“Redemption Song” is Bob Marley’s stripped-down 1980 acoustic masterpiece — the closing track of his final studio album Uprising. It’s also one of the most beloved beginner songs in popular guitar, especially for players ready to take their first steps into fingerstyle picking. The iconic intro lick is often a first fingerpicking piece for new players: melodic, deliberate, and rooted in the bass strings.
The song uses a small set of basic chords (G, Em, C, Am, D) plus several gentle variations (Em7, Am7, G/B, C/B, Am6) that create the song’s distinctive descending basslines. Don’t be intimidated by the variants — they’re slight modifications of chords you already know.
The Chords You’ll Need
Main chords
Variants used throughout
Chord Chart
Intro e|----------------------|----------------------| B|----------------------|----------------------| G|----------------------|----------------------| D|--------------1/2-0---|-------0--------------| A|----0-2---2/3-------2-|----0-2---2-3-2-0-----| E|-3------3-------------|-3----------------3---| e|----------------------|----------------------| B|----------------------|----------------------| G|----------------------|----------------------| D|--------------1/2-0---|-------0--------------| A|----0-2---2/3-------2-|----0-2-----3-2-0-----| E|-3------3-------------|-3----------------3---| ( / = slide up ) Verse 1 G Em Em7 Old pirates, yes, they rob I. C G/B Am Sold I to the merchant ships G Em C G/B Am minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit. G Em Em7 But my hand was made strong C G/B Am By the hand of the Almighty. G Em C Am7 D We forward in this generation triumphantly. Chorus 1 G C D G Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom? C D Em C D G C Cause all I ever had, redemption songs, D G C D redemption songs. Verse 2 G Em Em7 Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, C G/B Am None but ourselves can free our minds. G Em Have no fear for atomic energy, C G/B D 'Cause none of them can stop the time. G Em Em7 How long shall they kill our prophets C G/B Am While we stand aside and look? G Em Ooh, some say it's just a part of it. C Am7 D We've got to fulfill the book. Chorus 2 G C D G Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom? C D Em C D G C 'Cause all I ever had, redemption songs, D G C D G C D redemption songs, redemption songs. Instrumental Em C D Em C D Em C D Em C D Verse 3 G Em Em7 Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, C G/B Am None but ourselves can free our minds. G Em Woh, Have no fear for atomic energy, C G/B D 'Cause none of them-ah can-ah stop-ah the time. G Em Em7 How long shall they kill our prophets C G/B Am While we stand aside and look? G Em Yes, some say it's just a part of it. C Am7 D We've got to fulfill the book. Chorus 3 G C D G Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom? C D Em C D G 'Cause all I ever had, redemption songs, C D Em C D Em C All I ever had, redemption songs, D G C D G These songs of freedom, songs of freedom Outro C C/B Am Am6
About the iconic intro & the slide notation
The opening picking pattern is one of the friendliest first steps into fingerstyle
guitar — melodic, deliberate, and rooted in the bass strings. The “/” notation
marks a slide: “2/3” means play fret 2, then slide your finger up to fret 3 on the
same string without picking again.
Slides are optional flourishes — beginners can simply play the destination note (so “2/3” becomes “3”, and “1/2” becomes “2”) and the song still sounds great.
Slides are optional flourishes — beginners can simply play the destination note (so “2/3” becomes “3”, and “1/2” becomes “2”) and the song still sounds great.
About the chord variants
Em7, Am7, G/B, C/B, and Am6 are all added-note or different-bass variations of the
basic chords. The “/B” suffix means a different bass note (G/B = G chord with B in
the bass). These variants create the song’s gentle, descending bass lines —
especially in the outro (C → C/B → Am → Am6). If any trip you up, substitute the
basic chord — the song still works beautifully.
Practice Tips
- The verse progression G → Em → C → G/B → Am repeats throughout the verses. Lock that loop in and you’ve got the song’s spine.
- The chord variants are slight modifications of basics. If they trip you up, substitute the basic chord (G for G/B, Em for Em7, Am for Am7). The song still flows.
- The intro picking pattern is one of the most beginner-friendly first fingerstyle pieces in popular guitar. Take it slow — the rhythm should feel like a relaxed walking pace, not rushed. Skip the slides if needed and the song still works.
- This song is about restraint and emotional weight. Let each chord ring before changing — the space between chord changes is part of what makes the song land.