Chords + Lyrics | Should I Stay Or Should I Go
Intro
| D G5 | D N.C | D G5 | D N.C |
| D G5 | D N.C | D G5 |
Aouh!
Verse 1
| D N.C | D G5 |
Darlin’ you got to let me know.
| D N.C | D G5 |
Should I stay or should I go?
| D N.C | G5 F |
If you say that you are mine.
| G5 N.C | D G5 |
I’ll be here ’til the end of time.
| D N.C | A |
So you got to let me know.
| A N.C | D G5 |
Should I stay or should I go?
Verse 2
It’s always tease tease tease.
You’re happy when I’m on my knees.
One day is fine and next is black.
So if you want me off your back.
Well come on and let me know.
Should I stay or should I go?
Chorus 1 (drums double time)
| D N.C | D G |
Should I stay or should I go now?
| D | D G |
Should I stay or should I go now?
| D | G F |
If I go there will be trouble.
| G | D G |
And if I stay it will be double.
| D | A | A D G |
So come on and let me know.
Verse 3 (normal time)
This indecision’s buggin’ me (esta indecisión me molesta).
If you don’t want me, set me free (Si no me quieres, librame).
Exactly whom I’m supposed to be (Dime! ¿Qué tengo ser?).
Don’t you know which clothes even fit me? (No sabes que ropas me queda).
Come on and let me know (Pero tienes que decir).
Should I cool it or should I blow? (¿Me debo ir o quedarme?).
Instrumental
| D N.C | D G5 | D N.C | D G5 |
Split
| D N.C | G5 F | G5 N.C | D G5 |
(Doble! ¿Me frío o lo soplo?)
| D N.C | A | A N.C | D G5 |
(Esperda. Rrattarrattarrattaa…)
Chorus 2 (double time)
| D N.C | D G |
Should I stay or should I go now? (Yo me enfrio o lo soplo).
| D | D G |
Should I stay or should I go now? (Yo me enfrio o lo soplo).
| D | G F |
If I go there will be trouble (Si me voy, va a haber peligro).
| G | D G |
And if I stay it will be double (Si me quedo, es doble).
| D | A |
So you gotta let me know (Pero que tienes que decir).
| A | D G |
Should I cool it or should I blow? (¿Me frío o lo soplo?).
Chorus 3 (as chorus 1)
Should I stay or should I go now? (¿Me frío o lo soplo?).
If I go there will be trouble (Si me voy, va a haber peligro).
And if I stay it will be double (Si me quedo, es doble).
So you gotta let me know (Pero que tienes que decir).
| A D G | D N.C |
Should I stay or should I go?
Should I Stay Or Should I Go Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Should I Stay Or Should I Go. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 443Hz. In the backing track, I’ve done this job for you by detuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progression – What’s Going On?
The original recording is played with two guitars using different chord shapes. Luckily, if you are the only guitarist in the band, playing just the main part will work just fine.
Verse
The chords may seem simple at first, with the verse using stops as it moves from I – IV – I.
When we go to the IV chord, we move down a tone to the bIIIx chord (F). Then, we go to the V chord (A) before returning to I – IV again. In the key of D, Should I Stay Or Should I Go’s chord progression looks like this:
| D N.C | D G5 | D N.C | D G5 |
| D N.C | G5 F | G5 N.C | D G5 |
| D N.C | A | A N.C | D G5 |
Chorus
For the chorus, the chords are the same but without the stops and in a double-time feel – genius!
There’s TAB available for how to play the legendary intro and verse, as well as the double-time chorus if you keep scrolling down this guitar lesson.
Though it may only be a simple blues format tune with a small twist, to get it to sound just right, you need to hit the exact number of strings, and for that, you’ll need the TAB.
There’s also a chord analysis that suggests the song’s success lies in its use of tension, but this clearly isn’t true. When Should I Stay Or Should I Go was first released, it wasn’t even a hit (more on this as well as TAB further down)!
Once you’ve mastered the TAB and played along with the backing track to ensure you’ve nailed it, bring this chord chart to the gig as a handy reminder of Should I Stay Or Should I Go‘s chords and structure.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Should I Stay Or Should I Go chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Should I Stay Or Should I Go iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go | TAB
Below, I’ve provided TAB for the main guitar part. If you’re the only guitarist in the band, this is what you’ll want to play.
The main riff alternates between the chords D and G5 (I—IV). This is what we hear in the intro and the verses, and it looks like this in TAB:
Notice how the D is played with the top string first, then without the 3rd (top string) on the next two hits. Similarly, the G5 chord is only played from the root on the first hit.
Keep this concept in mind as you move on to play Should I Stay Or Should I Go’s verse, which looks like this in TAB:
On the second line, we go between G5 and F. It looks like an F/C here, but since the bass plays an F, we call it that. Notice how this verse is, in many ways, a 12-bar blues.
Finally, the chorus. Here, the drums shift to double time. I’ve written the TAB using 16th notes—if I’d notated it in double time, it would have been more confusing. Here’s the TAB:
When you can play all this, try it with the backing tracks!
Should I Stay Or Should I Go wasn’t a hit
It’s strange to think that The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go wasn’t a hit when it was first released in 1982. The band had been around for a long time, had numerous hits, and was well-established.
It’s especially surprising because the song became a worldwide favourite. This was largely due to its use in a 1991 Levi’s Jeans commercial.
Off the back of this, the label re-released the track, and it eventually charted in the top 5 worldwide.
Unfortunately, by that point, the band had already broken up.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go Chords: Continue Learning
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