Chords
Back on the Chain Gang

Back on the Chain Gang was written by Chrissie Hynde, the leader of The Pretenders, in response to the death of James Honeyman-Scott, the bands original guitarist, who died in 1982 due to heart failure caused by cocaine use. With a catchy melody and reflective lyrics, the track became one of the bands biggest hits, expressing feelings of loss and resilience.

Key: D

Introduction: D    A    Em7    

difficulty
intermediate |||||
D                A                    Em7      Bm             G  
  I found a picture of you,         ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D              A                              Em7        Bm        G  
  Oh, what hijacked my world that night
D                                A                     Em7         Bm          G  
  To a place in the past we' ve been cast out of, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D            A                                  Em7  Bm        G  
                Now we' re back in the fight

Em                             A                Em         A  
    We' re back on the train, yeah
Em            A                        D            A            D            A  
Oh,  oh,        back on the chain gang

D              A                            Em7     Bm          G  
    Circumstance beyond our control,    ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D                         A                              Em7      Bm        G  
    The phone, the TV, and the news of the world
D                         A                                Em7      Bm         G  
    Got in the house like a pigeon from hell,      ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D                            A                                 Em7    Bm     G  
    Threw sand in our eyes, and descended like flies

Em                              A                Em        A  
    Put us back on the train, yeah
Em                     A        Em        A  
Ohhh, ohhhhhhhh
                D                A        Em  
Back on the chain gang

 D     A     Em7  
< 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +> 
    D  
Dm         A                     Dm            A  
     The powers that be         that force us to live like we do
Dm          A                              Dm              A  
            Bring me to my knees          when I see what they' ve done to you
Dm          A          Dm          A  
Dm                 A                                  Dm            A  
      And I' ll die as I stand here today,             knowing that deep in my heart
Dm            A                                Dm            A  
             They' ll fall to ruin one day, for making us part
E      B      A      B  

E                 B                    F#m    C#m          A  
    I found a picture of you,      ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
E                          B                        F#m      C#m      A  
    Those were the happiest days of my life
E                                  B                 F#m     C#m          A  
    Like a break in the battle was your part, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
E                         B                      F#m      C#m     A  
    In the wretched life of a lonely heart

A                                  B                A     B  
    Now we' re back on the train, yeah
A            B                         E             B  
Oh oh,            back on the chain gang

E          B  
(repeat to fade)