Chords + Lyrics | Robin Hood
Intro
| G5 |
Verse 1
| G5 D/F# | Em D5/A |
When you’re starting to choke take some pills with your coke,
| C | Dsus4 D |
it’s inspirational.
| G5 D/F# | Em D |
When your life is a mess light one more cigarette,
| C | Dsus4 D |
it’s so logical.
Chorus 1
||: G5 D | C D :||
Well, it’s something your mother can’t abide,
but it’s something that I freely prescribe.
Chorus tag 1
| G5 | D/F# | Em | A |
Take yourself for a ride, it never felt so good, as the night that you and I played Robin Hood.
| C | Dsus4 D |
Stealing from the backrooms of my mind,
| C | D | G5 D/F# | Em A | A |
remembering a time when we were five, a time I thought we’d left behind.
Verse 2
When you’re starting to cry, I’ll come and sit by your side,
I will love you so.
And when nightmares come, I will try to be fun, even though,
I’m so scared you know.
Chorus 2
‘Cause, it’s something your mother can’t abide,
but it’s something that I freely prescribe.
Chorus tag 2
Take yourself for a ride, it never felt so good, as the night that you and I played Robin Hood.
Stealing from the backrooms of our minds,
stealing from a time when we were five, a time I thought we’d left behind.
Chorus tag 3
| C | D |
Stealing from the backrooms of my mind,
| C | D | G5 D/F# | Em A | 2/4 A | 4/4 A |
stealing from a time when we were five, a time I thought we’d left behind.
Outro
| G5 D/F# | Em D5 | C | Dsus4 D | G5 |
When you started to choke take some pills with your coke, it’s hysterical.
Robin Hood Chords: Exploring the Descending Bass and Suspended Chords
A few of Robin Hood’s chords have been manipulated; they’re not just simple open-position chords. First, the D/F# is a D chord with the 3rd of the chord (F#) in the bass.
As the progression moves from G – D – Em, it makes sense to add the F# to the D, as this creates a descending bass line: G – F# – E. This movement continues down to the chords D and C.
Later on, we also find a Dsus4 chord. “Sus4” means “suspended 4th.” To create this chord, replace the 3rd (F#) with the 4th (G), this time on the highest string, not the lowest.
Verse
The full verse chord progression looks like this:
||: G5 (I) D/F# (V/3) | Em (VI) D5/A (V/5) |
| C (IV) | Dsus4 (V) D :||
Chorus
The chorus is much simpler, with its I – V – IV – V movement:
||: G5 (I) D (V) | C (IV) D (V) :||
Chorus Tag
The chorus tag is the most complicated part. Here it is with Roman numerals:
| G5 (I) | D/F# (V/3) | Em (VI) | A (IIx) |
| C (IV) | Dsus4 (V) D | C | D |
| G5 D/F# | Em A | A |
Notice how we move down from I – V/3 – VI, building towards the chord outside the key, IIx (A). This is followed by IV – V before repeating the same movement again, but now the chords share a bar.
The end of Robin Hood’s chorus tag (A chord) has different lengths. The first two times, it lasts for 6 beats; the last time, it lasts for 8 beats.
Here’s a chord chart you can use if you prefer to play Robin Hood without the chords and lyrics.
Robin Hood Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
After repeating the verse, chorus, and tag, we play the same chords as before, but with more repetition. I’ve labelled this section as the “D-section” in the chart, which includes the repeated chorus tag and outro.
If you’d like to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Robin Hood chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro, and here’s a link to that file: Robin Hood iReal Pro. With the iRealPro app, you can also change the key.
In the course, we explore the TAB and play along with loops to learn Robin Hood in-depth. Below is a preview of the verse as well as a full performance of the song.
Robin Hood TAB | Course Preview
Ocean Colour Scene‘s Robin Hood is a song I’ve chosen to include in the beginner course for several reasons.
Firstly, it features great chords and strumming patterns that beginners can learn a lot from.
It’s also an interesting composition for those curious about what makes a hit, as Robin Hood was only a fan favourite, not a chart-topper (more on that below).
Members can explore 5 TAB examples to practice using loops. The TAB for example 1 looks like this:
Notice how the pattern here involves playing the full chord, then strumming the upper half.
In the video above, you can play along with me and get a taste of what it’s like to learn guitar with Spytunes.
In the course, we go through all sections like this, play the complete song with a singer, practise chromatic exercises, and even create a 2nd guitar part.
When developing a 2nd guitar part, you’ll need to learn additional chords, as a capo is applied and we have to “think in a different key.”
Learn this 2nd guitar part and you’ll be able to play Robin Hood with me and the singer as if we were an acoustic trio.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Robin Hood – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
The hit that never was
Ocean Colour Scene’s best album, Moseley Shoals (1996), produced three top 20 singles that helped define the band’s sound: The Day We Caught the Train, The Riverboat Song, and You’ve Got It Bad.
However, Robin Hood, which you can see the chords and lyrics for above and will spend 8 lessons playing, didn’t even make it onto the album. Instead, it was released as a B-side to You’ve Got It Bad. To me, it should have been included on the album and even released as a single — it has all the ingredients to be a hit.
You may argue (and I bet this is what the label suggested) that it’s too sad, too depressing even, but how do you explain hits like Everybody Hurts, Mad World, and The Drugs Don’t Work?
The band’s fans clearly agreed with me. Over time, Robin Hood has become a fan favourite — the kind of song that only true Ocean Colour Scene fans know about. It’s a hidden gem, if you will.
Robin Hood Chords: Continue Learning
When you learn to play Robin Hood by Ocean Colour Scene, you’ll also develop accuracy in both picking and strumming as you practice along with the loops.
We’ll focus on chromatic exercises and build a second guitar part to play alongside the singer, just like a mini band.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Robin Hood – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
