Tears In Heaven | Chords + Lyrics
Intro (0:00)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m F#m/E | D/F# D/E E7 | A |
Verse 1 (0:14)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you feel the same, if I saw you in heaven?
Bridge 1 (0:38)
| F#m | C#/F | A7/E | F#7 F#7sus4 Bbm7 |
I must be strong and carry on, ’cause I
| Bm7 | Bm7/E |
know I don’t belong here in heaven.
Instrumental 1 (0:56)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m F#m/E | D/F# D/E E7 | A |
Verse 2 (1:08)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you hold my hand, if I saw you in heaven?
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you help me stand, if I saw you in heaven?
Bridge 2 (1:32)
| F#m | C#/F | A7/E | F#7 F#7sus4 Bbm7 |
I’ll find my way through night and day, ’cause I
| Bm7 | Bm7/E |
know I just can’t stay here in heaven.
Instrumental 2 (1:50)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m F#m/E | D/F# D/E E7 | A |
Middle 8 (2:02)
| C G/B | Am D/F# | G D/F# | Em D/F# G |
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.
| C G/B | Am D/F# | G D/F# | E A/E E7 |
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging, please.
Solo (2:26)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Bridge 3 (2:50)
| F#m | C#/F | A7/E | F#7 F#7sus4 Bbm7 |
Beyond the door, there’s peace I’m sure, and I
| Bm7 | Bm7/E |
know there’ll be no more tears in heaven.
Instrumental 3 (3:08)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m F#m/E | D/F# D/E E7 | A |
Verse 3 (3:20)
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?
| Aadd4 E/G# | F#m A/E | D/F# A | E A/E E7 |
Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven?
Bridge 4 (3:44)
| F#m | C#/F | A7/E | F#7 F#7sus4 Bbm7 |
I must be strong and carry on, ’cause I
| Bm7 | Bm7/E |
know I don’t belong here in heaven.
Outro (4:02)
| A E/G# | F#m F#m/E | Bm7 | Bm7/E |
’cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven.
| A E/G# | F#m F#m/E | D/F# D/E E7 | A |
You can learn how to play Tears In Heaven!
Tears In Heaven is a single from the album Rush by Eric Clapton. However, most people recognize the live version from the Unplugged album.
The song forms a genius chord progression that uses small variations and slash chords to keep the harmonic interest on top.
For example, the key changes from A major to G major during the m8 section. To then make the m8 section start on chord IV, is truly a masterclass in modal interchange.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, before we get to the middle 8 section, let’s first work on the intro, verse, and bridge sections as they make up the majority of the song.
Below, there’s a lesson detailing, note-for-note, what Eric Clapton plays on that Unplugged recording during the intro and verse, enjoy!
Tears In Heaven guitar lesson | Verse chords, progression, and TAB
Let’s start learning Tears In Heaven, the song that means more to me than any other. In this first guitar lesson, we focus on Eric’s main fingerstyle part by practicing with six TAB loops.
Here’s the TAB for example 1. This is the intro and later on, the instrumental section.
For example 2, we are into the verse.
Example 3 is what we play during the solo.
Next, we have example 4, this is the second half of the solo and is very similar to what you just played. Practice both and you’ll play this with ease.
Next, we have a modified part. For example 5, I’ve included a bass line from the original live recording.
Lastly, example 6 is the outro.
Practice all six examples to the TAB loops and you’ll have no problem playing the verse exactly as Eric did.
In the course, we next learn the bridge and m8, which is all you need to play the complete song!
This is then followed by some scale practice before we learn Andy Fairweather-Low’s part as well. If you learn this, you, me, and the singer can play Tears In Heaven together.
For the complete experience, sign up here.
The tragic tale of Tears In Heaven
The story of Tears In Heaven is a tragic one. Eric Clapton’s four-year-old son fell out of a window at his mother’s penthouse flat in New York City as she was having builders around.
Will Jennings, who co-wrote the song was at first very reluctant to be a part of such a personal song. What part did Will Jennings add? The middle 8 with the genius key change!
Since its release, Tears In Heaven has achieved huge success, being covered by many artists as well as sung in most bars, weddings, and perhaps most commonly, funerals, around the world.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Tears In Heaven as #362 on their best songs of all-time list.
The Unplugged Album
The album Eric Clapton Unplugged, as a whole, is highly recommended. It contains a wealth of blues classics played by one of the best guitar players of all time.
Songs like Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out, Malted Milk, Old Love, Before You Accuse Me, and Walking Blues clearly demonstrates Clapton’s blues mastery.
As well as these blues classics, we also find an acoustic version of Layla and the aforementioned Tears In Heaven on this fantastic live album.
At the age of 15, I spent the summer learning the entire album using a TAB book and the CD, nothing has ever shaped me more as a guitarist.
Tears In Heaven chords | Related pages
Tears In Heaven – 8 guitar lessons
Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton has in this series of lessons been transcribed note for note. The part is so well written that it stands up on its own without the band.
The 2nd part has some excellent licks which have been transcribed, developed, and combined with some bass lines and extra chords.
Tears In Heaven – 8 guitar lessons.
Advanced Acoustic Songs
These songs use big chord extensions and sometimes, unique and complex chords that incorporate open strings.
Study these in-depth and you will gain a complete understanding of the guitar fretboard, including how to build any scale, arpeggio, or chord.
Tears In Heaven – 5 similar tunes
- Blackbird chords
- Dream A Little Dream Of Me chords
- Fast Car chords
- What’s Going On chords
- Wonderful Tonight chords
Eric Clapton
As well as a member of bands like Derek & The Dominos, The Yardbirds, and Cream, Clapton has successfully played sessions for more stars than any other guitar player.
His long career earned him three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
Eric Clapton on the web
