Without You | Chords + Lyrics (Harry Nilsson)
Intro
| Esus2 E | Esus2 E |
Verse 1
| Esus2 E | G#sus4 G#m |
No, I can’t forget this evening or your face as you were leaving.
| F#m | G#sus4 G# G#7 |
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
| C#m C#m7/B | F# F#7 |
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows.
| E | B7 |
Yes, it shows.
Verse 2
No, I can’t forget tomorrow when I think of all my sorrows.
When I had you there but then I let you go.
And now it’s only fair that I should let you know.
What you should know.
Chorus 1
| E | C#m |
I can’t live, if living is without you.
| F#m | B7 |
I can’t live, I can’t give any more.
| E | C#m |
Can’t live, if living is without you.
| F#m | B7 | B7 |
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.
Verse 3
Well, I can’t forget this evening or your face as you were leaving.
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows.
Yes, it shows.
Chorus 2
I can’t live, if living is without you.
I can’t live, I can’t give any more.
Can’t live, if living is without you.
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.
Outro
||: E | C#m | F#m | B7 :||
(Living is without you)
Without You Chords: A Deep Dive into Harry Nilsson’s Chord Progressions
Playing the chords for Without You, whether in the key of Harry Nilsson or Mariah Carey, is surprisingly easy.
So easy, in fact, that I recommend you try both versions. This way, if the singer wants to change the key, you’ll be ready to adapt.
Let’s start with Harry’s version, without a capo, thinking in the key of E.
Intro
The intro features a sus2 – major chord progression. Instead of moving from the 2nd to the 3rd, we descend almost an octave.
Using TAB, I came up with a fun way to play the intro (which also serves as the start of the verse). Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Without You – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse
The verse follows a similar approach with two chords per bar, like this:
| Esus2 (I) E | G#sus4 (III) G#m |
| F#m (II) | G#sus4 G# (IIIx) G#7 |
| C#m (VI) C#m7/B | F# (IIx) F#7 |
| E (I) | B7 (V) |
In Roman numerals, the verse progression is I – III – II – IIIx, VI – IIx – I – V. The IIIx (G#) leads to VI (C#m).
There’s TAB for how to play the verse, similar to the intro.
Chorus
The chorus is simple, following the I – VI – II – V pattern:
||: E (I) | C#m (VI) | F#m (II) | B7 (V) :||
Again, there’s TAB for how to play this, all without a pick.
After the TAB lesson, this chord chart will be all you need to play Harry’s version of Without You.
Without You Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Without You chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Without You iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, which is a great idea if you want to play Mariah Carey’s version (more on this below).
Without You | Chords + Lyrics (Mariah Carey, capo 4)
Intro
| Dsus2 D/F# | Dsus2 D/F# |
Verse 1
| Dsus2 D/F# | F#sus4 F#m |
No, I can’t forget this evening or your face as you were leaving.
| Em | F#sus4 F# F#7 |
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
| Bm Bm7/A | E E7 |
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows.
| D | A7 |
Yes, it shows.
Verse 2
No, I can’t forget tomorrow when I think of all my sorrows.
When I had you there but then I let you go.
And now it’s only fair that I should let you know.
What you should know.
Chorus 1
| D | Bm |
I can’t live, if living is without you.
| Em | A7 |
I can’t live, I can’t give any more.
| D | Bm |
Can’t live, if living is without you.
| Em | A7 | A7 |
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.
Verse 3
Well, I can’t forget this evening or your face as you were leaving.
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes.
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows.
Yes, it shows.
Chorus 2
I can’t live, if living is without you.
I can’t live, I can’t give any more.
Can’t live, yeah, if living is without you.
I can’t give, I can’t give any more.
Outro
| D | Bm |
Ooh, oh, ooh (no, I can’t live, no I can’t live)
| Em | A7 |
Oh, no, no, no, no.
| D | Bm |
I can’t live (no, I can’t live), If living is without you (no, I can’t live).
| Em | A7 |
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.
| D | Bm |
Can’t live (No, I can’t live, no I can’t live).
| Em | A7 |
Oh…
Without You Chords: Master Mariah’s Progressions
Now, let’s explore how to play the chords for Without You in the key that Mariah Carey uses.
One option is to place a capo on the second fret and think in the key of E, which will give you the key of F#. You can refer to Harry Nilsson’s version for the corresponding chords.
However, for a different approach, let’s try playing in the key of D by placing the capo on the fourth fret. This gives you a bit more flexibility if the singer wants to lower the key, with options all the way down below Harry’s key.
Intro
By using different chord shapes to play Without You, some of the chords change, giving the song a slightly different sound. Here’s how to play the intro:
| Dsus2 D/F# | Dsus2 D/F# |
Though it’s slightly misleading to call this a D/F#, it’s helpful to note how the third is below the sus2, which forms the riff. Due to the compact nature of the D-shaped chord, we can’t play a lower root.
Verse
As the verse starts, it sounds like this in the key of D:
| Dsus2 (I) D/F# | F#sus4 (III) F#m |
| Em (II) | F#sus4 F# F#7 |
| Bm (VI) Bm7/A | E (IIx) E7 |
| D (I) | A7 (V) |
There’s TAB available for this version too, which differs from how the song is arranged in Harry’s key.
Chorus
Now, here are the chorus chords for Mariah’s version of Without You:
||: D (I) | Bm (VI) | Em (II) | A7 (V) :||
Notice how an E chord is the lowest we go on the guitar, and a D is the highest open-position chord. These two ways of playing the chorus chords give the song a distinct sound.
I recommend practising in both keys, as it will deepen your understanding and improve your playing technique.
In the course, you get TAB showing how to play both Mariah’s version and the Harry Nilsson arrangement. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Without You — Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Without You TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at how to play Without You using a pick (Mariah’s version and key) and fingerstyle for the Harry Nilsson key.
Here’s a preview — Harry’s verse.
Without You, the original version and covers
Without You is widely associated with Mariah Carey, often heard belted out in auditions, or remembered as the classic ballad covered by her. However, the song’s origins trace back further than Mariah’s iconic version.
Harry Nilsson is the one who made Without You famous in 1971, reaching #1 in seven countries and selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone. However, Harry didn’t write the song himself. The track was originally penned by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the British band Badfinger, who were signed to The Beatles’ label, Apple Records. Paul McCartney even produced some of their songs and members of Badfinger played on post-Beatles recordings by John Lennon and George Harrison, including Imagine.
Badfinger’s version of Without You was never released as a single, but its legacy was paved by Nilsson’s chart-topping hit. A year later, country singer T.G. Sheppard released his version of the song in 1983, though it never gained widespread attention.
Then, in 1994, Mariah Carey’s rendition of Without You shot to #1 in an astonishing 13 countries, coinciding with Harry Nilsson’s death just a week before its release. Her version helped bring the song back into the spotlight, cementing its place in pop culture.
Yet, these four renditions are just a fraction of the song’s legacy. Over 180 versions of Without You have been released, with one of the more recent—if somewhat humorous—being Ken Lee by Valentina Hasan, a performance from Bulgaria’s Music Idol in 2008. The video became an internet sensation, delighting fans with its endearing and quirky take on the song.
For more versions of Without You, check out the playlist at the top of the page.
Without You Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Without You (Harry Nilsson + Mariah Carey) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
