Chords + Lyrics | Like A Rolling Stone
Intro
||: C F/C C :|| x 4
Verse 1
| C Dm | Em F | G (G6) | G (G6) |
Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?
| C Dm | Em F | G (G6) | G (G6) |
People call say ‘beware doll, you’re bound to fall’, you thought they were all kidding you.
| F | G | F | G |
You used to laugh about, everybody that was hanging out.
| F Em | Dm7 C | F Em | Dm7 C |
Now you don’t talk so loud, now you don’t seem so proud.
| Dm7 | F (F6) | G | G |
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
Chorus 1
||: C F | G | C F | G :||
How does it feel, how does it feel? To be without a home.
Like a complete unknown. Like a rolling stone.
Instrumental 1
| C F | G | C F | G | G (G6) |
Verse 2
Ahh, you’ve gone to the finest schools, alright, Miss Lonely but you know you only used to get juiced in it.
Nobody’s ever taught you how to live out on the street and now you’re gonna have to get used to it.
You say you never compromise, with the mystery tramp, but now you realize.
He’s not selling any alibis, as you stare into the vacuum of his eyes.
| Dm7 | F (F6) | G (G6) | G (G6) |
And say do you want to, make a deal?
Chorus 2
How does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own.
With no direction home. A complete unknown. Like a rolling stone.
Instrumental 2
| C F | G (G6) | G (G6) |
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
Ah, you never turned around to see the frowns, on the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you.
You never understood that it ain’t no good, you shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you.
You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat, who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat.
Ain’t it hard when you discovered that, he really wasn’t where it’s at.
After he took from you everything he could steal.
Chorus 3
How does it feel? How does it feel? To be on your own.
With no direction home. Like a complete unknown. Like a rolling stone.
Instrumental 3
| C F | G | G |
Verse 4 (as verse 2)
Ahh princess on a steeple and all the pretty people, they’re all drinking, thinking that they’ve got it made.
Exchanging all precious gifts, but you better take your diamond ring, you better pawn it, babe.
You used to be so amused at Napoleon in rags and the language that he used.
Go to him he calls you, you can’t refuse. When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.
You’re invisible now, you’ve got no secrets to conceal.
Chorus 4
How does it feel? Ah, how does it feel? To be on your own.
With no direction home. Like a complete unknown. Like a rolling stone.
Outro
||: C F | G | C F | G :|| to fade
Like A Rolling Stone Chords: Understanding the Diatonic Progressions
Bob Dylan‘s masterpiece, Like A Rolling Stone, features chords that are completely diatonic to the key of C.
Intro
The intro consists of the I chord, moving to the IV while maintaining the bass of chord I, like this:
||: C (I) F/C (IV/5) C :||
Though it’s possible to play this on acoustic guitar, I use TAB to explain it more clearly. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Like A Rolling Stone – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse
Once the verse kicks in, we start climbing up the scale, using open-position chords on the acoustic:
| C (I) Dm (II) | Em (III) F (IV) | G (V) (G6) | G (G6) |
The G6 doesn’t appear in every verse and is played more like a guitar lick. After repeating the first idea, we move into what almost feels like a bridge:
| F (IV) | G (V) | F | G |
Next, we descend, contrasting with the initial idea:
| F (IV) Em (III) | Dm7 (II) C (I) | F Em | Dm7 C |
The final line of the verse is:
| Dm7 (II) | F (IV) (F6) | G (V) | G |
In some verses, this is slightly varied with the bass shifting from D to F:
| Dm7 (II) | Dm7 F (IV) | G (V) | G |
Chorus
The chorus is simple, following a I – IV – V progression:
||: C (I) F (IV) | G (V) :||
Instrumental
The instrumental section mirrors the chorus, staying on G a little longer before returning to the verse to repeat the pattern.
Once you’ve practised with the TAB, a chord chart will be all you need.
Like A Rolling Stone Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Like A Rolling Stone chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Like A Rolling Stone iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Like A Rolling Stone TAB | Course Preview
In the course, there’s plenty of TAB to help you finding an arrangement for playing Like A Rolling Stone.
As a preview, here’s the intro, notice how I’m using a G shape for the C chord in order to get to the correct voicing for the F/C chord. Very often, arranging on the guitar is about finding the best compromise.
Started as a Waltz but Ended Up with a Guitarist Playing the Organ
When Bob Dylan first brought Like A Rolling Stone to the studio, it was still unfinished and hadn’t been played for any of the musicians. Originally in 3/4 time, like a Waltz, the song posed a challenge for the band of hired session musicians.
After several unsuccessful takes, they decided to call it a day. The following day, the suggestion was made to try again, but this time with Dylan playing guitar instead of piano.
This shift led studio musician Paul Griffin to switch from organ to piano, and the experimentation continued.
The session musicians were all handpicked by producer Tom Wilson, who had worked with Dylan on his previous album, Bringing It All Back Home (1965).
One of the musicians was 21-year-old guitarist Al Kooper, who wasn’t initially supposed to play. After feeling intimidated by the lead guitarist, Mike Bloomfield, Al boldly jumped onto the abandoned Hammond Organ.
When they listened back to one of the takes, the producer tried to brush it off, but Dylan famously said, “Turn it up,” and so the characteristic Hammond part was born.
Like A Rolling Stone marked a major turning point in Dylan’s career, coming at a time when he had considered walking away from music altogether.
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Like A Rolling Stone #1 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time—an unsurprising choice, given the magazine’s name was inspired by the song!
Like A Rolling Stone Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
