Chords + Lyrics | I Won’t Back Down
Intro
||: E5 D5 | G5 :||
Verse 1
| E5 D5 | G5 |
Well I, won’t back down.
| E5 D5 | G5 |
No I, won’t back down.
| E5 D5 | C5 |
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell.
| E5 D5 | G5 |
But I, won’t back down.
Verse 2
No I’ll, stand my ground.
Won’t be, turned around.
And I’ll keep this world from dragging me down.
Gonna, stand my ground.
| E5 D5 | G C/G G |
And I, won’t back down.
Chorus 1
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
(I won’t back) Hey baby.
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
There ain’t no easy way out.
| C (G) | D5 | E5 D5 | G |
(I won’t back) Hey I, will stand my ground.
| E5 D5 | G5 |
And I Won’t back down.
Verse 3 (as verse 2)
Well, I know what’s right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground
And I won’t back down
Chorus 2
(I won’t back) Hey baby.
There ain’t no easy way out.
(I won’t back) Hey I, will stand my ground.
(I won’t back down) And I won’t back down.
Solo
| Em D5 | G | Em D5 | G |
| Em D5 | C | Em D5 | G |
| Em D5 | G C/G G |
Outro chorus
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
(I won’t back) Hey baby.
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
There ain’t no easy way out.
| C (G) | D5 | Em D5 | G C/G G |
(I won’t back) Hey I, won’t back down
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
(I won’t back) Hey baby.
| C (G) | D5 (G) |
There ain’t no easy way out.
| C (G) | D5 | Em D5 | G |
(I won’t back) Hey I, will stand my ground.
| Em D5 | G |
(I won’t back down) And I won’t back down.
| Em D5 | G |
(I won’t back down) No, I won’t back down.
I Won’t Back Down Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning I Won’t Back Down. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, 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 441Hz. In the backing track, I’ve done this job for you by detuning it to 440Hz.
This tiny adjustment may seem pointless but 1Hz is 4 cents and if you ever used a tuner, you know how much that is!
Chord Progression – What’s Going On?
I Won’t Back Down is from Tom Petty‘s 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever.
Co-written with Jeff Lynne, the song emerged during a time when Tom had taken a break from the Heartbreakers and formed The Traveling Wilburys alongside Jeff, Roy, George, and Bob.
A masterclass in minimalist songwriting, I Won’t Back Down is a 4-chord masterpiece with no extensions—just the raw power of the chords themselves.
Verse
The verse chords are simple, following a progression that starts on chord VI, moves down to V, and ends on I.
Though we’re using power chords, the progression still carries the feel of VI – V – I due to the space between the chords, which our brains naturally associate with the diatonic major and minor scales.
The only variation comes the third time through when we go to chord IV instead of I, like this:
| Em D5 | G | Em D5 | G |
| Em D5 | C | Em D5 | G |
| Em D5 | G C/G G |
The final bar features the signature riff of the song, G C/G G, a riff that has been used many times before, mainly by Bo Diddley.
To get TAB for how to play all this, scroll down this guitar lesson.
Chorus
The chorus is a bit more complex, mostly due to a quick passing chord (G), and is written, when with chords and lyrics like this:
||: C (G) | D5 (G) :||
| C (G) | D5 | E5 D5 | G |
| E5 D5 | G5 |
Once you’ve got the hang of the chord progression, a simple chord chart is all you need. Here’s one I made for you!
I Won’t Back Down Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Perhaps the chord chart looks unnecessarily complicated. I could have simply listed the various sections and their order instead, which would have made it clearer.
There are many ways to write a chord chart. My aim is to show you different methods and approaches.
Notice how the passing chord in the chorus is placed on beat 4 in the chord chart but is shown in brackets in the chords and lyrics section. This is another example of how there are multiple ways to approach chord notation.
If you’d like to download my chord chart, here’s the PDF: I Won’t Back Down chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s the file link for that: I Won’t Back Down iReal Pro.
With iRealPro, you can change the key, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so, as the sound of I Won’t Back Down is closely tied to the specific chord shapes used.
I Won’t Back Down | TAB
Since you’ll be performing this as the sole guitarist in a band, it’s important to create the dynamic variation yourself—hence the move from power chords to full triads as the song develops in the TAB below.
The verse consists of pumping power chords. Here’s one way to play it:
We switch to the second bar an eighth note early. The weight of the power chord lines up with the snare hit.
Here’s a second version—can you spot the difference?
In this take, the passing note is now an open string. You might combine the two approaches for a bit of subtle variation.
Here’s a third version of the verse using open-position chords:
Now we’re using open strings from a G chord, and carry that approach over to the C chord using the same notes.
Here’s a fourth and final idea for the verse, blending elements from the previous versions:
Let’s move on to the chorus. Starting on chord IV gives the impression of lift-off.
The progression goes IV – V, then circles back to the verse with VI – IV – V. That quick passing chord is a stroke of genius.
Here’s TAB showing how to strum the chorus section of I Won’t Back Down:
This arrangement was designed for a solo acoustic guitar, as well as when you’re the only guitarist in the band. Try it out using the backing tracks!
I Won’t Back Down vs. Stay With Me
In recent years, songs have been accused of borrowing from previous hits. Blurred Lines was compared to Marvin Gaye‘s Got To Give It Up, and Ed Sheeran‘s Thinking Out Loud was likened to Marvin’s Let’s Get It On.
Both of these cases went to court—Robin Thicke lost, but Ed Sheeran won.
Tom Petty has also been “borrowed from” a few times. Last Nite by The Strokes sounds like American Girl, and Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers has similarities to Mary Jane’s Last Dance. For both of these tunes, Petty chose not to take action. However, when Sam Smith’s Stay With Me was released, Petty settled out of court, receiving 12.5% of the royalties. Personally, I think Sam Smith should have given him more, but I also believe Ed Sheeran should have lost his case.
It might feel like writing something truly original is impossible these days. There are only so many chord progressions, and to craft a memorable hook, you have to hit certain “money notes”, like the 3rd, etc.
In fact, many artists start writing by taking inspiration from existing songs, rewriting them as a foundation. Robin Thicke and Pharrell even admitted that Blurred Lines was written this way.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Charlie Parker did it many times, and there’s even a term for it: contrafact—a new melody written over an old progression and form.
Instead of debating whether this is right or wrong, why not give it a try? You might improve your songwriting by experimenting with it. And if something great comes out of it, you could always be honest about where the inspiration came from.
If Sam Smith only had to send Tom Petty 12.5% for blatantly borrowing from I Won’t Back Down, perhaps it’s worth considering. You could also embrace the idea of honesty and give a percentage to the artist you drew inspiration from. Ed Sheeran (again) did this for his biggest hit, Shape of You, which was inspired by TLC’s No Scrubs.
In a recent Song Exploder podcast, Sam Smith shared the story of how he wrote Stay With Me with his producer, Jimmy Napes. There was no mention of I Won’t Back Down—the way they tell it, it could be 100% true. Maybe no reference track was used, and sometimes these things happen subconsciously.
My question to you is: Does it matter?
I Won’t Back Down Chords: Continue Learning
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