Bad Moon Rising | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| D | A G | D6 riff | D6 riff |
Verse 1
||: D | A G | D6 riff | D6 riff :||
I see the bad moon a-risin’, I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin’, I see bad times today.
Chorus 1
| G | G G6 | D D/A | D D6 |
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
| A | G | D6 riff | D6 riff |
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Verse 2
I hear hurricanes a-blowin’, I know the end is comin’ soon.
I fear, rivers overflowin’, I hear the voice of rage and ruin.
Chorus 2
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise, alright.
Solo
||: D | A G | D6 riff | D6 riff :||
| G | G | D6 riff | D6 riff |
| A6 | G6 | D6 riff | D6 riff |
Verse 3
Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we’re in for nasty weather, one eye is taken for an eye.
Chorus 3
Well don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Chorus 4
Don’t come around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Bad Moon Rising | Chords + Lyrics (tune down 1 tone)
Intro
| E/G# | B A | E E6 | E (E6) |
Verse 1
||: E | B A | E E6 | E (E6) :||
I see the bad moon a-risin’, I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin’, I see bad times today.
Chorus 1
| A | A (A6) | E | E6 E |
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
| B | A | E E6 | E (E6) |
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Verse 2
I hear hurricanes a-blowin’, I know the end is comin’ soon.
I fear, rivers overflowin’, I hear the voice of rage and ruin.
Chorus 2
Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life
There’s a bad moon on the rise, alright.
Solo
||: E/G# | B A | E E6 | E (E6) :||
| A | A (A6) | E | E6 E |
| B B6 | A A6 | E E6 | E (E6) |
Verse 3
Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we’re in for nasty weather, one eye is taken for an eye.
Chorus 3
Well don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Chorus 4
Don’t come around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life.
There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Bad Moon Rising Chords: Learn the progressions
Like the turnaround of a blues, Bad Moon Rising‘s chords move like this:
D (I) – A (V) – G (IV) – D (I).
Over the D chord, we hear a nice variation on the classic honky tonk 6 extensions. Above, I’ve called this D6 riff.
This D6 riff can only be described accurately using TAB as if I write all the chords, it’s just a lot of chords (check my lesson, Bad Moon Rising Guitar Lesson with TAB)
The chorus starts on chord IV as it moves:
| G (IV) | G G6 | D (I) D/A | D D6 |
| A (V) | G (IV) | D6 riff | D6 riff |
Overall, Bad Moon Rising’s chord progressions are extremely common, it’s all I – V, IV – I, and V – IV. Looking at my top 10 chord progression list, these are the most popular movements around.
It’s these chords and that clever, happy-sounding honky-tonk riff in combination with the dark lyrics that make it all work.
Above you also see all of Bad Moon Rising’s chords in the key of E, saying you should tune down a tone (or use the Digitech drop pedal).
This way works on the electric in a band but we’re not looking at a beginner song anymore.
As mentioned, there is TAB available for how to play Bad Moon Rising’s chords on just one acoustic guitar (key of D), and also for playing it in the key of E, as if tuned down.
Once you’ve practised the TAB, this simple chord chart will be all you need to remember how to play Bad Moon Rising’s chords.
Bad Moon Rising Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
In the case of Bad Moon Rising’s chord chart, I decided to write the two sections, and then detail the form below using text as guidance.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Bad Moon Rising Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Bad Moon Rising iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
This is a great idea if you want to play Bad Moon Rising in the key of E, but tune your guitar down a tone.
There is the addition of adding an E/G# in the bass for some of the chords when you do this. Using the chords and lyrics above and the app, you can easily achieve this.
Bad Moon Rising uses contrast!
As a keen student of the hit song, you may have realized that most great songs have contrast.
Bad Moon Rising, by Creedence Clearwater Revival, is a great example of this. It’s all hurricanes and bad times, but the chords, riff, and melody are super happy.
John Fogerty admitted in an interview that he didn’t realize this at first, he was so focused on the doom and gloom. It wasn’t until the band started learning the song that he realized how happy it sounded.
Fogerty decided to roll with it and got one of his biggest hits as a consequence.
Another reason for its continued success is the joke where sometimes the final line “there’s a bad moon on the rise” has been sung by punters and bar bands as “there’s a bathroom on the right”.
Fogerty must have decided to roll with this too as on occasion he’s changed the lyric when performing it live.
Bad Moon Rising reached #1 in the U.K. and #2 in the U.S. in 1969. On Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, it claimed the 364th spot.
Bad Moon Rising Chords | Related Pages
Bad Moon Rising | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this guitar lesson, you get TAB and a chord progression analysis, enabling you to play Bad Moon Rising on your own, or in a band.
| D | A G | D6 riff | D | A G | D6 riff |
I see the bad moon a-risin’, I see trouble on the way…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Have You Ever Seen The Rain? chords by CCR
- I’m A Believer chords by The Monkees
- Me and Bobby McGee chords by Janis Joplin
- Sunny Afternoon chords by The Kinks
- Town Called Malice chords by The Jam
Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes
One of the best ways to create contrast in songs is to use opposite messages in the music and lyrics.
John Fogerty, the lead singer, and songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival is a master of this technique, perhaps the perfect example is Bad Moon Rising.
Creedence Clearwater Revival on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Bad Moon Rising 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 practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
