Sideways Skull Chords by The Hold Steady

[Intro]

G#   G#   G#   G#  
G#   G#   G#   G#  
 
 
[Verse]

    A
She ordered me Newcastle
 
And handed me a Marlboro
 
Stuck a dove in my right hand
     G#
She took a quick picture
 
But even when we squinted
 
I didn't look so much like Robert Plant
 
 
[Verse]

             A
She flew a flag she made from a bedsheet
 
A sideways skull and a 

lopsided pentagram
     B
Said   asymmetrical's 

way more diabolical
     A                
You don't want to make 
                      E
it look too perfect, man
      B
The trick is not getting cynical
            A          
She had a hairbrush mic 
               E
and a fantasy band
    A             
She opened up with 
                       E
We Are The Champions
      A                         E
Went right into Under my Wheels
        A                 
I was trying to figure out 
            N.C.
how I feel
 
 
[Chorus]

E                         D
    Faded denim with the buttons and badges
     A
    Laminates and backstage passes
     E                     
    Jacket held together by 
     D               A
the rock band patches
E                         
    They let her smoke but 
     D
she can't have matches 
           B
    After last week's pyro disaster
E                           
    She'd like me better if 
   D                  A
I didn't wear glasses
 
 
[Instrumental]

G#   G#   
G#   G#  
 
 
[Verse]

                A
She said we're gonna do a 

show at The Pyramids
 
She said she needs to take a 

call from her lawyers
     G#
Introduced me to the dudes that 

she's calling her crew
 
An assortment of 

sad self destroyers
         A
Sitting six to a table in 

the room off the kitchen
 
Telling stories about 

things they imagined
     B
Like after the show 

we got roofed on the Reeperbahn
 A                       E
Woke up in a video cabin
       B
I was rolling my eyes at

the ritual lies
  A                               E  A  N.C.
Okay, maybe half of that happened
 
 
[Chorus]

         E
    She bites down on the the caplet
              D
    And the blood comes from her mouth
               A
    But it's hard to fully 

rock in a halfway house
E                              
    The band would be better if 
      D                     A
they weren't such burnouts
E                           
    The Beatle boots and the 
  D
glam rock top hat
B
    Isn't gonna make any difference
E                      
    It never works when 
 D             A
no one listens
 
 
[Instrumental]

E      E7   C   Bm A   G#  
E      E7   C   Bm A   G#  
Bm A   G#  
 
 
[Chorus]

E                         D
    Faded denim with the buttons and badges
     A
    Laminates and backstage passes
     E                     
    Jacket held together by     
     D
the rock band patches
A
    They let her smoke but 

she can't have matches
     E
    Bites down on the capsule and
          D
    The blood comes from her mouth
              B
    But it's hard to really

 rock in a halfway house
E                       
    The pesky problem of 
     D            A
the tepid turnout
 
 
[Chorus]

                 E
    I said I've got a band too
               
    We're called 
      D
The Price of Progress
           A
    We've got a reputation as 

New Hampshire's hardest
E                          
    Our singer's psycho and 
     D
our fans are violent
    A
    Once they let me loose 

we're probably touring Europe
E                         
    Morning meetings in the 
 D
room off the kitchen
B
    New medication for the 

same old depression
E                       
    It never works when
  D            A
 no one listens
                   E       
    But it's sure nice to 
                    D      A 
meet some fellow musicians

If you like the work please write down your experience in the comment section, or if you have any suggestions/corrections please let us know in the comment section.

ℹ️ About This Song

The track was written by Craig Finn, Franz Nicolay & Tad Kubler.

Chords Info

• Tuning: Standard(E A D G B E)
• Key: A
• Chords: G#, A, B, E, D, E7, C, Bm
• BPM: 157
• Suggested Strumming:
• D= Down Stroke, U = Upstroke, N.C= No Chord

Track Info

• Song: Sideways Skull
• Artist: The Hold Steady
• Written by Craig Finn, Franz Nicolay & Tad Kubler
• Album: The Price of Process
• Released Date: 31 March 2023