Chords + Lyrics | Born Under A Bad Sign
Intro
| (Gb Ab B Db E) |
| Db7 (Gb Ab B E) | Db7 (Gb Ab B Db E) |
Chorus 1
| Db7 | Db7 | Db7 | Db7 (F Gb G) |
Born under a bad sign, I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
| Ab7 (F) | Gb7 (E) | Db7 | Db7 |
If it wasn’t for bad luck, you know I wouldn’t have no luck at all.
Verse 1
| Db7 | Db7 | Db7 | Db7 |
Hard luck and trouble, is my only friend, I’ve been on my own, ever since I was ten.
Chorus 2
Born under a bad sign, I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck, you know I wouldn’t have no luck at all.
Verse 2
I can’t read, haven’t learned how to write, my whole life has been one big fight.
Chorus 3
Born under a bad sign, I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I say I wouldn’t have no luck at all. I ain’t no lyin’.
Solo (as verse)
| Db7 | Db7 | Db7 | Db7 |
Aw!
Turnaround
| Ab7 (A7 Ab7 G7) | Gb7 (F7 Gb7 G7) |
You know if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no kinda luck.
| Ab7 (A7 G7 Gb7) | Gb7 N.C (Gb Ab E Gb) | Db7 | Db7 |
If it wasn’t for real bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.
Verse 3
You know wine and women, is all I crave, a big-legged woman is gonna carry me, to my grave.
Chorus 4
Born under a bad sign, I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I tell I wouldn’t have no luck at all.
Outro
||: Db7 | Db7 :||
Yeah, I’m a bad luck boy, been havin’ bad luck all of my days, yes.
Born Under A Bad Sign Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!). I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 444Hz. In the backing track, I’ve done this job for you by detuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The intro is built around a bass-line riff that’s initially doubled by the horns. I’ve placed the riff notes in brackets to show how the line moves:
| (Gb Ab B Db E) |
| Db7 (Gb Ab B E) | Db7 (Gb Ab B Db E) |
Chorus
This intro riff continues through the chorus. However, unlike a traditional blues, Born Under A Bad Sign avoids the familiar I – IV movement. Instead, it stays rooted on chord I before jumping straight to chord V for the turnaround. On top of that, this is an 8-bar blues, not a 12-bar.
Here’s the complete chorus progression, with leading bass notes shown in brackets:
| Db7 | Db7 | Db7 | Db7 (F Gb G) |
| Ab7 (F) | Gb7 (E) | Db7 | Db7 |
Being an 8-bar blues is a big part of what makes Born Under A Bad Sign stand out. It’s a perfect example of how a subtle twist on a familiar form can create something instantly recognisable.
Verse + Solo + Outro
The verse, solo, and outro all sit on Db7, but the riff changes between sections. The verse uses a different line from the intro and chorus, and the outro puts yet another spin on the idea.
To really understand how these variations work, you need to see the TAB — find it further down this guitar lesson.
Turnaround
The turnaround repeats the final part of the chorus, with added chromatic movement and a stop for extra impact:
| Ab7 (A7 Ab7 G7) | Gb7 (F7 Gb7 G7) |
| Ab7 (A7 G7 Gb7) | Gb7 N.C (Gb Ab E Gb) | Db7 | Db7 |
With a deceptively simple tune like this, the challenge is getting every variation exactly right — and that’s where TAB becomes essential.
Soloing
To achieve Albert King’s signature, huge bends, it helps to remember that he played a left-handed guitar strung upside down, bending towards the floor giving him more power.
He also tuned down, making those massive bends even more manageable. You can experiment with this using a tuner — although flipping your guitar upside down might be taking it a step too far!
However you approach it, make sure you have a clear chord chart for this unconventional structure, and share it with your bandmates so everyone hits the changes together.
Born Under A Bad Sign Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart for Born Under A Bad Sign in two formats:
Using the iReal Pro app, you can easily change the key — and while that might be tempting (especially if you’re keen to escape the key of Db!), it does raise an important question…
How are you going to get that low E in the riff?
Sometimes the awkward key is part of the magic.
Born Under A Bad Sign | TAB
Before we get to soloing, we first work out the rhythm guitar part. This is largely a doubled-up bass line riff. The tune opens with a horn line, which I’ve adapted for guitar, before moving into the main riff, like this:
Chorus
We then move straight into the chorus, maintaining the established riff. Every chorus is played exactly the same way, so make sure you memorise it and resist the temptation to vary it. Remember, you’re effectively doubling the bass part here.
Verse
The verse is just four bars long and slightly modifies the main riff. This same part is also used during the solo section.
Turnaround
After the solo — which follows the verse pattern — we go straight into the chorus turnaround and loop it before stopping. A few chromatic chords are added here, and they sound fantastic.
Outro
The outro puts a fresh spin on the main riff and continues until the fade.
Solo
I’ve picked four moments of Albert King greatness, starting with the opening lick.
This is a Db minor pentatonic, with a briefly added 9th on the first beat of bar 2. Pay attention to the bending, vibrato, and spacing.
Lick 2
Perhaps the greatest strength of a blues improviser is to milk ideas by slightly changing them. Here’s lick 2, played towards the end of the first verse—he’s almost playing the opening lick, but not quite.
Lick 3
Lick 3, which appears at the beginning of the second verse, is a master class in restraint. The slow bend and abrupt end of the opening phrase is classic Albert.
Lick 4 (solo)
The final lick is the solo—a genius move to make it only four bars, showcasing what he can do while keeping it brief so it’s not a jam and can get on the radio.
When you can play all these riffs and licks, put it all together as you play along with the backing tracks and the chord chart at the top of this lesson.
Albert King’s signature song
Albert King’s biggest hit, Born Under a Bad Sign, stands as one of the most influential blues recordings of all time. Written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell, the song was recorded in 1967 with Booker T. & the M.G.’s — the legendary house band of the Stax label — and featured the unmistakable Memphis Horns. The result was a groove-heavy, modern blues sound that felt completely different from earlier Chicago blues recordings.
Despite its enduring reputation, Born Under a Bad Sign did not enjoy major chart success upon release. However, its long-term impact has been enormous. The song quickly became a blueprint for electric blues, particularly for guitarists, thanks to its distinctive bass-line riff, uncluttered harmony, and Albert King’s sparse yet devastating lead playing. His use of wide bends, vocal phrasing, and dramatic space reshaped how electric blues guitar was approached.
The song’s influence was immediate. Cream recorded their version in 1968, introducing Born Under a Bad Sign to a new, rock-oriented audience and helping to cement its place in the British blues-rock canon. Jimi Hendrix frequently referenced Albert King as a major influence, and while he never recorded a studio version, the song’s phrasing and attitude can be heard throughout his playing. Later interpretations by Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Gary Moore further reinforced its status as a rite of passage for blues guitarists.
Albert King himself returned to the song time and time again, performing it on countless live recordings, collaborations, and greatest hits compilations. Each performance revealed subtle variations, underlining how deeply the tune was woven into his musical identity.
Today, Born Under a Bad Sign remains a defining statement of modern blues — a song that didn’t top the charts but permanently changed the sound of electric guitar.
Born Under A Bad Sign Chords: Continue Learning
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