"Love Alone is Worth the Fight" by Switchfoot
This is a pretty simple song. You can play it different ways. For example, I've seen
Jon use the E and E5 interchangeably, but I like using the E to give certain parts more
emphasis, so you can do it however you want. I would recommend listening to a radio
performance to get the strumming. At the bottom I've included a few notes on things you can
add to make it more interesting once you've got this down. Have fun.
Standard tuning, no capo.
Chords:
B- 7998xx
E5- 079900
E- 022100
EM7- 066440
F#- 2443xx
Intro: B E5 B E5 B E EM7 F# E
Verse 1:
[B]I?m trying to find where my place is
I?m looking for my own oasis
[E5]So close I can taste this
The fear that love alone erases
[B]So I?m back to the basics
I figure it?s time I face this
[E5]Time to take my own advice
(pause) B
Love alone is worth the fight
Love alone is worth the [E5]fight
Verse 2:
[B]And I never thought it?d come to this
But it seems like I?m finally feeling numb to this
[E5]The funny thing about a name is
You forget what the reason you were playing the game is
[B]And it?s all an illusion
A 21st century institution
[E]So I?m heading down the open road unknown
Chorus:
[B]And we find what we?re made of
[E5]Through the open door
[B]Is it fear you?re afraid of?
[E]What are you waiting for?
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Verse 3:
[B]We?re only here for a season
I?m looking for the rhyme and reason
[E5]Why you?re born why you?re leaving
What you fear and what you believe in
[B]Why you?re living and breathing
Why you?re fighting it and getting it even
[E]Let?s go headed down the open road unknown
Chorus:
[B]And we find what we?re made of
[E5]Through the open door
[B]Is it fear you?re afraid of?
[E]What are you waiting for?
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Then on the last ?yeah? you play this (listen for strumming pattern; I recommend an
acoustic/radio performance):
e-------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------|
G--11/16-16-15-13?-11/16-16-15-13-----|
D-------------------------------------|
A---9/14-14-13-11---9/14-14-13-11-----|
E-------------------------------------|
Outro:
[B]Here we are here we go
[E5]Where the road is our own
[B]Feel it calling you home
[E]Here we are here we go
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
Love alone is worth the [E]fight
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
Love alone is worth the [E]fight
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
[E5] [B] [E5]
Notes:
There's a few things you can add in if you want to make the song a little more interesting.
-I like to play the B and e strings open for the second half of strumming the F# in the
intro. I think it sounds more like the song.
-During the verses it sounds like Jon is sort of strumming and picking at the strings.
So I like to strum a few times lightly, and then pluck the D string. Also, on the last
strum before you pluck the D string, I think it sounds good if you don't hit either E
string. This only works when you're playing the E5, not the E, though. You can kind of
play with it. It sounds like Jon is playing loosely.
-The other thing is on the part I have tabbed out, I like to actually slide down one
more fret quickly for one strum before moving to the next part (besides the slide). So,
(following the finger on the A string) you'd slide 9/14, play on the 14th fret, quickly
strum on the 15th fret before going up to the 13th fret and so on. I think that sounds more
like the studio version of the song, though during radio performances they usually just
play it how I have it tabbed above. I hope that made sense.
Sorry this was long. Have fun.
This is a pretty simple song. You can play it different ways. For example, I've seen
Jon use the E and E5 interchangeably, but I like using the E to give certain parts more
emphasis, so you can do it however you want. I would recommend listening to a radio
performance to get the strumming. At the bottom I've included a few notes on things you can
add to make it more interesting once you've got this down. Have fun.
Standard tuning, no capo.
Chords:
B- 7998xx
E5- 079900
E- 022100
EM7- 066440
F#- 2443xx
Intro: B E5 B E5 B E EM7 F# E
Verse 1:
[B]I?m trying to find where my place is
I?m looking for my own oasis
[E5]So close I can taste this
The fear that love alone erases
[B]So I?m back to the basics
I figure it?s time I face this
[E5]Time to take my own advice
(pause) B
Love alone is worth the fight
Love alone is worth the [E5]fight
Verse 2:
[B]And I never thought it?d come to this
But it seems like I?m finally feeling numb to this
[E5]The funny thing about a name is
You forget what the reason you were playing the game is
[B]And it?s all an illusion
A 21st century institution
[E]So I?m heading down the open road unknown
Chorus:
[B]And we find what we?re made of
[E5]Through the open door
[B]Is it fear you?re afraid of?
[E]What are you waiting for?
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Verse 3:
[B]We?re only here for a season
I?m looking for the rhyme and reason
[E5]Why you?re born why you?re leaving
What you fear and what you believe in
[B]Why you?re living and breathing
Why you?re fighting it and getting it even
[E]Let?s go headed down the open road unknown
Chorus:
[B]And we find what we?re made of
[E5]Through the open door
[B]Is it fear you?re afraid of?
[E]What are you waiting for?
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Love alone is worth the [B]fight[E5]
Then on the last ?yeah? you play this (listen for strumming pattern; I recommend an
acoustic/radio performance):
e-------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------|
G--11/16-16-15-13?-11/16-16-15-13-----|
D-------------------------------------|
A---9/14-14-13-11---9/14-14-13-11-----|
E-------------------------------------|
Outro:
[B]Here we are here we go
[E5]Where the road is our own
[B]Feel it calling you home
[E]Here we are here we go
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
Love alone is worth the [E]fight
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
Love alone is worth the [E]fight
Love alone is worth the [B]fight
[E5] [B] [E5]
Notes:
There's a few things you can add in if you want to make the song a little more interesting.
-I like to play the B and e strings open for the second half of strumming the F# in the
intro. I think it sounds more like the song.
-During the verses it sounds like Jon is sort of strumming and picking at the strings.
So I like to strum a few times lightly, and then pluck the D string. Also, on the last
strum before you pluck the D string, I think it sounds good if you don't hit either E
string. This only works when you're playing the E5, not the E, though. You can kind of
play with it. It sounds like Jon is playing loosely.
-The other thing is on the part I have tabbed out, I like to actually slide down one
more fret quickly for one strum before moving to the next part (besides the slide). So,
(following the finger on the A string) you'd slide 9/14, play on the 14th fret, quickly
strum on the 15th fret before going up to the 13th fret and so on. I think that sounds more
like the studio version of the song, though during radio performances they usually just
play it how I have it tabbed above. I hope that made sense.
Sorry this was long. Have fun.
