Now And Then | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Am | G6 :||
One, two.
Verse 1
| Am (Asus4) | G6 |
I know it’s true.
| Am (Asus4) | G6 |
It’s all because of you.
| Am (Asus4) | Fmaj7 |
And if I make it through.
| E | E | Am | Am |
It’s all because of you.
Verse 2
And now and then.
If we must start again.
Well, we will know for sure.
That I will love you.
Chorus 1
| G | G |
Now and then.
| Bm | Bm |
I miss you.
| Em | Em |
Oh, now and then.
| Am | D |
I want you to be there for me.
| Am | D |
Always to return to me.
Verse 3
I know it’s true.
It’s all because of you.
And if you go away.
I know you never could stay away.
Chorus 2
| G | G |
Now and then.
| Bm | Bm |
I miss you.
| Em | Em |
Oh, now and then.
| Am | D |
I want you to be there for me.
Solo
||: Dm | Dm | C | C :||
| Em | Em | Am | Am |
| D | D | Dm | G |
Verse 4
I know it’s true.
It’s all because of you.
And if I make it through.
It’s all because of you.
Outro
| G | E | Am | G | E |
| Am |6/4 G F E |
| Am |
Now And Then Chords: Breaking Down the Harmonic Structure of The Beatles’ Last Track
The final Beatles song, Now And Then, is primarily in the key of Am, though it’s more nuanced than it first appears.
The verse follows a repeating VI – V progression, then shifts to VI – IV – IIIx – VI. The IIIx chord (E) is more common than Em in the key of Am. Some refer to this as the “mediant major.”
Here are all the verse chords for Now And Then:
| Am (VI) (Asus4) | G6 (V) | Am (Asus4) | G6 |
| Am (Asus4) | Fmaj7 (IV) | E (IIIx) | E | Am | Am |
The Asus4 in parentheses appears in the middle of the bar before returning to Am. To get this right, you’ll need the TAB, which can be found here: Now And Then – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The chorus is in the neighbouring key of G, which has one sharp, compared to the natural key of Am. The progression in the chorus moves I – III – VI – II – V, like this:
| G (I) | G | Bm (III) | Bm |
| Em (VI) | Em | Am (II) | D (V) | Am | D |
For the second chorus, we omit the final two bars and transition into a slide solo.
The solo bridges the previously used keys of C and G. It begins in C, playing II – I repeatedly, but it feels like a Vm at first due to the connection with G. (This has a similar feel to the solo in Angels.)
||: Dm (II or Vm) | Dm | C (I or IV) | C :||
| Em (III or VI) | Em | Am (VI or II) | Am |
| D (IIx or V) | D | Dm (II) | G (V) |
After the repeat, the progression moves to Em – Am, which can be seen as III – VI in C, or VI – II in G.
As the next chord is D, it confirms that the previous key was likely G. The shift to a II – V progression in the key of C brings back the feeling of a Vm in G, continuing the blending of Am and G. This creates the tension throughout Now And Then’s chords.
I’ve crafted an acoustic guitar arrangement based on the piano part, available with TAB here: Now And Then – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve learned it using the TAB, a simple chord chart will help keep you on track. Here’s one I made for you.
Now And Then Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
I’m really pleased with how this chord chart turned out. There’s plenty of space between sections, and even though it includes a Segno sign, the layout is clear and easy to follow.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s the PDF link: Now And Then chord chart PDF.
The chord chart was created using iReal Pro. You can access the file here: Now And Then chord chart iReal Pro.
With iReal Pro, you can change the key, though I personally believe the original key is best for capturing the essence of the song.
Now And Then: The Beatles’ Long-Awaited Final Song
Recordings for Now And Then began around the same time that The Beatles reunited in 1994 to finish Free As A Bird and Real Love, using old recordings of John Lennon.
Now And Then was discovered as a demo tape provided by Yoko Ono. At the time, the technology to restore and separate John’s vocal from the piano simply wasn’t advanced enough.
However, when Peter Jackson was working on Get Back, his documentary about The Beatles, he delved deeply into restoring old recordings. The technology he developed during this process enabled the extraction of John’s voice, allowing Paul and Ringo to add their contributions and finish the song.
The full story of this incredible process can be found in the second video of the playlist at the top of this page.
My favourite quote from this era is when they discuss the early computer technology of 1994. George Harrison says: “This computer stuff… it opens up another kettle of fish.” To which Ringo Starr replies: “But will it open up another year of work?”
As it turns out, it took The Beatles a quarter of a century to finally complete their last track!
Now And Then Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Now And Then (The Beatles) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: