Don’t Stop Believin’ | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 (D# E) |
Verse 1
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
Just a small-town girl, livin’ in a lonely world.
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 (D# E) |
She took the midnight train going anywhere.
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit.
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 |
He took the midnight train going anywhere.
Instrumental 1
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 (D# E) |
Verse 2 (as 2nd half of verse 1)
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
A singer in a smokey room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume.
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 |
For a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and on.
Chorus 1
||: B/A A | B/A A | Eadd9 E | Eadd9 E :||
Strangers waitin’, up and down the boulevard.
Their shadows, searchin’ in the night.
Streetlights, people, livin’ just to find emotion.
| B/A A | B/A A | B5 E5 | B5 E5 A5 |
Hidin’, somewhere in the night.
Instrumental 2
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
Workin’ hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill.
Payin’ anything to roll the dice, just one more time.
Some’ll win, some will lose, some are born to sing the blues.
Whoa, the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and on.
Chorus 2
Strangers waitin’, up and down the boulevard.
Their shadows, searchin’ in the night.
Streetlights, people, livin’ just to find emotion.
Hidin’, somewhere in the night.
Instrumental 3
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 |
Outro
||: E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | C#m (D# E) | A5 (D# E) |
| E5 (F# G#) | B5 (C# D#) | G#m | A5 (D# E) :||
Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feelin’.
Streetlights, people.
Don’t stop believin’, hold on.
Streetlights, people.
Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feelin’,
Streetlights, people.
Don’t Stop Believin’ Chords: Unlock the Magic of Bass-Driven Progressions
In essence, Don’t Stop Believin’ follows a straightforward chord progression in the verse: I – V – VI – IV (E – B – C#m – A). To add variation, chord VI is occasionally replaced with III, resulting in:
||: E | B | C#m | A |
| E | B | G#m | A :||
However, simply playing these diatonic chords from the key of E major wouldn’t do the song justice. The defining element is the bass line movement between the chords, which is why the notation above (including chords and lyrics) may seem more complex than expected. Once you play through it, you’ll understand how essential those bass notes are.
The good news is that this pattern remains consistent throughout the intro, verse, and solo. The only exception comes at the end, where the A chord is played without the bass line.
The chorus introduces a slightly unusual movement: B/A – A, followed by Eadd9 – E. It then transitions into:
| B5 – E5 | B5 – E5 – A5 |
This leads into either an instrumental break or, later, a solo. Here’s the full chorus section:
||: B/A A | B/A A | Eadd9 E | Eadd9 E :||
| B/A A | B/A A | B5 E5 | B5 E5 A5 |
A brilliantly clever touch is that the final chorus is sung over the verse chords—a seamless blend of both sections that makes for an unforgettable climax.
To clarify this structural choice, I’ve referred to it as the outro rather than a verse or chorus, as it serves both roles.
Ultimately, Don’t Stop Believin’ is built on simple chords, but its magic lies in the way the bass line weaves through them—capturing the essence of the song’s iconic riff.
Here’s a chord chart I made for you.
Don’t Stop Believin’ Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Download my chord chart as a PDF or the format I used to create it, iReal Pro:
Don’t Stop Believin’ is Journey’s signature song!
This epic rock anthem propelled Journey to superstardom upon its release in 1981.
Keyboardist Jonathan Cain had just joined the band before the making of Escape, their seventh album. He brought with him the song’s iconic riff and title—words of encouragement from his father, who had urged him not to give up on his music career.
Recognised as one of the greatest rock songs ever, Don’t Stop Believin’ ranked #133 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Notable cover versions include the Glee cast’s rendition, which reignited the song’s popularity and even sent it back into the charts, reaching #2 in the U.K. and #4 in the U.S.
If you ever join a rock covers band, this song is almost guaranteed to be on the setlist—right alongside classics like Sweet Home Alabama, Sex On Fire, Summer Of ’69, Livin’ On A Prayer, and Sweet Child O’ Mine.
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