“Come As You Are” is one of Nirvana’s most recognizable songs, especially as the opening song in their MTV Unplugged live acoustic performance. This is the acoustic arrangement as heard on the Live in NY DVD — a stripped-down version that’s more accessible for beginners than the original. Five basic open chords carry the whole song (Em, Dsus, G, A, C), and the famous riff is preserved in the intro tab below.
The original recording uses a capo on the 1st fret, but it’s optional — the song still works perfectly fine without one (you’ll just be playing one half-step lower than the recording).
The Chords You’ll Need
Chord Chart
Intro e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| G|-----------0---0-----------2-----2---------0---0-----------2-------------| D|-0-0-1-2-----2---2-2-1-0-0---0-----0-1-2-----2---2-2-1-0-0---0-----------| A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| For the verses you can either repeat the intro riff (like it's on the CD) or play the following chords: Verse 1 Em Dsus Come as you are Em As you were Dsus Em As I want you to be Dsus Em As a friend, as a friend Dsus Em As an old enemy Dsus Take your time Em Hurry up Dsus The choice is yours Em Don't be late Dsus Em Take a rest, as a friend Dsus Em As an old memory Refrain 1 G Em G ah Memory ah Em G Em G Memory ah Memory ah Verse 2 Em Dsus Come dowsed in mud Em Soaked in bleach Dsus Em As I want you to be Dsus Em As a trend, as a friend Dsus Em As an old memory Refrain 2 G Em G ah Memory ah Em G Em G Memory ah Memory ah Bridge 1 A C And I swear A C That I don't have a gun A C No, I don't have a gun A C No, I don't have a gun Refrain 3 Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Bridge 2 A C And I swear A C That I don't have a gun A C No, I don't have a gun A C No, I don't have a gun Outro Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah Em G Em G Em Memory ah Memory ah
About the iconic intro riff
The descending riff in the intro tab is one of the most recognizable guitar parts
of the 1990s. It’s optional — you can play the verses by simply strumming Em and
Dsus instead — but it’s worth learning. The whole riff lives on the D and G strings,
so it’s more accessible than it sounds.
About Dsus
Dsus is just D with one finger change. From a regular D chord, instead of placing
finger 2 on the high E string at fret 2 (F#), place finger 4 on the high E at fret
3 (G). That extra half-step is what gives Dsus its haunting, unresolved quality —
and it’s why this song’s verse feels so emotionally suspended.
Practice Tips
- Master the Em ↔ Dsus alternation in the verse first. That’s the song’s main chord movement, and once it’s smooth the verse plays itself.
- The intro riff is iconic but optional. If you’re not ready for it yet, just strum the chords through the verse — the song still sounds like itself.
- Practice the D-to-Dsus finger swap in isolation. The motion (adding and removing pinky on the high E string, fret 3 while leaving finger 2 down) is small but takes a moment to wire into muscle memory.
- The capo is optional. If you want the original recording’s exact sound, capo on the 1st fret. If not, the song still works in true E minor — just one half-step lower.