Chords for "Better Things"

Date: August 30, 1997  4:24 PM
From: Harlan Leslie Thompson


BETTER THINGS- The Kinks

D   F#m  G   Asus4 A Asus2 A   D   F#m   G   Asus4 A Asus2 A  (repeat)

D                      F#m              G                A                D
Here's wishing you the bluest sky, and hoping something better comes tomorrow
D                      F#m            G                A  
Hoping all the verses rhyme, and the very best of choruses to
Bm            Bm/Bb
Follow all the doubt and sadness
D/A                 E                   A  Asus2 A     G
I know that better things are on their way

        D              F#m          G                A               D 
Here's hoping all the days ahead, won't be as bitter as the ones behind you
D         F#m                G            A 
Be an optimist instead, and somehow happiness will find you
Bm                  F#7 (you could have a Bb as the bass note....)
Forget what happened yesterday
D/A                 E                A   Asus2 A      G
I know that better things are on the way

CHORUS:
(G)                           D              G     A
It's really good to see you rocking out and having fun
D                G    A
Living like you just begun
D                      G      A
Accept your life and what it brings
   D              G        A         D    RIFF    F#m   RIFF
I hope tomorrow you'll find better things
   G              A                  D        F#m    G      A
I know tomorrow you'll find better things

Here's wishing you the bluest sky, and hoping something better comes tomorrow
Hoping all the verses rhyme, and the very best of choruses to
Follow all the doubt and sadness
I know that better things are on the way

CHORUS #2:
I know you've got a lot of good things happening up ahead
The past is gone it's all been said
So here's to what the future brings
I know tomorrow you'll find better things
G                     A              D      RIFF  F#m  RIFF
I know tomorrow you'll find better things
G                     A              D      RIFF  F#m  RIFF   (fade out)
I know tomorrow you'll find better things



RIFF:
E ---------------
B ---------------
G -------0-------
D -0-2-4---------
A ---------------
E ---------------



From: Jim Smart
Date: 20 Nov. 2006

     Bm             Bm/Bb
     Follow all the doubt and sadness


First of all, " /Bb" means to play that note as the bass note. So it's a Bm chord 
with a Bb bass. That's pretty hard to play without dislocating your hand! But the 
Kinks use that a lot, the descending bass line while the chord stays the same.


Second of all, a much better way to play it is this:


     Bm             F#7
     Follow all the doubt and sadness


The notes of F#7 and Bm/Bb are very very similar, though that's not obvious at 
first glance.


I speak with some authority on this, because I had a chance to ask Ray Davies 
himself about this exact chord, which I couldn't figure out. He said it was an F#7. 
This was about 10 years ago at the songwriting course in England, during one 
of the private sessions we had. The question popped out because it was on my 
mind, even though we were supposed to be talking about the song I was writing. 
Funny!

Jim