Carry On chords by
J.j. Cale (Official Version)

1981Blues1.6K views

Key: B minorDifficulty: Easy

Intro 1

Bm

Bm

A

Bm

Bm

F#m

Bm

Bm

Bm

Bm

A

Bm

Bm

F#m

Bm

Bm

Verse 1
Bm Bm 
 
If life's little downs
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
they keep coming around
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Carry on,   carry on
With darkness all about,
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
you want to scream and shout
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Carry on,   carry on

Chorus 1

Em

Bm

Em

Bm

Don't cry baby, look at where you've been

D

A

G

F#

Everybody knows you just need a friend

Verse 2

Bm

Please, please, please,

A

Bm

if you're down on your knees

F#m

Bm

Carry on, carry on

Bm

A

Bm

Bm

Verse 3
Bm Bm 
 
Your head is full of doubt,
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
you can't figure it out
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Carry on,   carry on
Between the time it takes
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
to make all those mistakes
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Carry on,   carry on

Chorus 2

Em

Bm

Em

Bm

It don't matter what you say or do

D

A

G

F#

It just seems to work out if you want it to

Verse 4

Bm

A

Bm

Let out all the slack, take it off your back

F#m

Bm

Carry on, carry on

Interlude 1
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
A A 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
F#m F#m 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em Em 
 
Bm Bm 
 
Em Em 
 
Bm Bm 
 
D D 
 
A A 
 
G G 
 
F# F#

Outro 1

Bm

A

Bm

Let me bend your ear, never shed a tear

F#m

Bm

Carry on, carry on

F#m

Bm

Carry on, carry on

A

Bm

Carry on, carry on

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TunerE A D G B E

ChordsBm A F#m Em D...

Chords

Bm
A
F#m
Em
D
G
F#

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

Bm: x-2-4-4-3-x
A: x-0-2-2-2-0
F#m: 2-4-4-2-2-2
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0
D: x-x-0-2-3-2
G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
F#: 2-4-4-3-2-2

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 Carry On by J.J. Cale, 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 B minor. It suits players who want to learn Carry On the way J.J. Cale intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

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