Chords + Lyrics | Pride & Joy (tune down 1/2 step)
Intro
| E7 | E7#9 | E7 | E7 |
| E7 (E6) | E7 (A/E) | E7 (E6) | E7 (A/E) |
| A7 (A6) | A7 (A6) | E7 (E6) | E7 |
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (A A#) B7 |
Verse 1
| E7 | E7 | E7 | E7 |
Well, you’ve heard about love givin’ sight to the blind. My baby lovin’ cause the sun to shine.
| A7 | A7 (A6) | E7 (A/E) | E7 (A/E) |
She’s my sweet little thang. She’s my pride and joy.
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (A A#) B7 |
She’s my sweet little baby, and I’m her little lover boy.
Verse 2
Yeah, I love my baby, with my heart and soul. Love like ours that won’t never grow old.
She’s my sweet little thang. She’s my pride and joy.
She’s my sweet little baby, and I’m her little lover boy.
Verse 3 (stops)
| E7 N.C | E7 N.C | E7 N.C | E7 |
Yeah, I love my lady, she’s long and lean. You mess with her, you’ll see a man get mean,
| A7 (A6) | A7 (A6) | E7 | E7 |
she’s my sweet little thang. She’s my pride and joy.
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (A A#) B7 |
She’s my sweet little baby, and I’m her little lover boy.
Solo 1
| E7 | E7 | E7 | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 |
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 C9 B9 |
Solo 2
| E7 | E7#9 | E7 | E7#9 |
| A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 |
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (A A#) B7 |
Verse 4 (stops)
| E7 N.C | E7 N.C | E7 N.C | N.C |
Well, I love my baby, like the finest wine. Stick with her until the end of time.
| A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 |
And she’s my sweet little thang. She’s my pride and joy.
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 (A A#) B7 |
She’s my sweet little baby, and I’m her little lover boy.
Verse 5 (same as verse 1)
Yeah, I love my baby, with my heart and soul. Love like ours that won’t never grow old.
She’s my sweet little thang. She’s my pride and joy.
She’s my sweet little baby, and I’m her little lover boy.
Solo 3
| E7 | E7#9 | E7 | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 |
| B7 | A7 | E7 | E7 F7 E7 | E7 |
Pride & Joy Chords: Explore the Hidden Details in the 12-Bar Blues
Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, there’s more to Pride & Joy‘s chords than most guitarists notice at first glance. Let’s break down a few of the small details that make it unique.
- The intro features a 4-bar build-up before the 12-bar progression begins.
- For many of the chords, a 6 extension is added in the bass line.
- For some E chords, instead of a 6, we play an A/E chord.
- During the intro and verses, as well as the second half of the solo, the progression moves chromatically from A – A# – B in the final bar.
- At the end of the first half of the solo, you’ll find a C9 – B9 movement.
- The two verses with stops differ in bar 4, while the second half of the solo includes an additional E7#9.
- Finally, the song resolves with an F7 – E7.
These small details are easy to overlook, but they’re crucial—especially in a recording setting. The takeaway is simple: if you want to add variation, use it sparingly, don’t overdo it!
These chords are combined with licks from the minor blues scale, and the exact phrasing is best understood through TAB.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Pride & Joy – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
As the licks and chord shapes are highly improvised, creating a rigid chord chart that marks every variation can seem unnecessary. However, without one, how do you track that the intro is 4 bars before the 12-bar begins, or identify which verse includes stops?
To solve this, here’s a chord chart to accompany the lesson. It may seem extensive for a 12-bar blues, but once all the variations are included, it quickly adds up.
Pride & Joy Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you like, you can download my chord chart for Pride & Joy as both PDF and in the iReal Pro format.
Using the iRealPro file, you could change the layout to what suits you. Technically, you could also change the key but let’s be honest, it only works if you think of it as if in E – tuned down to Eb or not!
Pride & Joy TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get note-for-note TAB up until the end of the first solo. By that point, it becomes worth considering whether it’s time to move from playing what SRV plays to playing as he plays.
As a preview, here’s the first half of the intro.
From Texas Flood to Global Fame: SRV’s Blues Revival Story
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s popularity holds significant cultural value worldwide, as he played a major role in the blues revival of the ’80s.
When he tragically died in a helicopter crash, Vaughan left an entire generation of guitarists with a Strat, a Tube Screamer, aspirations of a Dumble amp—and, more often than not, a future as a guitar teacher.
His tune Pride & Joy, which you can learn using my chords, lyrics, charts and TAB, has become their signature tune worldwide.
Vaughan’s breakthrough came when he played on David Bowie’s massive single Let’s Dance (produced by Nile Rodgers) and released his debut album Texas Flood in the same year.
If you know your blues guitarists, it’s clear that SRV’s two main influences were Albert King and Eric Clapton, with John Mayer in turn a disciple of SRV.
As you memorise the legendary licks in the TAB lesson, pay close attention to the actual chords in Pride & Joy. Each verse introduces subtle variations, which are key to maintaining the listener’s attention.
To stay true to the original recording, tune down a semitone using my online guitar tuner, or use a DigiTech Drop pedal. Alternatively, you can tune the track up by 5.2% using Serato, enabling you to play Pride & Joy’s chords in standard tuning.
Pride & Joy Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Pride & Joy (Stevie Ray Vaughan) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
