Losing My Religion | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| N.C Dsus2 | F | Dm Dsus2 | Am Am/B |
| C6 Dsus2 | F | Dm Dsus2) | Am | G |
Verse 1
| Am | Am | Em | Em |
Oh, life is bigger, it’s bigger than you and you are not me.
| Am | Am | Em | Em | Am | Am |
The lengths that I will go to, the distance in your eyes.
| Em | Em | Dm | Dm | G | G |
Oh no I’ve said too much, I set it up.
Verse 2
| Am | Am | Em | Em | Am |
That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.
| Am | Em | Em | Am | Am |
Trying to keep up with you, and I don’t know if I can do it.
| Em | Em | Dm | Dm | G | G Dsus2 |
Oh no I’ve said too much, I haven’t said enough. I thought that I heard you
Bridge 1
| F | Dm Dsus2 | Am Am/B | C6 Dsus2 |
laughing, I thought that I heard you sing.
| F | Dm Dsus2) | Am | G |
I think I thought I saw you try,
Verse 3
| Am | Am | Em | Em | Am |
Every whisper, of every waking hour, I’m choosing my confessions,
| Am | Em | Em | Am | Am |
trying to keep an eye on you. Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool, fool.
| Em | Em | Dm | Dm | G | G |
Oh no I’ve said too much, I set it up.
Verse 4
| Am | Am | Em | Em | Am |
Consider this, consider this the hint of the century, consider this.
| Am | Em | Em | Am | Am |
The slip, that brought me to my knees, failed, and what if all these fantasies come,
| Em | Em | Dm | Dm | G | G Dsus2 |
flailing around, now I’ve said too much. I thought that I heard you
Bridge 2
| F | Dm Dsus2 | Am Am/B | C6 Dsus2 |
laughing, I thought that I heard you sing.
| F | Dm Dsus2) | Am | G |
I think I thought I saw you try.
Instrumental
| Am Asus4 | Am/G | Fmaj7 F6 | D9omit3 |
Tag
| C Cadd9 | D9omit3 | C Cadd9 | D9omit3 |
But that was just a dream, that was just a dream,
Verse 5
| Am | Am | Em | Em | Am |
That’s me in the corner. that’s me in the spot-light. losing my religion.
| Am | Em | Em | Am | Am |
Trying to keep up with you and I don’t know if I can do it.
| Em | Em | Dm | Dm | G | G Dsus2 |
Oh no I’ve said too much, I haven’t said enough. I thought that I heard you
Outro
| F | Dm Dsus2 | Am Am/B | C6 Dsus2 |
laughing, I thought that I heard you sing.
| F | Dm Dsus2) | Am Am/B | C6 Dsus2 |
I think I thought I saw you try
| F | Dm Dsus2) | Am Am/B | C6 Dsus2 |
But that was just a dream. Try, cry, fly, try.
| F | Dm Dsus2) | Am | G |
That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, dream.
End
||: Am :|| x7
| Amadd4 | Am |
Losing My Religion’s chords and progressions
In the key of Am, R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion’s chords doesn’t break any harmonic rules, they do however flirt with doing so, let’s take a look at each section.
The instrumental intro is what later on comes back as what feels like a bridge, although it doesn’t lead to a chorus as the song doesn’t really have one.
The intro moves II – IV – II. The II chord uses mainly sus2 extension, disguising if it’s minor or major at first. Dsus2 – F – Dm – Dsus2. Strum these chords with the rhythm of the melody and the chord extensions will make the melody line pop out.
This is followed by an ascending movement, Am – Am/B – C6. The Am is chord VI. Am/B is like some kind of variation on a VII chord. C6 is chord I, but also an Am/C.
Next, we repeat what we started with, then finish off with Am – G. Here’s the full intro.
| N.C Dsus2 | F | Dm Dsus2 | Am Am/B |
| C6 Dsus2 | F | Dm Dsus2 | Am | G |
As I’ve already mentioned, if you fit all these chords using only open-position chords and play the rhythm of the melody, it will automatically pop out.
Let’s take a look at the verse, the chords are now much simpler.
We start with repeating chords VI – III, three times. This is finished off with II – V. Looks like this:
||: Am | Am | Em | Em :|| x3
| Dm | Dm | G | G |
These two sections, the verse and what feels more like a bridge than a chorus, repeat three times before we get an instrumental section. Goes like this:
| Am Asus4 | Am/G | Fmaj7 F6 | D9omit3 |
You could see these chords as variations on an Am, with a descending bass line. Even the Fmaj7, is an Am/F. F6 is chord IV, D9omit3 is chord II with no 3rd.
For the lyrics “that was just a dream…”, the chords now go somewhere new. C – Cadd9 – D9omit3.
After this new section, we go back to the verse and bridge, before we finish off on an Amadd4. Again, strum the rhythm right, use open-position chords and that melody will just pop out.
Peter Buck may have written the riff for Losing My Religion on a mandolin, but little did he know that it would work so well on just one acoustic guitar!
Losing My Religion chords | Related pages
Losing My Religion – 5 similar tunes
R.E.M.
Formed in 1980, R.E.M. spent a decade on the road honing their craft before they took over the world with the album Out Of Time.
Their best tunes include The One I Love, Shiny Happy People, Losing My Religion, Drive, Man On The Moon, and Everybody Hurts.
R.E.M on the web
