I Fought The Law | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: drums :|| x4
||: D5 | G5 A5 | D5 | D5 G5 D/F# D5 :||
Verse 1
| D5 | G5 D5 | D5 | A5 D5 |
Breakin’ rocks in the hot sun, I fought the law and the law won.
| D5 | A5 D5 |
I fought the law and the law won.
| D5 | G5 D5 | D5 | A5 D5 |
I needed money ’cause I had none, I fought the law and the law won.
| D5 | A5 D5 |
I fought the law and the law won.
Bridge 1
| G | G | D | D |
I left my baby and it feels so bad, guess my race is run.
| G | G |
She’s the best girl that I ever had,.
Chorus 1
| D5 | A5 D5 |
I fought the law and the law won.
| D5 | D5 G5 D/F# D |
I fought the law and the.
Instrumental
||: G | G | D | D :|| x3
| G | G | D5 | G5 A5 | D5 | D5 G5 D/F# D5 |
Verse 2
Robbin’ people with a six-gun, I fought the law and the law won.
I fought the law and the law won.
I lost my girl and I lost my fun, I fought the law and the law won.
I fought the law and the law won.
Bridge 2
I left my baby and it feels so bad, guess my race is run.
She’s the best girl that I ever had.
Chorus 2
I fought the law and the law won.
I fought the law and the.
Instrumental 2
||: D5 | G5 A5 | D5 | D5 G5 D/F# D5 :||
Outro
||: N.C | N.C :|| x4 drums
||: I fought the law and the law won :||
||: (D) | (G A) :|| x3 bass
||: I fought the law and the law won :||
| (D) | D5 G5 D/F# D5 | D5 |
I fought the law and the.
I Fought The Law Chords: Unlock the Power of Simplicity
The chords in I Fought the Law consist of mainly the I, IV, and V in the key of D, played as power chords (5 chords). This simplicity enhances the punk vibe and gives the song its raw, driving sound.
Intro
The intro begins with just drums before the main chord riff enters, moving like this:
||: D5 (I) | G5 (IV) A5 (V) |
| D5 (I) | D5 (I) G5 (IV) D/F# (I/3) D5 (I) :||
Verse
The verse is a perfect example of call-and-response, extending beyond the blues as we pose one call and get the response twice over these chords:
| D5 (I) | G5 (IV) D5 (I) |
||: D5 (I) | A5 (V) D5 (I) :||
We also hear a partial version of the chorus here, although when the actual chorus arrives later, it appears in a slightly different form.
Bridge
The next section is a six-bar bridge, starting on chord IV:
| G (IV) | G | D (I) | D |
| G (IV) | G |
The clever twist is that after signalling a new section by starting on IV, we abruptly return to the main hook (“I fought the law and the…”) along with the descending chord variation first introduced in the intro now as a chorus.
Chorus
This is the complete chorus progression:
| D5 (I) | A5 (V) D5 (I) |
| D5 (I) | D5 (I) G5 (IV) D/F# I/3) D (I) |
Repeating and varying the hook and riff in this way (we’ve already heard hints in the verse, and the descending chords are recycled) creates familiarity with just enough variation—classic great songwriting.
Crucially, nothing new happens in this tune.
Solo 1 is simply the bridge and chorus, solo 2 is the intro, and the outro is a breakdown section—pure genius.
Here’s the chord chart you’ll need to remember the structure.
I Fought The Law Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart as a static PDF or in iReal Pro format, which allows you to change the key—though I’m not sure how well that suggestion will go down with your punk band members!
I Fought The Law TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we work through all sections, exploring how to make this tune function convincingly on one guitar.
As a preview, here’s the bridge with both chords and melody — two guitars in one part! Make sure you let those open strings ring for the full two bars while you play the melody on top.
I Fought The Law was a cover
Originally written and released by The Crickets in 1960, I Fought The Law became a hit in 1965 when covered by The Bobby Fuller Four.
Roy Orbison’s 1972 version didn’t chart as highly, but it added nicely to his massive catalogue.
The most famous version of I Fought The Law is The Clash‘s 1979 cover. This is the version most people refer to when the song is mentioned, and if you’re ever asked to play it live, this is likely the version expected.
I Fought The Law Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: I Fought The Law (The Clash) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
