D B7 Joan was quizzical; studied metaphysical Em Science in the home. A7 Late nights all alone with a test tube. D A Oh, oh, oh, oh. D B7 Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine, Em Calls her on the phone. A7 "Can I take you out to the pictures, D A Jo, oa, oa, an?" E7 But as she's getting ready to go, A7 a knock comes on the door. D Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer E7 Came down upon her head. A7 Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer Em A7 D Made sure that she was dead. D B7 Back in school again Maxwell plays the fool again. Em Teacher gets annoyed. A7 Wishing to avoid an unpleasant D A Sce, E, E, ene, D E7 She tells Max to stay when the class has gone away, Em So he waits behind A7 Writing fifty times "I must not be D A So, o, o, o.." E7 But when she turns her back on the boy, A7 He creeps up from behind. D Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer E7 Came down upon her head. A7 Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer Em A7 D Made sure that she was dead. D B7 P. C. Thirty-one said, "We caught a dirty one." Em Maxwell stands alone A7 Painting testimonial pictures. D A Oh, oh, oh, oh. D B7 Rose and Valerie, screaming from the gallery Em Say he must go free A7 The judge does not agree and he tells them D A So, o, o, o. E7 But as the words are leaving his lips, A7 a noise comes from behind. D Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer E7 Came down upon his head. A7 Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer Em A7 D Made sure that he was dead. This arrangement is its contributor’s own interpretation, shared for private study, education and non-commercial use. The underlying song, lyrics and music remain the property of their copyright owners. To request removal, see Legal & Copyright.
8 ukulele chords used in "Maxwell’s Silver Hammer" by The Beatles: A, A7, B7, C, D, E, Em and E7
A couple corrections to an otherwise great transcription!
The lyric for verse one is “pataphysical” not “metaphysical.”
Also, in the second part of verse 3 “she tells Max to stay…” the chords should be D followed by a B7 not E7.
Such a terrifying song! Happy tune with incredibly disturbing lyrics. You gotta love The Beatles! Great transcription, thank you.
A couple little things to add:
That little run between the A7 chord of the pre-chorus and the D of the chorus is just A, A, B, C#. I like to simply pluck out those notes (A string: 0-0-2-4), but if you’re up to the challenge you can play the full chords.
At the end of the choruses, they do a quick little V7-I (A7-D in the original key) right after he sings the word “dead”. Immediately after, the interlude goes F#, A, B, D, B, D, G, E, F#, G, E, F#, D. Tbh I’m not sure how I would pluck that but you’re more than welcome to try to figure it out. My instinct would be to start with a Bm7 chord, move to E7, and then back to D major.
The interlude between the second chorus and the third verse is just the same chords as the chorus. This also happens after the third chorus.
After the last chorus, the coda is something similar to that interlude I typed out above, but I’m pretty sure it’s slightly altered to form an extra cadence or something like that.
As an aside, shoutout to the Beatles for using secondary dominants and ii-V-I progressions in pop music! Some of the tastiest stuff an ear can listen to in my opinion. Happy playing everyone!
-2 is good
Anyone have a strumming pattern? Still a beginner…
does anyone know the riff at the beginning?
first to comment!!!