​a-ha - Lamb to the Slaughter: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Lamb to the Slaughter" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

       Em7          Bm
I went down to the water
       Em7           Bm
Like a lamb to the slaughter
       Em7           Bm               Em7  Bm
Didn't know what was waiting for me there
Em7    Bm         Em7     Bm
Nobody warned me, nobody told me
      Em7      Bm         Em7
My excuse is I wasn't prepared

Bm       Am
I drank deep from the river
and sealed up my fate
               Bm
I should have seen the trap, baby,
   C               D
before it was too late

Chorus:
      Em7  Bm
We go down
      Cmaj7  Bm7
We go down
      Cmaj7          C        Em7 Bm
We go down, it's the only way out

Who is the fool
Who believed all the stories
I wish I could say it's not me
You polluted my head
With the things you said
I became what you wanted to see

All of these years
I've built up this hate
I had my chance coming
But now it's too late

Chorus - x2

I drank deep from the river
And sealed up my fate
I had my chance coming
But now it's too late

Chorus - x2

 Em7 Bm Cmaj7 Bm7
Oooh    ooh  ooh
Cmaj7       C        Em7  Bm
Down is the only way out
Em7 Bm Cmaj7 Bm7
   Ooh       ooh

Cmaj7       C        Em7 Bm Em7 Bm Cmaj7 Bm7
Down is the only way out,   down   ooh
Cmaj7       C        Em7 Bm
Down is the only way out
Cmaj7       C        Em7 Bm
Down is the only way out
Cmaj7       C        Em7 Bm
Down is the only way out
Cmaj7       C        Em7 Bm Cmaj7 Em7 Cmaj7 Em7
Down is the only way out


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

Am

Guitar chord Am

C

Guitar chord C

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

Cmaj7

Guitar chord Cmaj7

Cmaj

Guitar chord Cmaj

D

Guitar chord D

Em

Guitar chord Em

Em7

Guitar chord Em7

Bm

Guitar chord Bm

Bm7

Guitar chord Bm7

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Lamb to the Slaughter" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Lamb to the Slaughter" by ​a-ha.

​a-ha Song List