"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?
B E5
Love alone is worth the fight
B E5
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?
B E5
Love alone is worth the fight
B E5
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
E5 B E5
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.
