Hurt | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Am | C Dsus2 | Am | C D | Am |
Verse 1
||: C Dsus2 | Am | C D | Am :||
I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel.
I focus on the pain. The only thing that’s real.
The needle tears a hole. The old familiar sting.
| C Dsus2 | Am | C D | G |
Try to kill it all away. But I remember everything.
Chorus 1
||: Am7 | Fadd9 | C | G :||
What have I become? My sweetest friend.
Everyone I know goes away in the end.
And you could have it all. My empire of dirt.
| Am7 | Fadd9 | C |
I will let you down, I will make you hurt.
Instrumental 1
| Am | C Dsus2 | Am | C D | Am |
Verse 2
||: C Dsus2 | Am | C D | Am :||
I wear this crown of thorns. Upon my liar’s chair.
Full of broken thoughts. I cannot repair.
Beneath the stains of time. The feelings disappear.
You are someone else. I’m still right here.
Chorus 2
||: Am7 | Fadd9 | C | G :||
What have I become? My sweetest friend.
Everyone I know goes away in the end.
And you could have it all. My empire of dirt.
I will let you down, I will make you hurt.
Outro
| Am7 | Fadd9 | C | G |
If I could start again, a million miles away.
| Am7 | Fadd9 | C | Am |
I would keep myself, I would find a way.
Hurt Chords: Learn the progressions
The chords are certainly not difficult in Hurt. The verse is just this:
| C (I) Dsus2 (II) | Am (VI) |
Occasionally, that Dsus2 is a D, making us question if it’s actually in the key of G, moving IV – V – II instead of I – II – VI in the key of C.
The chorus is in the key of C moving VI – IV – I – V, like this:
| Am7 (VI) | Fadd9 (IV) | C (I) | G (V) |
Or is it in the key of G, moving II – bVIIx – IV – I?
To mix two keys like this (only one note differs between C and G) is a great songwriting trick, it creates tension.
Should you want to find out more about this modal interchange and get TAB for how to play it, check this part of the lesson: Hurt – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you have the TAB down, a simple chord chart will be enough to remember how to play it. Here’s one I made for you
Hurt Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
It’s so clever how we start with an Am, then go to C and Dsus2 during the intro, but then when the verse starts, we end on Am.
This is so simple, yet all we need to wake the listener up.
If you want to download this chord chart, here’s a PDF: Hurt Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Hurt iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
However, the sound of the part is connected to using the open-position chords, so if you change that, you change the song.
Hurt was the last single to be released in Johnny Cash’s lifetime!
Originally written by Nine Inch Nails, it was Rick Rubin’s idea to get Johnny Cash to cover and release it as a single from his final studio album, American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002).
Six months after the release of Hurt as a single, Johnny Cash passed away.
The album as a whole is well worth a listen as it captures Cash’s voice in a unique way, far from how he had been initially described when he was first rejected by Sam Phillips.
Captured in the movie Walk the Line, you’ll see how Sam pushes Johnny to dig deeper and make his voice more emotional.
The recording of his debut started in 1954(!), I think it’s fair to say that by 2002, Johnny Cash had certainly nailed it. I guess releasing 97 albums helped get him there!
Hurt Chords | Related Pages
Hurt | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this guitar lesson, you’ll discover how if it wasn’t for the lyrics, Hurt would be perfect for a young beginner guitarist, the TAB is super easy.
| C Dsus2 | Am |
I hurt myself today…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- Everybody Hurts chords by R.E.M.
- Famous Blue Raincoat chords by Leonard Cohen
- Hallelujah chords by Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen
- Mad World chords by Tears For Fears
- Redemption Song chords by Bob Marley
Johnny Cash tunes
Johnny Cash’s recording career started in 1955 on Sun Records (the same label as Elvis) and ended in 2002 with a masterpiece produced by Rick Rubin.
His best tunes include Ring of Fire, A Boy Named Sue, Hurt, Man in Black, Folsom Prison Blues, Get Rhythm, Personal Jesus, and I Walk The Line.
Johnny Cash on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Hurt 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.
