Boat - Ed Sheeran
Version 1 of 2
- Boat (Chords) (v2)Rating: 4.91 / 5.00
Tuning: Half-Step Down, Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb
UPDATE: The official audio and video were released 21 April 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl-igUrRFD8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKEphyIbtXo
These chords were captured to show how Ed played it in a pre-release live performance in Paris:
https://youtu.be/y4QvngjUKQY
Tune down a half step to play these chords with the official audio.
Standard tuning with no capo to play these chords with the live version linked above.
All chords and tab below are listed as if played in standard tuning.
NOTE: to play along with the official audio without tuning down, you could also transpose these chords
down 5 and put a capo on 4 to play Em, G, D, and C shapes. I have included a second version of the song with
the versions of these shapes I would recommend using at the end of this tab.
In the live version, for the most part it sounds as though he's avoiding the high E string but, after seeing
some additional close-up footage in the new Documentary on Disney+, it appears that he keeps his pinky
rooted on fret 3 of the high E string for all of the chords in this song.
Where I have listed Fsus2*, in the live version it sounds like he hammers from an Fsus2 to F then lifts the
middle finger to an Fsus2 again. He does that twice for each F*.
The C/G chords in the verse are quick passing chords between the G and the Fsus2.
In the first 3 lines of the outro he is just plucking the chord once emphasizing the bass note.
For the "waves won't break my boat" lines, it sounds like the tab below is basically what he is playing.
NOTE: In the live videos I have seen, on the word "my" he plays the Gsus4, but in the official video it
sounds as though he is playing what I would describe as a Csus2/B (Csus2/B x20013) on "my" instead.
I have indicated the note from the official version in parentheses:
e|-------3-3-3
B|-------1-1-1
G|-------0-0-0
D|-------2-2-2
A|-3----------
E|------------
1 + 2 + 3 +
waves
-------3-3-3-|
-------1-1-1-|
-------0-0-0-|
-0-----------|
-------------|
-------------|
4 + 5 + 6 + |
won't
(
-------3-3-3--
-------1-1-1--
-------0-0-0--
-2------------
------------(2
-------------3
1 + 2 + 3 + 4
break m
-----3-3-3-|--
-----1-1-1-|--
-----0-0-0-|--
-----0-0-0-|-3
)----------|--
-----------|--
+ 5 + 6 + | 1
y b
-----3-3-3----
-----1-1-1----
-----0-0-0----
-----------3--
--------------
--------------
+ 2 + 3 + 4 +
oat
---3-3-3-|----
---1-1-1-|----
---0-0-0-|----
---------|-3--
---------|----
---------|----
5 + 6 + | 1 +
---3-3-3------
---1-1-1------
---0-0-0------
---------3----
--------------
--------------
2 + 3 + 4 + 5
(b
-3-3-3-|
-1-1-1-|
-0-0-0-|
-------|
-------|
-------|
+ 6 + |
ut the...)
[Chords]
x02013
3x2013
1x3013
xx0013 ()
xx2013
[Verse 1]
Came in for
the embers,
stayed ou
t for the bree
ze
I need to feel
elements to r
emind me
there's bea
uty when it's
bleak
Stuck out lo
ng before ligh
ts down, w
hy do I breath
e?
[Chorus]
Oh I know,
The more that
I love the les
s that I feel
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
n't
But the waves
won't break my
boat
But the waves
won't break my
boat
[Verse 2]
The stones c
rash on the bo
ardwalk
the wind rus
h through the
trees
I keep my eyes
peeled
The memories a
lways fall sho
rt of
what we could
have been
Left out lon
g before last
call, what
do I need?
[Chorus]
Oh I know,
The more that
I love the les
s that I feel
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
n't
But the waves
won't break my
boat
But the waves
won't break my
boat
[Bridge]
But the waves
won't break my
boat
The waves won'
t break my
boat
[Outro]
The more tha
t I love the l
ess that I fee
l
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
nt
And the waves
won't break my
boat
The chords listed below are the way I would play this song in standard tuning with the capo on 4.
These are the basic shapes Ed uses in videos when he talks about being able to play every song with the
same chords. This is a very easy way to play this one keeping the ring and pinky rooted on fret 3 of the
B and E strings for the entire song (while basically avoiding the high E string in the strumming).
Where I have listed Csus2* and Csus2**, I actually hammer on to fret 2 of the A string (Csus2 to Cadd9) once
for the single asterisk and twice for the double asterisk.
The G/B chords in the verses in the verses are quick passing chords between the Dsus4 and and the Csus2 and
I actually think it matches the song nicely to use hammer on from fret 2 to fret 3 of the A string to make
the transition from G/B to Csus2.
For the outro he is primarily plucking each chord once emphasizing the bass note.
For the "waves won't break my boat" lines in this version, this is what I would play:
e|-------3-3-3
B|-------3-3-3
G|-------0-0-0
D|-------0-0-0
A|------------
E|-3----------
1 + 2 + 3 +
waves
-------3-3-3-|
-------3-3-3-|
-------0-0-0-|
-------0-0-0-|
-0-----------|
-------------|
4 + 5 + 6 + |
won't
-------3-3-3--
-------3-3-3--
-------0-0-0--
-------0-0-0--
-2------------
-------------2
1 + 2 + 3 + 4
break m
-----3-3-3-|--
-----3-3-3-|--
-----0-0-0-|--
-----0-0-0-|--
-----------|-3
-----------|--
+ 5 + 6 + | 1
y b
-----3-3-3----
-----3-3-3----
-----0-0-0----
-----0-0-0----
-----------3--
--------------
+ 2 + 3 + 4 +
oat
---3-3-3-|----
---3-3-3-|----
---0-0-0-|----
---0-0-0-|----
---------|-3--
---------|----
5 + 6 + | 1 +
--3-3-3-------
--3-3-3-------
--0-0-0-------
--0-0-0-------
---------3----
--------------
2 + 3 + 4 + 5
(b
-3-3-3-|
-3-3-3-|
-0-0-0-|
-0-0-0-|
-------|
-------|
+ 6 + |
ut the...)
[Chords]
022033
xx0233
x20033
x30033
320033
x00033
2x0033
[Verse 1]
Came in for
the embers,
stayed ou
t for the bree
ze
I need to feel
elements to r
emind me
there's bea
uty when it's
bleak
Stuck out lo
ng before ligh
ts down, w
hy do I breath
e?
[Chorus]
Oh I know,
The more that
I love the les
s that I feel
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
n't
But the waves
won't break
my boat
But the waves
won't break
my boat
[Verse 2]
The stones c
rash on the bo
ardwalk
the wind rus
h through the
trees
I keep my eyes
peeled
The memories a
lways fall sho
rt of
what we could
have been
Left out lon
g before last
call, what
do I need?
[Chorus]
Oh I know,
The more that
I love the les
s that I feel
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
n't
But the waves
won't break
my boat
But the waves
won't break
my boat
[Bridge]
But the waves
won't break
my boat
The waves won'
t break my
boat
[Outro]
The more tha
t I love the l
ess that I fee
l
The times that
I jumped neve
r were real
They say that
all scars will
heal but I kn
ow
Maybe I wo
nt
And the waves
won't break
my boat