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Empire

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EMPIRE
As recorded by Queensrÿche
(From the 1990 Album EMPIRE) 
[Intro]
A5  F5    G5 F5
A5     C5 G5
[Verse 1]
A5Last night the word came down
Ten dead in ChinaG5town
A5Innocent, their only crime was
G5Being in the wrong place, F5at the wrong time
A5Too bad, people say
A5What's wrong with the kids today
A5I tell you right now, they've got nothing to lose
G5They're building F5empireA5  
[Verse 2]
A5Johnny used to work after school
At the cinema showG5  
A5Gotta hustle if he wants an education
G5Yeah he's got a F5long way to go
A5Now he's out on the streets all day
Selling Crack to the people who payG5  
Got an A5AK-47 for his best friend
G5Business the F5American way
[Pre-Chorus]
D5East side meets West side downC5town
No D5time, the walls fall G5down
[Chorus]
A5Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't you F5hear it A5callingD5?A5  
[Verse 3]
A5Black man, trapped again
Holds his chain in his handG5  
A5Brother killing brother for the profit of another
G5Game point, F5nobody wins
A5Declines, right on time
What happened to the dream subG5lime?
A5Tear it all down, we'll put it up againG5  
Another F5empire
[Pre-Chorus]
D5East side meets West side downC5town
No D5time, the walls fall G5down
[Chorus]
A5Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't you F5hear it A5calling? (Empire)
Can't someone F5here A5stop it?F5  C5  G5  C5  D5  
[Interlude]
Dm  Bb  Dm    G  C
DmIn fiscal year 198Bb6 to '87, Dmlocal, state and federal Fgovernments spent 
A combined total Dmof 16.6 Gbillion dollars on Claw enforcement. Dm  
Federal law enforcement Bbexpenditures ranked last in Dmabsolute dollars and 
Accounted for Fonly 6% of Dmall federal spending. G  C  F  
DmBy way of comparison, Bbthe federal government spent Dm24 million more on space exploration, 
And 43 times more on Gnational defense and interCnational relations, than Dlaw enforcement
[Guitar Solo]
A5  G5  F5    A5  G5  D5
C5 G5 Bb5   F5  G5  Bb5
Eb5  C5  D5  Eb5  C5  Eb5
  C5    Eb5    F5N.C. F5  
[Chorus]
A5Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't you F5hear it A5calling? (Empire)
Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't you F5hear it A5calling? (Empire)
Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't you F5hear it A5calling? (Empire)
Can't you F5feel it A5coming? (Empire)
Can't someone F5here A5stop itD5?

All chords in this song (13)

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Empire

by Queensrÿche

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Bb5

Eb5

EMPIRE

As recorded by Queensrÿche

(From the 1990 Album EMPIRE)

[Intro]

A5 F5 G5 F5

A5 C5 G5

[Verse 1]

Last night the word came down

Ten dead in Chinatown

Innocent, their only crime was

G5 F5

Being in the wrong place, at the wrong time

Too bad, people say

What's wrong with the kids today

I tell you right now, they've got nothing to lose

G5 F5 A5

They're building empire

[Verse 2]

Johnny used to work after school

At the cinema show

Gotta hustle if he wants an education

G5 F5

Yeah he's got a long way to go

Now he's out on the streets all day

Selling Crack to the people who pay

Got an AK-47 for his best friend

G5 F5

Business the American way

[Pre-Chorus]

D5 C5

East side meets West side downtown

D5 G5

No time, the walls fall down

[Chorus]

A5 F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5 D5 A5

Can't you hear it calling?

[Verse 3]

Black man, trapped again

Holds his chain in his hand

Brother killing brother for the profit of another

G5 F5

Game point, nobody wins

Declines, right on time

What happened to the dream sublime?

A5 G5

Tear it all down, we'll put it up again

Another empire

[Pre-Chorus]

D5 C5

East side meets West side downtown

D5 G5

No time, the walls fall down

[Chorus]

A5 F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you hear it calling? (Empire)

F5 A5 F5 C5 G5 C5 D5

Can't someone here stop it?

[Interlude]

Dm Bb Dm G C

Dm Bb Dm F

In fiscal year 1986 to '87, local, state and federal governments spent

Dm G C Dm

A combined total of 16.6 billion dollars on law enforcement.

Bb Dm

Federal law enforcement expenditures ranked last in absolute dollars and

F Dm G C F

Accounted for only 6% of all federal spending.

Dm Bb Dm

By way of comparison, the federal government spent 24 million more on space exploration,

G C D

And 43 times more on national defense and international relations, than law enforcement

[Guitar Solo]

A5 G5 F5 A5 G5 D5

C5 G5 Bb5 F5 G5 Bb5

Eb5 C5 D5 Eb5 C5 Eb5

C5 Eb5 F5 F5

N.C.

[Chorus]

A5 F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you hear it calling? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you hear it calling? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you hear it calling? (Empire)

F5 A5

Can't you feel it coming? (Empire)

F5 A5 D5

Can't someone here stop it?

About Empire Tab by Queensrÿche

Learn how to play Empire by Queensrÿche with free guitar tab, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Empire chords”, “Empire guitar chords”, or “Queensrÿche Empire chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Empire chords and for experienced players who want accurate Empire lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include A5, F5, G5, C5, D5, Dm.

FAQ — Empire by Queensrÿche

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Is "Empire" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Empire" in?

The tab for "Empire" show the original chord names (including A5, F5, G5, C5, D5, Dm). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.