Ed Sheeran - Take It Back: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Take It Back" 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.

Dm
I'm not a rapper, I'm a singer with a flow
I've got a habit for spitting quicker lyrics, you know
                A#
You'll find me ripping the writtens out of the pages they sit in
         C                           C#dim7
I never want to get bitten 'cause plagiarism is hidden

Watch how I sit on the rhythm, prisoner with the vision
Signed to a label but didn't listen to any criticism
Thought you knew but you didn't, so perk your ears up and listen
Studio is a system and you could say that I'm driven

And now it's onto the next saga, we drink the best lager
I'll never try to win you over like your stepfather
I'll do my own thing now and get respect after
And I'm avoiding the 'caine like it was Get Carter

For four years I never had a place to stay
But it's safe to say that it kept me grounded like a paperweight
At 16 years old, yeah, I moved out of my home
I was Macy Gray, I tried to say goodbye and I choked

And went from sleeping at a subway station
To sleeping with a movie star and adding to the population
Not my imagination, I don't wanna relax
Would it hurt your reputation if I put it on wax? I'll take it back now

Chorus:
Dm                          A#
Come on and take it back now
     C              C#dim7
Come on and take it back now
Dm                             A# C C#dim7
Dont you fade into the back now

I take it back with the rhythm and blues
With my rap pack, I'll be singing the news
Tryna act like Jack Black when I bring it to school
I'll make a beat with my feet by just hitting a loop

Bringing the lyrics to prove that I can fit in these shoes
I'll give you the truth through the vocal booth
And stars burst out on the scene like an Opal Fruit
They try to take aim like Beckham when he goes to shoot

But then again that's what they're supposed to do
And I'm supposed to be calm, I tattooed the lyrics onto my arm
Whispering, "Everything that happens is from now on"
I'll be ready to start again by the end of the song

And still they're claiming that I handle it wrong
But then I've never had an enemy except the NME
But I'll be selling twice as many copies as their magazines'll ever be
With only spectacles ahead of me and festival fees

Are healthier than a dalmatian on Pedigree
Singing for the masses, rubber dinghy rapids
I keep this rapping a habit and keep on fashioning magic
I'm battling for respect, and I don't know if I'll have it
This song's from the heart, covered the planet, I'll take it back now

Chorus:
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No, I'll take it back now

Now, I don't ever wanna be perfect
'Cause I'm a singer that you never wanna see shirtless
And I accept the fact that someone's gotta win worst-dressed
Taking my first steps into the scene, giving me focus

Putting on a brave face like Timothy Dalton
Considering a name change, thinking it was hopeless
Rhyming over recordings, avoiding tradition
'Cause every day some lyrics and a melody could be written

Now absence can make your heart ache
But drinking absinthe can change your mind state
Vividly, need to let my liver be
And I'll say it again, living life on the edge with a closed handful of friends

It's good advice from the man who took his life on the road with me
And I hope to see him blowing up globally
'Cause that's how it's supposed to be, I'm screaming out vocally
It might seem totally impossible achieving life's dreams, but

But I just write schemes
I'm never having a stylist giving me tight jeans
Madison Square Garden is where I might be, but more likely
You'll find me in the back room of a dive bar with my mates

Having a pint with McDaid, discussing records we made
And every single second knowing that we'll never betray
The way we were raised, remembering our background, sat down
That's how we plan it out, it's time to take it back now

Chorus:
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No
Mmm, come on and take it back, love
Come on and take it back for us
Don't you fade into the back, love
No

My dreams keep me awake at night, written in rhyme
Till I deliver the hype, am I just living a lie?
With this you must know that the numbers just sold
Will keep me going through the tough times, dream with me

We forget 90 percent of it when we wake
But the other 10 percent, it never fades
Dreaming dreams of day-to-day goals, stay awake loads
Tried to make the cut like the paper with a razor blade

Oh, never give up, just remember just to hold out more
A couple years ago I couldn't just control that thought
You'd find me busking on the street when it was cold outdoors
Now I'm sweating on the stage of a sold-out tour

Writing love songs for the sake of it, never to make a hit
You can't fake talent and work ethic just to make it quick
I'm not a rapper, I'm a singer, I just take the piss
And most of these other guys are kids that pose

His little sister has to babysit, that's just the way it is
Dreams are your own, just set your goals and have the upmost faith in it
Tread your own path, you'll never make it as a follower
You'll never know where you will go or you will be tomorrow
Igh!


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

C#dim7

Guitar chord C#dim7

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

E

Guitar chord E

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 "Take It Back" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Take It Back" by Ed Sheeran.

Ed Sheeran Song List