Kiss Me | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
||: C | Cmaj7 | C7 | Cmaj7 :||
Verse 1
| C | Cmaj7 | C7 | Cmaj7 |
Kiss me, out of the bearded barley, nightly, beside the green, green grass.
| C | Cmaj7 | C7 | F/C |
Swing, swing. Swing the spinning step, you’ll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress. Oh-oh.
Chorus 1
| Dm G | C Am | Dm G | C C7 |
Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight. Lead me, out on the moonlit floor.
| Dm G | C G/B | Am G | F/C Fsus2/C | Gsus4 G |
Lift your open hand, strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon’s sparkling, so kiss me.
Instrumental 1
| C | Cmaj7 | C7 | Cmaj7 |
Verse 2
Kiss me, down by the broken tree house, swing me, upon its hanging tire.
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat, we’ll take the trail marked on your father’s map. Oh-oh.
Chorus 2
Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight. Lead me, out on the moonlit floor.
Lift your open hand, strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon’s sparkling, so kiss me.
Instrumental 2
| C Cmaj7 | Cmaj7 Cadd9 | C7 | Cmaj7 Cadd9 |
| C Cmaj7 | Cmaj7 Cadd9 | C7 | Cmaj7 N.C |
| Dm Dm7 G | C Am | Dm Dm7 G | C C7 |
Chorus 3
Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight. Lead me, out on the moonlit floor.
Lift your open hand, strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon’s sparkling, so kiss me.
Outro
||: C | Cmaj7 | C7 | Cmaj7 (N.C) :|| x4 | C |
||: So kiss me :||
Kiss Me Chords: Understanding the Harmonic Journey from Intro to Chorus
The intro, verse, instrumental, and outro sections of Kiss Me mostly stay on an open C chord, with subtle extensions creating movement. The progression (capo on fret 3) follows this pattern:
||: C | Cmaj7 | C7 | Cmaj7 :||
Before transitioning to the chorus, an F/C chord is introduced.
The chorus expands harmonically, beginning on II before moving predictably to V – I – VI, as shown here:
| Dm (II) G (V) | C (I) Am (VI) |
This is then varied by using C7 in bar 2 instead of Am:
| Dm (II) G (V) | C (I) C7 (I7) |
As the section progresses, it evolves further, landing on C (I) G/B (V/3) – Am (VI) G (V) – F/C (IV) – Fsus2/C – Gsus4 – G, which creates a turnaround-like effect.
Here’s the full chorus chord progression—try to hear it in terms of Roman numerals as described above:
| Dm G | C Am | Dm G | C C7 |
| Dm G | C G/B | Am G | F/C Fsus2/C | Gsus4 G |
After this harmonic movement, returning to the embellished I chord provides a welcome sense of resolution—tension followed by release.
Here’s a chord chart for Kiss Me.
Kiss Me Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
The chord chart isn’t 100% accurate—the outro includes a stop at the end, but since it was difficult to fit in, I’ve simply marked it as “go back to intro.”
There’s always a balance between readability and perfect accuracy in a chord chart—it’s not an exact science. For me, a chart should serve mainly as a reminder; otherwise, you risk staring at it the whole time instead of engaging with your bandmates.
If you’d like to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Kiss Me Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s a link to that file: Kiss Me iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can transpose the song into different keys and even add that missing outro!
In the course, we explore Kiss Me in more depth by using TAB and playing along to loops. Below is a preview.
Kiss Me TAB | Course Preview
While getting the chords right is essential for Kiss Me, they don’t tell you everything—you also need the correct rhythm and chord shapes.
For the verse, we use the same strumming pattern across all chords.
Here’s the TAB for the verse—notice how the notes are divided across the strings to create movement.
There are three key variations to this part:
- The intro features a different first bar.
- In the second half of the verse, more strings are incorporated into the strumming.
- The breakdown section introduces new chord voicings.
Members get TAB and play-along loops for all these different ways of playing the main chords in Kiss Me.
In the full lesson series, we methodically go through every section before playing the complete song with full TAB.
Next, we’ll create a second guitar part, allowing you, me, and the singer to play Kiss Me together.
This second guitar part involves moving the capo from fret 3 to fret 1, shifting your thinking from the key of C to the key of D. You’ll also play the solo with the capo on fret 1.
You can check out the second guitar part at the top of this page—it’s already in the playlist.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Kiss Me – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Kiss Me – A Perfect Example of a One-Hit Wonder
Kiss Me is a classic example of a one-hit wonder. Sixpence None the Richer had one song that became far bigger than the band itself.
First released in 1997 on their self-titled album, it was later issued as a single in 1998. The song became a global hit, charting in over twenty countries, reaching #1 in the U.S., and selling over three million copies worldwide.
In 1999, Kiss Me gained even more exposure when it was featured in the film She’s All That, further cementing its success. Unfortunately, the band never managed to replicate its impact.
Over two decades later, in 2021, the song found new life in Netflix’s He’s All That. By now, the band members likely have a love/hate relationship with their defining hit.
Music history is full of bands that only had one massive song. Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader, Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, and Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners are just a few that come to mind.
Kiss Me Chords: Continue Learning
When studying Kiss Me, we also explore maj7 and dom7 chords in open position, along with all CAGED shapes.
There’s also a second guitar part to practise. Once you’ve learned it, we can play the song together with the singer.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Kiss Me – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar songs you might enjoy: