Chords + Lyrics | Steady, As She Goes
Intro
||: N.C :|| x4
||: Bm Bm/F# | A E :|| bass
||: Bm Bm/F# | A E :|| melody
||: Bm F# | A E :|| x3 chords
Verse 1
||: Bm F# | A E :||
Find yourself a girl and settle down.
Live a simple life in a quiet town.
Chorus 1
||: Bm F# | A E :||
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes). So steady as she goes.
Instrumental 1
||: Bm F# | A E :||
Verse 2
Your friends have a shown a kink in the single life.
You’ve had too much to think, now you need a wife.
Chorus 2
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
Bridge 1
| G | A | B | B |
Well, here we go again, you’ve found yourself a friend that knows you well.
| G | A | E | E |
But no matter what you do, you’ll always feel as though you tripped and fell. So steady as she goes.
Instrumental 2
||: Bm F# | A E :||
Verse 3
When you have completed what you thought you had to do.
And your blood’s depleted to the point of stable glue.
Then you’ll get along.
And then you’ll get along.
Instrumental 3
| Bm | Bsus2 Bsus4 |
Chorus 3
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
Bridge 2
Well, here we go again, you’ve found yourself a friend that knows you well.
But no matter what you do, you’ll always feel as though you tripped and fell. So steady as she goes.
Chorus 4
Steady as she goes.
Settle for a world, neither up or down (settle for a world, neither up or down).
Sell it to the crowd that is gathered ‘round (Sell it to the crowd that is gathered ‘round).
Settle for a girl, neither up or down (settle for a girl, neither up or down).
Sell it to the crowd that is gathered ‘round (sell it to the crowd that is gathered ‘round).
Instrumental 4
||: Bm Bm/F# | A E :|| melody
Chorus 5
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes).
||: Steady as she goes (are you steady now). :|| x5
| Bm | Bm |
Steady as she goes.
Steady, As He Goes Chords: How the Raconteurs Replace Minor with Major
No key signature contains all the chords found in Steady, As She Goes. This means the harmony either steps outside the key temporarily or the key itself shifts.
When this happens, we look for the chord that feels like “home” and assign Roman numerals from there.
Play around with the chords above and you’ll quickly realise that Bm feels like home—this is Aeolian, chord VI.
With this as our reference point, we can align the other chords accordingly.
The main looped progression is Bm – F# – A – E. Using the SWS in the key of Bm, both F# and E should be minor chords.
In Roman numerals, the progression becomes VI – IIIx – V – IIx—an unusually bright take on what is traditionally a minor landscape.
When the next section enters, looping G – A, it feels far more familiar. This is a classic IV – V, #2 on my top 10 chord progressions list.
But just as it settles, along comes a B major chord instead of Bm. That’s a VIx, completing the set—the Raconteurs have now managed to replace all minor chords with major ones in the key of Bm.
To get TAB for how to play this as the only guitarist in the band, visit: Steady, As She Goes – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve memorised the TAB, try playing the complete tune using only this chord chart.
Steady, As She Goes Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download my chord chart to keep track of the arrangement as a PDF or iReal Pro file:
Steady, As She Goes TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at every section using TAB arranged for the sole guitarist in a band.
As a preview, here are the intro chords which, once repeated, change rhythm—this new rhythm then carries into the first verse.
I’ve written E/B rather than E in bar 4. The bass still plays an E, so technically the chord remains E, but writing /B helps you remember the chord shape. You want the F# to be the lowest note of the riff.
Evolving Sound: Jack White’s Transition from The White Stripes to The Raconteurs
After six studio albums with The White Stripes, Jack White teamed up with his friend Brendan Benson to form The Raconteurs.
They had a history of working together, as Jack’s most popular song, Seven Nation Army, had a B-side in Good to Me, a song written by Brendan.
Jack had also sung backing vocals on some of Brendan’s recordings. With The Raconteurs, they co-wrote all songs.
Formed in 2005, the debut album was released the following year, with their most well-known song, Steady, As She Goes, as the lead single.
The song was an immediate success worldwide, perhaps not topping the charts but climbing high in many countries—or territories, to use record label speak.
Critical acclaim was high, with Rolling Stone magazine ranking it as the second-best song of the year, beaten only by Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy.
The following year, Steady, As She Goes was nominated for a Grammy, but it lost out to Dani California by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Steady, As She Goes Chords | Related Pages
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
