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The Royal Scam

Chords

4.813 votes

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Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
Cm7 Cm6  Cm7 Cm6
 Cm7And they
[Verse 1]
 Fm7wandered Gm7in from  tDm7he city 
of St.Eb/AbJohn witDm7hout a
Cm7dime,  Wearing
 Fm7coats that sGm7hine both red Dm7and       
green Eb/Abcolors from their sunny is Dm7-- 
Cm7land,  From their
[Verse 2]
 Fm7boats of iGm7ron they looked Dm7upon
--- the Eb/Abpromised land where surDm7ely  
Cm7life was sweet, on the
Fm7rising Gm7tide to New York Dm7-- 
City did Eb/Abthey ride Dm7into the  
 Cm7street, See the
[Chorus]
Fm7glo--ry ,see Ebmaj7the ---  Dm7glo -- ry 
Eb/Abof the Gm7royal 
Cm7scam,  They are
[Verse 3]
Fm7hounded Gm7down to the Dm7bottom 
of a bad Eb/Abtown amid   Dm7the
Cm7ruins,  where they
lFm7earn to Gm7fear an angrDm7y race 
of Eb/Abfallen kings their Dm7dark com 
Cm7panions,  while the
[Verse 4] 
Fm7memories Gm7of their southern Dm7sky 
was Eb/Abclouded by a Dm7savage  
Cm7winter,  Every
 paFm7tron Gm7saint hung on the Dm7wall, 
Eb/Abshared the room with Dm7twenty 
Cm7sinners,   See the
[Chorus]
 Fm7glo--ry ,see Ebmaj7the --- gDm7lo -- ry 
Eb/AbOf the Gm7royal  
Cm7scam 
[Interlude]                  
Gm7  Am7 Em7  F/Bb Em7  Gm7   E7
Am7  F9       Gbmaj7    Emaj7
Cm7  Cm6  Cm7  Cm6
Cm7By the
[Verse 5]
the Fm7blackened Gm7wall he does it Dm7all 
 he thEb/Abinks he's died and gDm7one to
Cm7heaven,  Now the
 Fm7tale is Gm7told by the Dm7old man 
back hEb/Abome he reads Dm7the
Cm7letter, How they are
[Verse 6]
 Fm7paid in gGm7old jst Dm7to babble   
in he back rEb/Aboom all Dm7night and waste their
Cm7and waste their time,  And they
Fm7wandered in Gm7from  the Dm7city 
of St.Eb/AbJohn without Dm7a  
Cm7dime,  See the   
[Chorus]
glFm7o--ry ,see Ebmaj7the --- Dm7glo -- ry 
Eb/AbOf the Gm7royal scam .
Cm7scam,  see the        
glFm7o--ry ,see Ebmaj7the --- Dm7glo -- ry 
Eb/AbOf the Gm7royal 
Cm7scam,  see the       
glFm7o--ry ,see Ebmaj7the --- Dm7glo -- ry 
Eb/AbOf the Gm7royal   
Cm7scam
[Outro]
Cm7 Cm6

All chords in this song (14)

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The Royal Scam

by Steely Dan

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Cm7

Cm6

Fm7

Gm7

Dm7

Eb/Ab

Ebmaj7

Am7

Em7

F/Bb

Gbmaj7

Emaj7

[Intro]

Cm7 Cm6 Cm7 Cm6

Cm7

And they

[Verse 1]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

wandered in from the city

Eb/Ab Dm7

of St.John without a

Cm7

dime, Wearing

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

coats that shine both red and

Eb/Ab Dm7

green colors from their sunny is --

Cm7

land, From their

[Verse 2]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

boats of iron they looked upon

Eb/Ab Dm7

--- the promised land where surely

Cm7

life was sweet, on the

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

rising tide to New York --

Eb/Ab Dm7

City did they ride into the

Cm7

street, See the

[Chorus]

Fm7 Ebmaj7 Dm7

glo--ry ,see the --- glo -- ry

Eb/Ab Gm7

of the royal

Cm7

scam, They are

[Verse 3]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

hounded down to the bottom

Eb/Ab Dm7

of a bad town amid the

Cm7

ruins, where they

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

learn to fear an angry race

Eb/Ab Dm7

of fallen kings their dark com

Cm7

panions, while the

[Verse 4]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

memories of their southern sky

Eb/Ab Dm7

was clouded by a savage

Cm7

winter, Every

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

patron saint hung on the wall,

Eb/Ab Dm7

shared the room with twenty

Cm7

sinners, See the

[Chorus]

Fm7 Ebmaj7 Dm7

glo--ry ,see the --- glo -- ry

Eb/Ab Gm7

Of the royal

Cm7

scam

[Interlude]

Gm7 Am7 Em7 F/Bb Em7 Gm7 E7

Am7 F9 Gbmaj7 Emaj7

Cm7 Cm6 Cm7 Cm6

Cm7

By the

[Verse 5]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

the blackened wall he does it all

Eb/Ab Dm7

he thinks he's died and gone to

Cm7

heaven, Now the

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

tale is told by the old man

Eb/Ab Dm7

back home he reads the

Cm7

letter, How they are

[Verse 6]

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

paid in gold jst to babble

Eb/Ab Dm7

in he back room all night and waste their

Cm7

and waste their time, And they

Fm7 Gm7 Dm7

wandered in from the city

Eb/Ab Dm7

of St.John without a

Cm7

dime, See the

[Chorus]

Fm7 Ebmaj7 Dm7

glo--ry ,see the --- glo -- ry

Eb/Ab Gm7

Of the royal scam .

Cm7

scam, see the

Fm7 Ebmaj7 Dm7

glo--ry ,see the --- glo -- ry

Eb/Ab Gm7

Of the royal

Cm7

scam, see the

Fm7 Ebmaj7 Dm7

glo--ry ,see the --- glo -- ry

Eb/Ab Gm7

Of the royal

Cm7

scam

[Outro]

Cm7 Cm6

About The Royal Scam Chords by Steely Dan

Learn how to play The Royal Scam by Steely Dan with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “The Royal Scam chords”, “The Royal Scam guitar chords”, or “Steely Dan The Royal Scam 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 The Royal Scam chords and for experienced players who want accurate The Royal Scam lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include Cm7, Cm6, Fm7, Gm7, Dm7, Eb/Ab.

FAQ — The Royal Scam by Steely Dan

How do I play "The Royal Scam" by Steely Dan on guitar?

Open the free chords for "The Royal Scam" by Steely Dan on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.

Are the chords for "The Royal Scam" by Steely Dan free?

Yes. The chords for "The Royal Scam" by Steely Dan are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.

Can I transpose "The Royal Scam" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "The Royal Scam" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "The Royal Scam"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "The Royal Scam" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "The Royal Scam" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "The Royal Scam" by Steely Dan with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Steely Dan below.

What key is "The Royal Scam" in?

The chords for "The Royal Scam" show the original chord names (including Cm7, Cm6, Fm7, Gm7, Dm7, Eb/Ab). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.