"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
E5
Love alone is worth the 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?
BE5
Love alone is worth the fight
BE5
Love alone is worth the fight
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?
BE5
Love alone is worth the fight
BE5
Love alone is worth the fight
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
B
Love alone is worth the fight
E
Love alone is worth the fight
B
Love alone is worth the fight
E
Love alone is worth the fight
B
Love alone is worth the fight
EBE5
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.