
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | A | A |
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 | Dsus2/G | Asus4 A |
This is followed by an instrumental section, identical to the first two bars of the intro.
The second double chorus—and the solo—are almost the same, but the Asus4 is replaced with a straight A for a smoother loop:
| Dsus2 | Dsus2 | A | A |
| Bmadd4 | Bmadd4 | Dsus2/G | A |
Chorus 3 simplifies things further, using triads and ending with a stop:
| D | D | A | A |
| Bm | Bm | G | A N.C |
For maximum impact, the final section lifts everything up a tone:
| E | E | B | B |
| C#m | C#m | A | B |
The song then resolves by landing on chord IV, creating a sense of forward motion and optimism that mirrors the lyrics:
| E | E | B | B |
| C#m | C#m | A | A |
Middle 8 (Breakdown)
After the solo, a middle8/breakdown leads into chorus 3. The same harmonic language is used, but with a new order and added extensions: VI – IV – I – V.
To maximise the sound on a single guitar, I’ve used Bmadd4 (played as a Bm in an Am shape with an open top E string), followed by a Gmaj13 created by shifting the bass note to G.
The progression is:
| Bmadd4 | Gmaj13 | Dsus2 | Asus4 |
| Bmadd4 | Gmaj13 | Dsus2 | A5 |
Final thoughts
While the chords in Love Story may sound sophisticated, they’re largely built from open-position chord shapes. It’s the subtle variations and rich, layered production that create the overall effect.
As the only guitarist in a band, the real challenge is translating that production into a single, effective part. I spent several days working this out and have TABBED the entire song from start to finish. Once you’ve practised and absorbed it, this chord chart is all you’ll need for the gig.
Love Story Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart as a static PDF, or—if you’d like to customise it—grab the iReal Pro version instead.
Love Story TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we study the TAB from the first note to the last, as I’ve created a complete guide to playing Love Story for the sole guitarist in a band—including the solo.
Using the backing tracks, you can prepare for this experience as many times as you like.
As a preview, here’s the intro.
A Masterclass in Hit Writing and Arrangement
While transcribing Love Story, I spotted all the classic tricks used in writing and arranging a hit. Here’s a bullet-point breakdown:
- Take something everyone recognises (the riff from Mr. Brightside by The Killers) and use it as a reference
- Change it—ideally simplify the idea and shift the genre
- Make small variations to keep the listener’s attention
- Start with the musical theme; avoid vocals so a radio DJ can talk over the intro
- Use the first verse to set up the story, often with subtle undertones
- Let the bridge build naturally
- Bring in the chorus at around the one-minute mark
- Return to a verse but shorten it to increase intensity
- Repeat the bridge unchanged to create familiarity
- Loop the chorus
- Peak with a solo over the same chord progression
- Strip it back with a breakdown or middle 8
- Rebuild with a chorus using different production and simpler chords
- Add a key change for the final chorus
- Repeat the chorus as an outro
- End abruptly
Apply these touchpoints to your next song, and you might just have a hit.
Love Story Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Love Story (Taylor Swift) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
