Into The Mystic | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
||: C (Csus2) :|| x6
Verse 1
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
We were born before the wind. Also younger than the sun.
| G | G | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
‘Ere the bonnie boat was won, as we sailed into the mystic.
Verse 2
Hark now, hear the sailors cry. Smell the sea and feel the sky.
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic.
Bridge 1
| Em | F | C (Csus2) | C |
Yeah, when that fog horn blows, I will be coming home. Mm-hm.
| Em | F | G | G |
Yeah, when the fog horn blows, I wanna hear it, I don’t have to fear it.
Chorus 1
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul. Just like way back in the days of old.
| G | G | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
Then magnificently we will float, into the mystic.
Instrumental
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
| G | G | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
Bridge 2
When that fog horn blows, you know I will be coming home, ah.
And when that fog horn whistle blows, I gotta hear it, I don’t have to fear it.
Chorus 2
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul. Just like way back in the days of old.
And together we will float, into the mystic. Come on, girl.
Outro
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
| G | G | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
Too late to stop now.
| G | G | C |
Into The Mystic Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Into The Mystic. 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 tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
To play Into The Mystic correctly, you’ll need to place a capo on fret 3 and think in the key of C.
The strumming on the original recording is so iconic that even when playing solo, we must base our part on it. However, there’s also a fantastic bass line to consider, which can be incorporated into your guitar playing.
To help with this, I’ve created TAB—check it out further down this guitar lesson.
Aside from the C chord with the sus2 extension, the only other chord used in the verse and chorus is G. The bass line concept can also be applied to the G chord (refer to the TAB).
Bridge
The bridge section is more adventurous, climbing from III to IV to I, and when repeated, it ends on V:
| Em (III) | F (IV) | C (I) (Csus2) | C |
| Em | F | G (V) | G |
As with the verse, the bridge is best described using TAB. There are a few lovely licks to learn, which become easy once the capo is in place and you’ve worked through the TAB.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, a simple chord chart is all you need to remember how to play Into The Mystic’s chords. Here’s one I made for you.
Into The Mystic Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
As complex as the TAB is with that incorporated bass line into the strumming, that’s how easy the chord chart is!
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Into The Mystic chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Into The Mystic iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, although if you do that, you won’t be able to play like the TAB showed. My top tip if you’re playing Into The Mystic on your own is to move the capo instead!
Into The Mystic | TAB
Into the Mystic has some lovely sus2 chords that resolve to major. To get the chord shape right, place a capo on fret 3 and think in the key of C.
You can strum this like you see below. The second bar shows how the bass line could be included as well:
The verse and chorus chords move from I – V using that sus2 extension over 8 bars, like this:
| C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
| G | G | C (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
Here’s TAB for how the same concept (integrating the bass line) could be applied to the G chord as well. Both chords hint at a 6 extension, so I’ve put that in too:
The bridge chords start on chord III, and go up to IV, before resolving to chord I. The second time around, we go to V instead of chord I at the end, like this:
| Em (III) | F (IV) | C (I) (Csus2) | C (Csus2) |
| Em | F | G (V) | G |
There are a lovely couple of licks played in that bridge. With a capo, they look like this using TAB:
We can use the rhythm of this lick and the notes it suggests to create a strumming part, like this:
When you feel confident with all TAB examples, play along with the backing track using only the chord chart.
A Highlight from Van Morrison’s Best Album
Originally titled Into The Misty—which could explain the lyric “When that foghorn blows” along with all the other sea references—Into The Mystic is from Van Morrison’s legendary 1970 album Moondance, arguably his best album.
Other iconic tracks from Moondance include Crazy Love, And It Stoned Me, Caravan, and of course, the title track Moondance.
As a key figure in the blue-eyed soul movement, Van Morrison played a significant role in the musical exchange between the U.S. and the U.K., which had a lasting impact on popular culture.
Rolling Stone magazine even placed Into The Mystic at #474 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Into The Mystic Chords: Continue Learning
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