You are currently viewing Bob Dylan –  I SHALL BE RELEASED – How To Play on Guitar and Harmonica

Bob Dylan – I SHALL BE RELEASED – How To Play on Guitar and Harmonica

I Shall Be Released Lesson on Guitar and Harmonica – Chords, Tabs, Lyrics, Sheet Music, MP3 Downloads and More

Quick Facts

  • Written by Bob Dylan in 1967, which he recorded in the studio twice. The first recording occurred in 1967 and appears on Bootleg Series 1-3 released in 1991. The second recording in 1971 appeared on his Greatest Hits Vol. II
  • Recorded and released by The Band on Music From Big Pink in 1968 with Richard Manuel on lead vocals
  • Performed by both Joan Baez and Joe Cocker at Woodstock

Chords, Lyrics and Harmonica Tabs

This is my own transcription.
Bob Dylan lyrics are property and copyright of their owners.
“I Shall Be Released” lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.

Guitar Chords
The song consists of four chords which repeat.
G Am Bm D

7 8 8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 7 -8
They say ev’rything can be replaced,
8 8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
Yet ev’ry distance is not near.
8 8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 7 -8
So I remember ev’ry face
8 8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
Of ev’ry man who put me here.
8 8 8 8 8 8 7 -8
I see my light come shining
8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
From the west unto the east.
8 8 8 7 8 8 8 7 -8
Any day now, any day now,
8 8 -8 7 -8 7
I shall be released.

7 8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 -7
They say ev’ry man needs protection,
8 8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
They say that ev’ry man must fall.
7 8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 -7
Yet I swear I see my reflection
8 8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
Some place so high above this wall.
8 8 8 8 8 8 7 -8
I see my light come shining
8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
From the west unto the east.
8 8 8 7 8 8 8 7 -8
Any day now, any day now,
8 8 -8 7 -8 7
I shall be released.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 7 -8
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
8 8 8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
Is a man who swears he’s not to blame.
8 8 8 8 -8 7 8 7 8 7 -8
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
Crying out that he was framed.
8 8 8 8 7 8 7 -8
I see my light come shining
8 8 9 7 8 8 -8 7
From the west unto the east.
8 8 8 7 8 8 8 7 -8
Any day now, any day now,
8 8 -8 7 -8 7
I shall be released.

Video Transcription

Hi, George here. Welcome to this video from the beautiful woods of Vancouver Island where I’m going to do a lesson on Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released – http://www.georgegoodman.com/music-lessons/bob-dylan-i-shall-be-released-how-to-play-on-guitar-and-harmonica/. Note that my usual standards have been lowered slightly due to the previous evening’s festivities and the remote location.
We’re going to go through the guitar chords, a strumming pattern, talk through the harmonica and the key, then we’ll play through it and wrap it all up.
Ok, so let’s talk through the guitar chords. The song is in the key of G so we start with G, then we go to A minor, then we go to B minor, go to D, and back to G. Those are all the chords in the song and they repeat in that pattern.
Ok, so let’s go through a strumming pattern. I’ll play it first and then we’ll count it out.
So let’s count through that strumming pattern here. For G it’s 1 (2) 3 (4) & (1) & 2 (3) & 4 &. Same for A minor. Then on the B minor it’s on 1 and 3. Same with the D. Then returning to the G and it’s pattern.
Ok, so for the harmonica part here, we’re in the key of G major. I’m using a G diatonic Hohner Special 20 – those are the ones I like to use – key of G.
I like to put a little lick between the verses. I will also play a solo based upon the melody.
All right. Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released guitar and harmonica part. I hope that helps. I hope you can use that to put the song together. Another great Dylan song.
So that’s all we’ve got for today. Please visit http://www.georgegoodman.com for other lessons and guitar and harmonica as well as selected covers and other stuff.
From the beautiful Bamberton park on Vancouver Island in beautiful British Columbia thanks for watching. See you later. Peace.


Learn to Play: All the Tools You Need at Music123.

This Post Has 30 Comments

  1. Scott Burgess

    Great job George! Thank you brother!

  2. expat2010

    Way, way too fast!

  3. Frank Fischer

    What a beautiful place in the middle of the wood… Nice lesson too. Thanx.

  4. Virtual4fun

    Oops G Am Bm Am7 G

  5. Virtual4fun

    G Am Bm A7 G -or- G Am Bm Am G

  6. xlondonlove14x

    Would you happen to know anything about the version off of the ‘greatest hits volume 2’ record? it’s the version that starts off with the fingerpicking and skips the first verse. if so could you do a tutorial on that?

  7. xlondonlove14x

    [..YouTube..] Would you happen to know anything about the version off of the ‘greatest hits volume 2’ record? it’s the version that starts off with the fingerpicking and skips the first verse. if so could you do a tutorial on that?

  8. flodie2

    either back to an Am or throw a quick C instead of D

  9. flodie2

    [..YouTube..] either back to an Am or throw a quick C instead of D

  10. flodie2

    [..YouTube..] either back to an Am or throw a quick C instead of D

  11. Biepaadeg

    This is quite bad actually.

  12. Biepaadeg

    [..YouTube..] This is quite bad actually.

  13. George Goodman

    Should what be Am instead of D? Did I goof up the chords somewhere?

  14. GeorgeGoodmanDotCom

    [..YouTube..] @Swingkid14 Should what be Am instead of D? Did I goof up the chords somewhere?

  15. GeorgeGoodmanDotCom

    [..YouTube..] @Swingkid14 Should what be Am instead of D? Did I goof up the chords somewhere?

  16. Jonah Lake

    Shouldn´t it be Am instead of D??

  17. Swingkid14

    [..YouTube..] Shouldn´t it be Am instead of D??

  18. Swingkid14

    [..YouTube..] Shouldn´t it be Am instead of D??

  19. Viney

    It’s like you’re on a mission to save me time and money!

  20. bbuteo

    Wow, great sound from that guitar.

  21. bbuteo

    [..YouTube..] Wow, great sound from that guitar.

  22. bbuteo

    [..YouTube..] Wow, great sound from that guitar.

  23. George Goodman

    Thanks. Cheers from Canada

  24. martingreenwhite

    greetings from austria. i was at vancouver island about 2 weeks ago (: it looks like in your video man (: good job

  25. martingreenwhite

    [..YouTube..] greetings from austria. i was at vancouver island about 2 weeks ago (: it looks like in your video man (: good job

  26. George Goodman

    Hey Lowell. I really like the Fender. This is the first guitar that I actually bought and has been with me backpacking around Europe and to many a campsite. It doesn’t have a pickup, though, so I don’t do much recording with it.

  27. GeorgeGoodmanDotCom

    [..YouTube..] @rastablues1 Hey Lowell. I really like the Fender. This is the first guitar that I actually bought and has been with me backpacking around Europe and to many a campsite. It doesn’t have a pickup, though, so I don’t do much recording with it.

  28. rastablues1

    [..YouTube..] Hi George,

    How do you like the Fender?

  29. rastablues1

    [..YouTube..] Hi George,

    How do you like the Fender?

Leave a Reply