Rolling In The Deep | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
| C5 | C5 |
Verse 1
| C5 | (C5) G5 |
There’s a fire starting in my heart.
| (G5) Bb5 | (Bb5) G5 Bb5 |
Reaching a fever pitch, it’s bringing me out the dark.
| C5 | (C5) G5 |
Finally, I can see you crystal clear.
| (G5) Bb5 | (Bb5) G5 Bb5 |
Go ahead and sell me out and I’ll lay your ship bare
Verse 2
See how I’ll leave with every piece of you.
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do.
There’s a fire starting in my heart.
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark.
Bridge 1
| Ab | Bb |
The scars of your love remind me of us.
| Gm | Ab |
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all.
| Ab | Bb |
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless.
| Gm | G |
I can’t help feeling, we could’ve had it.
Chorus 1
| Cm | Bb |
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| Ab | Ab Bb |
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
| Cm | Bb |
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| Ab | Ab Bb |
And you played it to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
Verse 3
Baby, I have no story to be told.
But I’ve heard one on you, now I’m gonna make your head burn.
Think of me in the depths of your despair.
Make a home down there, as mine sure won’t be shared.
Bridge 2
The scars of your love remind me of us (never had met me, tears are gonna fall).
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all (rolling in the deep).
The scars of your love (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
They leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling. (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) We could’ve had it.
Chorus 2
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
And you played it, to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). Could have had it.
Chorus tag
| Ab | Bb | Cm | Bb |
All. Rolling in the deep.
| Ab | Ab |
You had my heart inside of your hands.
| Bb | Bb |
But you played it, with a beating.
Verse 4 (breakdown)
| N.C | N.C |
Throw your soul through every open door (whoa).
| N.C | N.C |
Count your blessings to find what you look for (whoa).
| (Cm) | (Cm) |
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold (whoa).
| (Cm) | (Cm) |
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you’ve sown.
Chorus 3 (hold)
(You’re gonna wish you, never had met me) we could’ve had it all.
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) we could’ve had it all, yeah.
(You’re gonna wish you, never had met me) it all, it all, it all .
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). We could’ve had it.
Chorus 4
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
And you played it, to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). Could have had it.
Chorus 5
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| Ab | Ab Bb | Cm N.C |
But you played it, you played it, you played it, you played it to the beat.
Rolling In The Deep | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)
Intro
| A5 | A5 |
Verse 1
| A5 | (A5) E5 |
There’s a fire starting in my heart.
| (E5) G5 | (G5) E5 G5 |
Reaching a fever pitch, it’s bringing me out the dark.
| A5 | (A5) E5 |
Finally, I can see you crystal clear.
| (E5) G5 | (G5) E5 G5 |
Go ahead and sell me out and I’ll lay your ship bare
Verse 2
See how I’ll leave with every piece of you.
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do.
There’s a fire starting in my heart.
Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark.
Bridge 1
| F | G |
The scars of your love remind me of us.
| Em | F |
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all.
| F | G |
The scars of your love they leave me breathless.
| Em | E |
I can’t help feeling, we could’ve had it.
Chorus 1
| Am | G |
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| F | F G |
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
| Am | G |
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| F | F G |
And you played it to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
Verse 3
Baby, I have no story to be told.
But I’ve heard one on you, now I’m gonna make your head burn.
Think of me in the depths of your despair.
Make a home down there, as mine sure won’t be shared.
Bridge 2
The scars of your love remind me of us (never had met me, tears are gonna fall).
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all (rolling in the deep).
The scars of your love (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
They leave me breathless, I can’t help feeling. (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) We could’ve had it.
Chorus 2
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
And you played it, to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). Could have had it.
Chorus tag
| F | G | Am | G |
All. Rolling in the deep.
| F | F |
You had my heart inside of your hands.
| G | G |
But you played it, with a beating.
Verse 4 (breakdown)
| N.C | N.C |
Throw your soul through every open door (whoa).
| N.C | N.C |
Count your blessings to find what you look for (whoa).
| (Am) | (Am) |
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold (whoa).
| (Am) | (Am) |
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you’ve sown.
Chorus 3 (hold)
(You’re gonna wish you, never had met me) we could’ve had it all.
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) we could’ve had it all, yeah.
(You’re gonna wish you, never had met me) it all, it all, it all .
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). We could’ve had it.
Chorus 4
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
And you played it, to the beat (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep). Could have had it.
Chorus 5
All (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
Rolling in the deep (tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep).
You had my heart inside of your hands (you’re gonna wish you, never had met me).
| F | F G | Am N.C |
But you played it, you played it, you played it, you played it to the beat.
Rolling in the Deep Chords: A Rhythmic Masterpiece in Cm
Adele‘s smash hit Rolling in the Deep is played in the key of Cm. The chords are mostly diatonic and familiar, but what sets the song apart is its rhythmic placement.
The verse chord progression moves like this:
| Cm (VI) | G (IIIx) | Bb (V) | G Bb |
At the start of each bar, the chord from the previous bar is played for an eighth note before switching. I’ve indicated this by adding a chord in brackets above the lyrics.
I’ve detailed this in the TAB lesson, which you can find here: Rolling in the Deep – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The chords are best played as power chords:
| C5 | G5 | Bb5 | G5 Bb5 |
Their movement subconsciously signals whether they are major or minor. Avoiding the full triad creates anticipation—genius!
The bridge starts on IV, moving up to V, then down to III. When repeated, it ends with Gm – G (III – IIIx), like this:
| Ab (IV) | Bb (V) | Gm (III) | Ab |
| Ab | Bb | Gm | G (IIIx) |
You can play the bridge chords as triads or stick with power chords. If two players are handling chords, one could hold the triads while the other pumps power chords.
The only downside? You might have to coordinate with the keyboard player!
For the chorus, the chords move VI – V – IV – V, like this:
||: Cm (VI) | Bb (V) | Ab (IV) | Ab Bb :||
The chorus tag, which appears only once, keeps the same chords but changes their order:
| Ab (IV) | Bb (V) | Cm (VI) | Bb |
| Ab | Ab | Bb | Bb |
There’s TAB for playing Rolling in the Deep on both electric guitar in a band and acoustic guitar solo. On acoustic, use a capo on fret 3.
Once you’ve worked through the TAB, this chord chart is all you need for the gig.
Rolling In The Deep Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Rolling In The Deep chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Rolling In The Deep chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Rolling in the Deep propelled Adele to superstardom!
Adele’s debut album, 19, released just two years after she graduated from the BRIT School, was a strong start. It featured two major hits, Chasing Pavements and a cover of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love.
Selling 2.5 million copies in the U.K., the album put her on the map as a rising star. She even won a Grammy for Best New Artist.
However, it was her second album, 21 (2010), that turned her into a global phenomenon. With songs like Set Fire to the Rain, Someone Like You, and especially Rolling in the Deep, Adele became world-famous as the album sold 31 million copies, earning her six more Grammy Awards.
As a single, Rolling in the Deep reached the top five in more than 25 countries and sold a staggering 20 million digital copies.
Yet, among all her achievements, what may have been most incredible for Adele was hearing Aretha Franklin record her song (check the playlist at the top of this page).
Rolling In The Deep Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Rolling In The Deep (Adele) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: