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What He Wrote

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Aminor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

1/26

Tempo 80 BPMVol

Sound:

Position

Step 1 / 26Position: 5

1 index2 middle3 ring4 pinkyO openSpace = play/pause

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sounds close enough for me. All picking, don't strum. Picking pattern below.
- Some (or even all) of the A minor chords can be replaced with normal Am
- The G in brackets (G) is a very quick passing note.
- For the Am, G and maybe F chords, it may be easier to use your thumb on the bottom string.
open G string as well. Listen and improvise.
Chords:
e|-Amx--Gx--Cx--Dmx--E7/B-x---Fx--xE/G#-----x-|
B|-x--x--5--6---3---x--x-----x-|
G|-5--4--x--x--(1)--2--x- O -1-|
D|-7--5--5--7---2---3--2- R -x-|
A|-7--5--3--5---2---3--2-----2-|
E|-5--3-------------1--4-----4-|
Basic picking pattern (all eighth notes, 3 in a bar):
            Am(G)                         C  Dm  
e|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
B|-------------------|-------5-----5-----|-------6-----6-----|
G|-------5-----------|-------------------|-------------------| etc
D|----------7-----5--|----5-----5-----5--|----7-----7-----7--|
A|----7--------------|-3-----------------|-5-----------------|
E|-5-----------3-----|-------------------|-------------------|
[Intro]
Am G C Dm C E7/B Am
      Am(G) C  
Forgive me Hera,
DmI cannot sCtay
He cDmut out my Ctongue
There is E7/Bnothing to Amsave
      Am(G) C  
Love me, oh Lord
He tDmhrew me awCay
He lDmaughed at my sCins
In his E7/Barms I must Amstay
He AmwroteG  
I am bFroke
AmPlease sGend for Amme
AmBut I am Gbroken too
Fand spoken for
 AmDo Gnot tempt Amme
      Am(G)  C  
Her skin is white
and I'm lDmight as the Csun
So hDmoly light sChines on the E7/Bthings you have Amdone
FSo I asked Ghim how he bE/G#ecame this Amman
FHow did he Glearn to hold E/G#fruit in his Amhands?
And wChere is the lamb that gDmave you your name?
CHe had to leave, though I E7/Bbegged him to Amstay
FLeft me aloGne when I nE/G#eeded the lAmight
FFell to my Gknees, and I wE/G#ept for my lAmife
If Che had have stayed, you mDmight understand
CIf he had have stayed, you never would have E7/Btaken my Amhand
AmHe wroteG  
FI'm low
AmPlease Gsend for Amme
AmBut I am Gbroken too
Fand spoken for
 AmDo Gnot tempt Amme
And wChere is the lamb that gDmave your name?
CHe had to leave, though I E7/Bbegged him to Amstay
FBegged him to sGtay in my cE/G#old wooden gAmrip
FBegged him to sGtay by the lE/G#ight of this Amship
CMe fighting him, fighting lDmight, fighting dawn
And the wCaves came and stole him and E7/Btook him to Amwar
AmHe wroteG  
FI'm broke
AmPlease Gsend for Amme
AmBut I am Gbroken too
Fand spoken for
 AmDo Gnot tempt Amme
      Am(G) C  
Forgive me Hera,
DmI cannot sCtay
He cDmut out my Ctongue
There is E7/Bnothing to Amsave
      Am(G) C  
Love me, oh Lord
He tDmhrew me awCay
He lDmaughed at my sCins
In his E7/Barms I must Amstay
AmWe writeG  
FThat's all right
AmI miGss his Amsmell
AmWe speakG  
Fwhen spoken to
AmAnd Gthat suits us Amwell
AmThat sGuits us Amwell
AmThat sGuits me Amwell

All chords in this song (7)

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What He Wrote

by Laura Marling

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

E7/B

E/G#

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sounds close enough for me. All picking, don't strum. Picking pattern below.

- Some (or even all) of the A minor chords can be replaced with normal Am

- The G in brackets (G) is a very quick passing note.

- For the Am, G and maybe F chords, it may be easier to use your thumb on the bottom string.

open G string as well. Listen and improvise.

Chords:

Am G C Dm E7/B F E/G#

e|-x--x--x--x---x---x--x-----x-|

B|-x--x--5--6---3---x--x-----x-|

G|-5--4--x--x--(1)--2--x- O -1-|

D|-7--5--5--7---2---3--2- R -x-|

A|-7--5--3--5---2---3--2-----2-|

E|-5--3-------------1--4-----4-|

Basic picking pattern (all eighth notes, 3 in a bar):

Am G C Dm

()

e|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|

B|-------------------|-------5-----5-----|-------6-----6-----|

G|-------5-----------|-------------------|-------------------| etc

D|----------7-----5--|----5-----5-----5--|----7-----7-----7--|

A|----7--------------|-3-----------------|-5-----------------|

E|-5-----------3-----|-------------------|-------------------|

[Intro]

Am G C Dm C E7/B Am

Am G C

()

Forgive me Hera,

Dm C

I cannot stay

Dm C

He cut out my tongue

E7/B Am

There is nothing to save

Am G C

()

Love me, oh Lord

Dm C

He threw me away

Dm C

He laughed at my sins

E7/B Am

In his arms I must stay

Am G

He wrote

I am broke

Am G Am

Please send for me

Am G

But I am broken too

and spoken for

Am G Am

Do not tempt me

Am G C

()

Her skin is white

Dm C

and I'm light as the sun

Dm C E7/B Am

So holy light shines on the things you have done

F G E/G# Am

So I asked him how he became this man

F G E/G# Am

How did he learn to hold fruit in his hands?

C Dm

And where is the lamb that gave you your name?

C E7/B Am

He had to leave, though I begged him to stay

F G E/G# Am

Left me alone when I needed the light

F G E/G# Am

Fell to my knees, and I wept for my life

C Dm

If he had have stayed, you might understand

C E7/B Am

If he had have stayed, you never would have taken my hand

Am G

He wrote

I'm low

Am G Am

Please send for me

Am G

But I am broken too

and spoken for

Am G Am

Do not tempt me

C Dm

And where is the lamb that gave your name?

C E7/B Am

He had to leave, though I begged him to stay

F G E/G# Am

Begged him to stay in my cold wooden grip

F G E/G# Am

Begged him to stay by the light of this ship

C Dm

Me fighting him, fighting light, fighting dawn

C E7/B Am

And the waves came and stole him and took him to war

Am G

He wrote

I'm broke

Am G Am

Please send for me

Am G

But I am broken too

and spoken for

Am G Am

Do not tempt me

Am G C

()

Forgive me Hera,

Dm C

I cannot stay

Dm C

He cut out my tongue

E7/B Am

There is nothing to save

Am G C

()

Love me, oh Lord

Dm C

He threw me away

Dm C

He laughed at my sins

E7/B Am

In his arms I must stay

Am G

We write

That's all right

Am G Am

I miss his smell

Am G

We speak

when spoken to

Am G Am

And that suits us well

Am G Am

That suits us well

Am G Am

That suits me well

About What He Wrote Chords by Laura Marling

Learn how to play What He Wrote by Laura Marling with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “What He Wrote chords”, “What He Wrote guitar chords”, or “Laura Marling What He Wrote 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 What He Wrote chords and for experienced players who want accurate What He Wrote lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include A, Am, G, F, C, Dm.

FAQ — What He Wrote by Laura Marling

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What key is "What He Wrote" in?

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