How to Play Lady Madonna Chords by The Beatles on Guitar
“Lady Madonna” is a song by the legendary British rock band The Beatles, released as a single in 1968. The song was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon-McCartney, as was the custom for their songs. The song features a boogie-woogie piano riff inspired by Fats Domino, a saxophone solo by Ronnie Scott, and lyrics that depict the life of a working-class mother.
The song is also popular among guitarists, as it has a catchy melody and chord progression that can be played in different keys and styles. In this article, we will show you how to play “Lady Madonna” on guitar using three different versions: a basic version with open chords, an intermediate version with barre chords, and an advanced version with power chords.
Chords
Lady Madonna chords The Beatles 1968 A D A D A D F A A D A D Lady Madonna, children at your feet. A D F A Wonder how you manage to make ends meet. A D A D Who finds the money when you pay the rent. A D F A Did you think that money was heaven sent? Dm7 G7 Friday night arrives without a suitcase. C Am Sunday morning creeping like a nun. Dm7 G7 Monday's child has learned to tie his bootlace. C Bm E E7 See how they'll run. A D A D Lady Madonna, baby at your breast. A D F A Wonder how you manage to feed the rest. A D A D A D F A Dm7 C Am Dm7 Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba C Bm E E7 See how they'll run. A D A D Lady Madonna, lying on your bed. A D F A Listen to the music playing in your head. A D A D A D F A Dm7 G7 Tuesday afternoon is never ending, C Am Wednesday morning papers didn't come. Dm7 G7 Thursday night your stockings needed mending. C Bm E E7 See how they'll run. A D A D Lady Madonna, children at your feet. A D F G A Wonder how you manage to make ends meet. A D F A Set8
Intermediate Version with Barre Chords
If you want to challenge yourself a bit more, you can try playing “Lady Madonna” with barre chords. Barre chords are chords that require you to press down multiple strings with your index finger across the fretboard. They allow you to play chords in different positions and keys without using a capo.
For this version, we will use barre chords in the key of E. This means that you will need to use six chords: E, B, G#, A, C#m, and F#m. Here are the chord diagrams for the barre chords:
E: 022100 B: x24442 G#: 466544 A: x02220 C#m: x46654 F#m: 244222
And here is the chord progression for the song:
E B E B E B G# A E Lady Madonna, children at your feet… E B E G# A E Wonder how you manage to make ends meet?
E B E B Who finds the money when you pay the rent? E B E G# A E Did you think that money was heaven sent?
C#m A Friday night arrives without a suitcase. G# F#m Sunday morning creeping like a nun. C#m A7 G# C#m Bsus B7 Monday’s child has learned to tie his bootlace… See how they run.
E B E B E B G# A E Lady Madonna, baby at your breast… E B E G# A E Wonder how you manage to feed the rest?
E B E B E B G# A E Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa… Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa… Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa… See how they run.
E B E B E B G# A E Lady Madonna, lying on the bed… E B E G# A E Listen to the music playing in your head.
C#m A Tuesday afternoon is never ending… G# F#m Wednesday morning papers didn’t come. C#m A7 G# C#m Bsus B7 Thursday night your stockings needed mending… See how they run.
E B E B E B G# A E Lady Madonna, children at your feet… E B E G# A E C#m D E Wonder how you manage to make ends meet?
You can use the same strumming pattern as before or experiment with different ones. You can also add some embellishments or variations to make your playing more interesting.
You can find a tablature for this version at E-Chords.
Advanced Version with Power Chords
If you want to take your playing to the next level, you can try playing “Lady Madonna” with power chords. Power chords are chords that consist of only the root and the fifth notes of a chord. They are usually played on the lower strings of the guitar and create a distorted and heavy sound.
For this version, we will use power chords in the key of D. This means that you will need to use six chords: D5, A5, G5, F5, C5, and D#. Here are the chord diagrams for the power chords:
D5: x577xx A5: 577xxx G5: 355xxx F5: 133xxx C5: x355xx D#: x688xx
And here is the chord progression for the song:
D5 A5 D5 A5 D5 A5 G5 F5 D5 Lady Madonna, children at your feet… D5 A5 D5 G5 F5 D5 Wonder how you manage to make ends meet?
D5 A5 D5 A5 Who finds the money when you pay the rent? D5 A5 D5 G5 F5 D5 Did you think that money was heaven sent?
C5 F5 Friday night arrives without a suitcase. G5 D# Sunday morning creeping like a nun. C5 F# C5 D# Monday’s child has learned to tie his bootlace… See how they run.
D5 A5 D5 A5 D5 A5 G5 F5 D5 Lady Madonna, baby at your breast… D5 A5 D5 G5 F5 D5 Wonder how you manage to feed the rest?
D5 A5 D5 A5 D5 A5 G5 F5 D# Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa… Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa… Pa pa pa pa… See how they run.
D6 A6 D6 A6 D6 A6 G6 F6 D6 Lady Madonna, lying on the bed… D6 A6 D6 G6 F6 D6 Listen to the music playing in your head.
C6 F6 Tuesday afternoon is never ending… G6 D# Wednesday morning papers didn’t come. C6 F# C6 D# Thursday night your stockings needed mending… See how they run.
D6 A6 D6 A6 D6 A6 G6 F6 D6 Lady Madonna, children at your feet… D6 A6 D6 G6 F6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30
Wonder how you manage to make ends meet?
You can use any strumming pattern that you like, but a common one that works well is:
DD UU DD UU
Where D stands for downstroke and U stands for upstroke. You can play one strum per chord or two strums per chord depending on how fast or slow you want to play.
You can find a tablature for this version at Ultimate Guitar.
Conclusion
“Lady Madonna” is a classic and catchy song by The Beatles that you can play on guitar in different ways. Whether you choose to play it with open chords, barre chords, or power chords, you can enjoy the song and share it with your friends and family.
