Chords
Pompeii

Pompeii was written by Dan Smith, who was inspired by the story of the ancient city of Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The lyrics talk about the inevitability of change and asks, somewhat ironically, how one can be an optimist in the face of disaster. The song became a substantial hit, encapsulating the idea of finding peace and acceptance amidst chaos and destruction.

Key: C

Introduction:  C   G   Em   D  

difficulty
very easy |||||
 C           G          Em           D 
I was left to my own de-v-i-c-e-s
  C          G               Em          D 
Many days fell away with nothing to show

          C                    G 
And the walls kept tumbling down
                    Em        D 
In the city that we l-o-v-e-d
         C                    G 
Great clouds roll over the hills
                        Em       D 
Bringing darkness from a-b-o-v-e

                       C 
But if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                 D 
Nothing changed at all?
                        C 
And if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                  D 
You' ve been here before?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

 C               G               Em           D 
We were caught up and lost in all of our vices
 C             G             Em         D 
In your pose as the dust settles around us

          C                    G 
And the walls kept tumbling down
                    Em        D 
In the city that we l-o-v-e-d
         C                    G 
Great clouds roll over the hills
                        Em       D 
Bringing darkness from a-b-o-v-e

                       C 
But if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                  D 
Nothing changed at all?
                        C 
And if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                  D 
You' ve been here before?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

 C                  G 
Oh where do we begin?
      Em             D 
The rubble or our sins?
 C                  G 
Oh where do we begin?
      Em             D 
The rubble or our sins?

          C                    G 
And the walls kept tumbling down
                    Em        D 
In the city that we l-o-v-e-d
         C                    G 
Great clouds roll over the hills
                        Em       D 
Bringing darkness from a-b-o-v-e

                       C 
But if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                  D 
Nothing changed at all?
                        C 
And if you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
  Em                  D 
You' ve been here before?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
      C                 G          D 
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
                   C 
If you close your eyes,
          G 
Does it almost feel like
 Em                   D 
Nothing changed at all?