Angels | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| E Esus4 | E Esus4 |
Verse 1
| E Esus4 | E | A Amaj7 | B |
I sit and wait, does an angel, contemplate my fate?
| E Esus4 | E | Aadd9 Amaj9 | B |
Do they know, the places where we go, when we’re grey and old?
| F#m7 | A | C#m C#sus2 | Aadd9 A |
‘Cause I’ve been told, that salvation, lets their wings unfold.
Bridge 1
| D5 Dsus2 | A |
So when I’m lying in my bed, thoughts running through my head.
| E | D5 A/C# | E |
And I feel that love is dead, I’m loving angels instead.
Chorus 1
| B5 | C#m | Asus2 | E |
And through it all, she offers me protection, a lot of love, and affection, whether I’m right or wrong.
| Bsus4 | C#m | Aadd9 | E |
And down the waterfall, wherever it may take me, I know that life won’t break me when I come to call.
| F#m11 | D A | E |
She won’t forsake me, I’m loving angels instead.
Verse 2
| E | E | Aadd9 Amaj9 | B5 |
When I’m feeling weak, and my pain walks down a one-way street.
| E | E | A Amaj7 | B |
I look above, and I know I’ll always be blessed with love.
Bridge 2
| D5 | A |
And as the feeling grows, she breathes flesh to my bones.
| E | D A | E |
And when love is dead, I’m loving angels instead.
Chorus 2
| B7omit3 | C#m | Aadd9 | E |
And through it all, she offers me protection, a lot of love, and affection, whether I’m right or wrong.
| Badd4 | C#m | Aadd9 | E |
And down the waterfall, wherever it may take me, I know that life won’t break me when I come to call.
| F#m11 | D/A A | E |
She won’t forsake me, I’m loving angels instead.
Solo
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E Esus4 | E |
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E Eadd9 | E |
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E | E |
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E |
| B7omit3 | C#m | Asus2 | E |
Chorus 3
| B5 | C#m | Asus2 | E |
And through it all she offers me protection, a lot of love and affection, whether I’m right or wrong.
| Badd4 | C#m | Aadd9 | E |
And down the waterfall, wherever it may take me, I know that life won’t break me when I come to call.
| F#m11 | D5 A | E | Eadd9 |
She won’t forsake me, I’m loving angels instead.
Angels Chords: Learn the progressions
Here are the chords for the first verse of Angels, shown with Roman numerals for a better understanding of their role in the key of E:
| E (I) Esus4 | E | A (IV) Amaj7 | B (V) |
| E Esus4 | E | Aadd9 Amaj9 | B |
| F#m7 (II) | A (IV) | C#m (VI) C#sus2 | Aadd9 A |
In verse 2, the chord extensions shift slightly, as shown below:
| E | E | Aadd9 Amaj9 | B5 |
| E | E | A Amaj7 | B |
As you can see, the entire progression remains diatonic, staying within the key of E.
The Bridge Chords
The bridge introduces a chord outside the key—a bVIIx, also called a backdoor dominant. This creates tension and keeps the listener engaged:
| D5 (bVIIx) Dsus2 | A (IV) |
| E (I) | D5 A/C# | E |
Angels Chorus Chords
The chorus begins with chord V, building tension before resolving back to the verse:
| B5 (V) | C#m (VI) | Asus2 (IV) | E (I) |
| Bsus4 | C#m | Aadd9 | E |
| F#m11 (II) | D (bVIIx) A (IV) | E (I) |
The Solo Chords
In the solo section, we encounter a surprising change—a B chord becomes a Bm, creating a Vm chord. This unusual shift adds emotional depth to the progression:
||: Bm11 Bm7 (Vm) | A6/9 (IV) | E (I) Esus4 | E :||
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E | E |
| Bm11 Bm7 | A6/9 | E |
| B7omit3 | C#m (VI) | Asus2 (IV) | E (I) |
Switching to a Vm chord is rare, but you can find similar examples in Now And Then by The Beatles and A Natural Woman.
