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Viva La Vida

Coldplay

from the album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends released in 2008

jump to: lyrics / notes & tabs / chord progressions / song info

Lyrics

Intro

    C ... D ... G ... Em ... (x2)


Verse

              C        D 
    I used to rule the world
               G                    Em 
    Seas would rise when I gave the word
    Now in the morning I sleep alone
    Sweep the streets I used to own

    (intro chords x2)

    I used to roll the dice
    Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
    Listen as the crowd would sing
    "Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"

    One minute I held the key
    Next the walls were closed on me
    And I discovered that my castles stand
    Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand


Chorus

          C              D 
        I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
        G             Em 
        Roman cavalry choirs are singing
        Be my mirror, my sword, and shield
        My missionaries in a foreign field

        For some reason I can't explain
        Once you go, it was never
        Never an honest work
        That was when I ruled the world

    (intro chords x2)

    It was the wicked and wild wind
    Blew down the doors to let me in 
    Shattered windows and the sound of drums
    People couldn't believe what I'd become

    Revolutionaries wait
    For my head on a silver plate
    Just a puppet on a lonely string
    Oh, who would ever want to be king

        I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
        Roman cavalry choirs are singing
        Be my mirror, my sword, and shield
        My missionaries in a foreign field

        For some reason I can't explain
        I know St. Peter won't call my name
        Never an honest work
        That was when I ruled the world


Break

            | C ... | Em ... | (x3)
            | D ... | D  ... |

    (intro chords x2, with "ohhh....")

        I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
        Roman cavalry choirs are singing
        Be my mirror, my sword, and shield
        My missionaries in a foreign field

        For some reason I can't explain
        I know St. Peter won't call my name
        Never an honest work
        But that was when I ruled the world


Outro

            | C ... | D ... | Bm ... | Em ... | (x2, with "Ooooh..." and fade)

Notes & Tabs

Capo 1st Fret

To play along with the album recording of this song, add a capo to the 1st fret (and play the chords above). You can play it without a capo and it will sound fine -- but will be one half step below the tuning of the album version.

Chords Used

Here are the chords used to play this song -- each chord is shown with a few variations. Since it is the same progression repeated over and over, you may want to find different ways to play these chords (open vs. bar chords) to spice things up -- especially during the intro, breaks, and heightened verses.

e-|----0----2----3----0-----2-----      ----3----5----3----7-----7-----
B-|----1----3----0----0-----3-----      ----5----7----3----8-----7-----
G-|----0----2----0----0-----4-----      ----5----7----4----9-----7-----
D-|----2----0----0----2-----4-----  or  ----5----7----5----9-----9-----
A-|----3---------2----2-----2-----      ----3----5----5----7-----9-----
E-|--------------3----0-----------      --------------3----------7-----
       C    D    G    Em    Bm              C    D    G    Em    Bm

Chord Progressions

Intro

| C . . . | D . . . | G . . . | Em . . . | (x2)

Verse

"I used to rule the world..."
| C . . . | D . . . | G . . . | Em . . . | (repeat)

Chorus

"I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing..."
| C . . . | D . . . | G . . . | Em . . . | (repeat)

Break

| C ... | Em ... | (x3)
| D ... | D  ... |

Outro

"Oooooh..."
| C ... | D ... | Bm ... | Em ... | (x2)

Song Info

Song: Viva La Vida
Artist: Coldplay
Album: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Year: 2008
Label: Parlophone

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About

My name is David Potsiadlo, and I created Songnotes to share my collection of guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for my favorite songs.

Since I started playing guitar over 10 years ago, I've often been frustrated by the preponderance of mediocre and incomplete song tabs littered across the internet. To combat this, I started keeping my own collection of notes for each song I learn -- always taking the extra time to make sure accuracy and completeness are never compromised. Years later, my collection grew to the point where I knew I had to share it online with fellow aspiring musicians.

In December 2012, I began designing & developing a website that became Songnotes. Here, I share my personal collection of hand-crafted music notation with all those online. I hope you enjoy.

You can also view my personal website or follow me on Twitter / Dribbble / GitHub / LinkedIn.