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Esther

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Aminor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Verse 1]
In the mCiddle of a mission I met EsAmther in the kitchen
GDrinking something blue it looked like AmWindex
CShe could shake but couldn't really sing, Sharpened like a feral thing
GHelped me with my part when I lost iAmnterest
She Esaid her name was Esther I said Fbaby that sounds biblical
Ain't sChe the one that came up after GVashti?
CYeah and then some other stuff
At sAmome point there I fell in love
GThen she heard a song she liked and Amlost me
[Chorus]
The Cparty ended suddenly, suAmddenly it's over
That lFeft me an Esther all alone and getting older
All aClone and getting older sAmmoking in the street
Now eFverything is Esther and it's been that way all week
C Am G Am  C    G Am
[Verse 2]
CThe times that we were powerless were tAmimes that I remember best
When iGt first came on it felt just like a Amblanket
COnce we had a little bit we pretty much just wasted it
GTraded in our tickets for drinks and little Amtrinkets
The Escene back in the city was the opFposite of freedom
CWe were always so damn broke it was this wGhole dependent fallacy
CThey started shooting so the Amsongs of the future
GEsther always wants it how it Amused to be
[Chorus]
CSongs all ran together and the kids ran outAmta liquor
FThat's when me and Esther started staring at each other
Started stCaring at each other fAmeeling pretty sweet
Now eFverything is Esther it's been that way all week
The pCarties fall to pieces the eAmndings are so heavy
FFeels like no one's watching when we're this deep in the valley
When we're tChis deep in the valley you can Amsee so many stars
When FEsther told her story we were sitting in the car
[Bridge]
   AmShe said her folks were neFver close
They had me 'cause they Chad to
No one named me GEsther
That came up a little Flater
It was after some Cdetective
Came around here with some Gquestions
I went out to CoEmlorado
Was mostly in the Fmotels
Started living pretty Creckless
Started calling myself GEsther
I just felt like someone differentEm  E  
[Instrumental]
   C     Am   Fx2
[Chorus]
CFelt like someone different aAmnd I never could forgive
All the Fmovies in our heads about the lives we wanna live
The lCives we wanna live are all Amfree of pain and fear
Now FEsther's getting cigarettes and me I'm buying beer
CFelt like someone diffAmerent felt like someone else
She Falmost died in Denver, she did it to herself
She Cdid it herself, there'Ams only her to blame
Of Fcourse I call her Esther I don't know her other name
She's Cnever going home heAmr folks were never close
We Fmostly watch the TV crack the windows when we smoke
Her Caura is amazing heAmr room is kind of bleak
I met FEsther at a party got together for a week
C  Am  F

All chords in this song (6)

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Esther

by The Hold Steady

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Verse 1]

C Am

In the middle of a mission I met Esther in the kitchen

G Am

Drinking something blue it looked like Windex

She could shake but couldn't really sing, Sharpened like a feral thing

G Am

Helped me with my part when I lost interest

E F

She said her name was Esther I said baby that sounds biblical

C G

Ain't she the one that came up after Vashti?

Yeah and then some other stuff

At some point there I fell in love

G Am

Then she heard a song she liked and lost me

[Chorus]

C Am

The party ended suddenly, suddenly it's over

That left me an Esther all alone and getting older

C Am

All alone and getting older smoking in the street

Now everything is Esther and it's been that way all week

C Am G Am C G Am

[Verse 2]

C Am

The times that we were powerless were times that I remember best

G Am

When it first came on it felt just like a blanket

Once we had a little bit we pretty much just wasted it

G Am

Traded in our tickets for drinks and little trinkets

E F

The scene back in the city was the opposite of freedom

C G

We were always so damn broke it was this whole dependent fallacy

C Am

They started shooting so the songs of the future

G Am

Esther always wants it how it used to be

[Chorus]

C Am

Songs all ran together and the kids ran outta liquor

That's when me and Esther started staring at each other

C Am

Started staring at each other feeling pretty sweet

Now everything is Esther it's been that way all week

C Am

The parties fall to pieces the endings are so heavy

Feels like no one's watching when we're this deep in the valley

C Am

When we're this deep in the valley you can see so many stars

When Esther told her story we were sitting in the car

[Bridge]

Am F

She said her folks were never close

They had me 'cause they had to

No one named me Esther

That came up a little later

It was after some detective

Came around here with some questions

I went out to Colorado

Was mostly in the motels

Started living pretty reckless

Started calling myself Esther

Em E

I just felt like someone different

[Instrumental]

C Am F

[Chorus]

C Am

Felt like someone different and I never could forgive

All the movies in our heads about the lives we wanna live

C Am

The lives we wanna live are all free of pain and fear

Now Esther's getting cigarettes and me I'm buying beer

C Am

Felt like someone different felt like someone else

She almost died in Denver, she did it to herself

C Am

She did it herself, there's only her to blame

Of course I call her Esther I don't know her other name

C Am

She's never going home her folks were never close

We mostly watch the TV crack the windows when we smoke

C Am

Her aura is amazing her room is kind of bleak

I met Esther at a party got together for a week

C Am F

About Esther Chords by The Hold Steady

Learn how to play Esther by The Hold Steady with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Esther chords”, “Esther guitar chords”, or “The Hold Steady Esther 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 Esther chords and for experienced players who want accurate Esther lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, Am, G, E, F, Em.

FAQ — Esther by The Hold Steady

How do I play "Esther" by The Hold Steady on guitar?

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Can I transpose "Esther" to a different key?

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

Can I see chord diagrams for "Esther"?

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

Is "Esther" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Esther" by The Hold Steady with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by The Hold Steady below.

What key is "Esther" in?

The chords for "Esther" show the original chord names (including C, Am, G, E, F, Em). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.