Learn the Full Song
In the full lesson series, I break down every section of Angels, complete with play-along TAB loops. You’ll also learn how to incorporate the solo into a single-guitar arrangement.
Here’s a chord chart I’ve created for you to use as a reference. Dive in and start mastering Angels chords today!
Angels Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
When comparing the chords and lyrics with the chord chart, you’ll notice the chart provides a simplified version. For instance, all verses appear identical, leaving out the extensions introduced in verse 2.
The purpose of a chord chart is to be easy to follow. If you’re looking for the full details, refer to the chords and lyrics, or even better, a full transcription.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Angels Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro. You can download the file here: Angels iReal Pro. With the app, you can change the key or customise the layout, including all those nuanced variations.
In the course, we take a deep dive into Angels, exploring how to play every section using TAB and play-along loops. Below is a preview to help you get started.
Angels TAB | Course Preview
My one-guitar arrangement of Angels transforms this piano ballad into an acoustic guitar adventure. To create variation, I switch between an open-position E chord and a C-shaped E major.
Here’s the TAB for verse 1—try playing it along with the video above for a fuller experience
The piano-like feel comes from alternating between the chords and the bass note, giving the arrangement a rich, dynamic quality.
For a detailed breakdown, check out the 8-step guitar lessons here: Angels – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Did Robbie Williams Steal Angels, His Signature Song?
Contrary to popular belief, Angels wasn’t originally written by Robbie Williams and producer Guy Chambers. The song was penned in 1996 by Irishman Ray Heffernan, inspired by the loss of his stillborn baby.
During a drunken night in Dublin, Ray encountered Robbie, who shared his struggles in writing songs to launch his solo career after leaving Take That. Ray invited Robbie back to his parents’ home, where he played him a demo of Angels. Together, they worked on the song until Robbie was satisfied with it.
Reportedly, Robbie later reworked the track with Guy Chambers. Ray sold his rights to Robbie’s management, receiving a credit on the single release, though he remains absent from Wikipedia as a writer. Instead, the song is “attributed to” Chambers and Williams—a detail that raises eyebrows.
Released in 1997 as the fourth single from Robbie’s debut solo album, Life Thru A Lens, Angels was an immense success. Ray has since expressed regret over the day he met Robbie.
Despite Robbie’s eventual stardom, his early solo career was shaky. Singles before Angels failed to gain traction. However, Angels turned the tide, selling 2 million copies as a single, while Life Thru A Lens sold 2.4 million.
The album’s final single, Let Me Entertain You, also became a hit, solidifying Robbie’s place in British pop culture.
Today, Angels is one of the most iconic songs in British music since the ‘90s. Its ubiquity rivals Wonderwall, gracing karaoke bars, acoustic sets, piano lounges, and cover band repertoires.
It’s even been adopted by football fans, most notably in 2023 when Tottenham supporters reworked the lyrics to celebrate their manager Ange Postecoglou:
And through it all, we’re playing the way we want to.
Big Ange Postecoglou, whether I’m right or wrong.
You can keep your Pochettino, Conte, and Mourinho, and even Christian Gross.
‘Cause everywhere we go, I’m loving Big Ange instead.
It’s safe to say Ray Heffernan might not enjoy that version either.
Angels Chords | Related Pages
Angels | 8 Step-by-step Guitar Lessons + TAB
Robbie Williams’s Angels offers an exciting challenge in playing expansive, piano-like guitar parts. It’s simpler than it sounds, and we break it down into just four steps.
Next, we play the vocal melody, practise the Ionian mode, and fit all our CAGED chords around each scale shape.
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Robbie Williams tunes
Robbie Williams is a fifteen-time BRIT Award-winning English pop singer. He began his career as a member of the pop group Take That in 1990.
After leaving the band in 1995 to pursue a solo career, Robbie had already sold twenty-five million records with Take That.
Robbie Williams on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Angels chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.
