Biko chords by
Peter Gabriel (Official Version)

1980World124 views

Key: A majorDifficulty: Easy

Intro 1

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

Verse 1
A A 
 
September '77
D/A D/A 
 
Port Elizabeth, weather fine
A A 
 
It was business as usual
D/A D/A 
 
In police  room 619

Chorus 1

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

G/A

B/A

Yihla moja, yihla moja

A

The man is dead, the man is dead

Interlude 1

A

A

D/A

D/A

A

A

D/A

D/A

Verse 2

A

When I try and sleep at night

D/A

I can only dream in red

A

The outside world is black and white

D/A

With only one colour dead

Chorus 2

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

G/A

B/A

Yihla moja, yihla moja

A

The man is dead, the man is dead

Interlude 2

A

A

D/A

D/A

A

A

D/A

D/A

Verse 3

A

You can blow out a candle

D/A

But you can't blow out a fire

A

Once the flames begin to catch

D/A

The wind will blow it higher

Chorus 3

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

A

D/A

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

G/A

B/A

Yihla moja, yihla moja

A

The man is dead, the man is dead

Interlude 3

A

D/A

A

And the eyes of the world are watching now,

D/A

watching now

Outro 1
A A 
 
D/A D/A 
 
A A 
 
Oh, oh, oh-
D/A D/A 
 
A A 
 
Oh, oh, oh-
D/A D/A 
 
A A 
 
Oh, oh, oh-
D/A D/A 
 
A A 
 
Oh, oh, oh-
[Repeat and fade]

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsA D/A G/A B/A

Chords

A
D/A
G/A
B/A

Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

A: x-0-2-2-2-0
D/A: x-0-4-2-3-x
G/A: x-0-5-4-3-x
B/A: x-0-4-4-4-x

Capo: No capo

Transpose: 0

0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Barre chords ask a lot of the fretting hand. The barre course walks through hand position, pressure, and the cleanest way to land each shape. Practice barre chords

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

This is the definitive original version of Biko by Peter Gabriel, transcribed exactly as it was recorded in the studio. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart preserves the precise chord voicings and progressions in the original key of A major. It suits players who want to learn Biko the way Peter Gabriel intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

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