1917
View chords used in this chart
Bm Em
The strange young man who comes to me
F# Bm
A soldier on a three day spree
Bm Em
Who needs one night's cheap ecstasy
F# Bm
And a woman's arms to hide him
Bm Em
He greets me with a courtly bow
F# Bm
He hides his pain by acting proud
Bm Em
And he drinks too much and he laughs too loud
F# Bm
But, how can I deny him?
D A
Let us dance beneath the moon
Em Bm
I'll sing to you "Claire de Lune"
D A
The morning always comes too soon
F# Bm
But tonight the war is over
Bm Em
He speaks to me in schoolboy French
F# Bm
Of a soldier's life inside a trench
Bm Em
The look of death, the ghastly stench
F# Bm
I do my best to please him
Bm Em
He puts two roses in a vase
F# Bm
Two roses sadly out of place
Bm Em
Like the gallant smile on his haggard face
F# Bm
Playfully I tease him
D A
Hold me 'neath the Paris sky
Em Bm
Let's not talk of how or why
D A
Tomorrow's soon enough to die
F# Bm
But tonight the war is over
Bm Em
We make love too hard, too fast
F# Bm
He falls asleep, his face a mask
Bm Em
He wakes with the shakes and drinks from his flask
F# Bm
I put my arms around him
Bm Em
They die in the trenches, they die in the air
F# Bm
In Belgium an Franch the dead are everywhere
Bm Em
They die so fast there's no time to prepare
F# Bm
A decent grave to surround them
D A
Old World glory and Old World fame
Em Bm
The Old World's gone, gone up in flames
D A
Nothing will ever be the same
F# Bm
And nothing lasts forever
Bm Em
I'd pray for him, but I've forgotten how
F# Bm
And there's nothing, nothing that can save him now
Bm Em
There's always another with the same funny bow
F# Bm
And who am I to deny them
D A
La, la etc.
Em Bm
D A
F# Bm
Tonight the war is over
How to play 1917
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is Bm. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.