Chords + Lyrics | Stayin’ Alive
Intro
| Fm7 | Fm7 | Bb7 | Bb7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Verse 1
||: Fm7 | Eb Fm :||
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked around since I was born.
Bridge 1
||: Bb | Bb :||
And now it’s alright, it’s okay and you may look the other way.
And we can try to understand the New York Times’ effect on man.
Chorus 1
| Fm7 | Fm7 |
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother you’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
| Fm7 | Fm7 |
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ and we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
| Ab Gm7 Fm7 Cm7 | Fm7 |
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
| Ab Gm7 Fm7 Cm7 | Fm7 | F7sus4 | Fm | Cm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive. Oh, when you walk.
Verse 2
Well now, I get low and I get high and if I can’t get either, I really try.
Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes, I’m a dancin’ man and I just can’t lose.
Bridge 2
You know it’s alright, it’s okay, I’ll live to see another day.
And we can try to understand, the New York Times’ effect on man.
Chorus 2
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother you’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ and we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive (oh).
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive (oh).
Chorus tag
||: Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 :||
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeah. I’m stayin’ alive.
Verse 3
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked around since I was born.
Bridge 3
And now it’s all right, it’s okay and you may look the other way.
And we can try to understand the New York Times’ effect on man.
Chorus 3
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother you’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ and we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive (hey).
Outro
| Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me, yeah.
| Bb | Bb | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeah. I’m stayin’ alive.
| Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah).
| Bb | Bb | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeah. I’m stayin’ alive.
| Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah, ay).
| Bb | Bb | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeah. I’m stayin’ alive.
| Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me, yeah (oh).
| Bb | Bb | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeah, I’m stayin’ alive.
Stayin’ Alive Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!). I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, 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 449Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progression – What’s Going On?
Stayin’ Alive’s harmony mainly revolves around the II–V movement — what I call the “dance shoes progression,” used in many tracks designed to get people dancing (see Good Times for comparison).
Intro
The chord extensions vary, but during the intro the II is Fm7 and the V is Bb7.
Verse
The verse progression follows Fm7 – Eb – Fm, with Eb acting like a tonic at times. Given the feel, you could argue the song sits in the F Dorian mode.
The V chord doesn’t arrive until the bridge, where it becomes the focal point.
Chorus
The chorus stays centred on Fm7, briefly moving through Ab – Gm7 – Fm – Cm7 before resolving back to Fm7. If you want more movement under the vocals, follow with Fm – F7sus4 – Fm resolving on Cm7.
Here’s the full chorus progression:
| Fm7 | Fm7 |
| Fm7 | Fm7 |
| Ab Gm7 Fm7 Cm7 | Fm7 |
| Ab Gm7 Fm7 Cm7 | Fm7 |
| F7sus4 | Fm | Cm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
To get TAB for how to play this and all other sections, keep scrolling down this guitar lesson.
Chorus Tag
The chorus tag (“Life goin’ nowhere…”) starts on Bb (V). The string line could be played as Bbadd9 – Bb – Bb7 – Bb6, which adds subtle melodic motion. Small details like this really change how a guitar part sits in the arrangement.
One neat structural note: the Bee Gees use a phrase of five bars followed by six bars in this final section, breaking the usual symmetry — a clever touch that keeps the listener engaged.
| Bb | Bb | Bbadd9 Bb Bb7 Bb6 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
| Bb | Bb | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 | Fm7 |
The contrast between the intense lyrics and the falsetto delivery is another brilliant aspect of the song. The message feels raw, yet the performance softens its impact.
Chords are essential, but they should always be understood in relation to the lyrics and performance. Just like in any language, the way they’re used defines their true meaning.
Here’s a chord chart I made (also used in the backing tracks).
Stayin’ Alive Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Here’s a PDF to download my chord chart: Stayin’ Alive chord chart PDF.
And here’s the iReal Pro version: Stayin’ Alive iReal Pro.
Stayin’ Alive | TAB
Let’s dive in—I love playing this one!
Intro
Right from the start, we hit the signature staccato lick outlining the Fm7 chord. The transition to the Bb7, moving from chord to picked line, is fantastic. Make sure all 8th notes with a dot above them are played short.
Verse
This section mirrors the intro but skips the Bb7.
Bridge
The bridge recycles the intro idea but adds continuous strumming—pure genius!
Chorus
The chorus is a fresh section and feels perfectly fitting. I’ve included the string lines as well, in case you don’t have a string section on the gig.
Chorus Tag
This tag is similar to the chorus but over Bb instead.
Outro
The outro follows the chorus tag concept, with slight variations in the length of Fm7 every other time.
Once you’re confident with all TAB examples, play along with my tuned backing tracks above—it’s a real treat!
A Disco Anthem That’s Still Dancing Today
Ranked #99 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Stayin’ Alive remains one of the Bee Gees’ most iconic tracks. Released on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, it captured the peak of disco fever and became a must-have for bands and DJs alike.
More than forty years later, it’s still a staple at parties and on the radio. Study the chords and lyrics carefully to understand how the Bee Gees crafted this timeless classic.
Stayin’ Alive Chords: Continue Learning
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