Why The King Of Love Is Dead Live chords by Nina Simone

Transcribed from the live recording made two days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.




INTRO: a quick strike of B7b5, and then a long flutter of Bb13sus4 and B7

What's gonna happen now? In all of our cities?
My people are rising; they're living in lies.
Even if they have to die
Even if they have to die at the moment they know what life is
Even at that one moment that ya know what life is
If you have to die, it's all right
Cause you know what life is
You know what freedom is for one moment of your life

Bb
But he had seen the mountaintop
        Eb    Fm7      Eb
And he knew he could not stop
Ab                      F7              Bb7
Always living with the threat of death ahead
Eb                  G7
Folks you'd better stop and think
Ab                           F7  Fm7
Everybody knows we're on the brink
Eb         Cm7    Fm7           Bb7       Eb  Fm7   Eb
What will happen, now that the King is dead?


Eb                Cm7      F7             Bb7
We can all shed tears; it won't change a thing
Eb                 G7
Teach your people: Will they ever learn?
Ab                        F7      Fm7
Must you always kill with burn and burn with guns
Eb             Cm7       F7sus4           Bb7             Eb
And kill with guns and burn - don't you know how we gotta react?

Bb
But he had seen the mountaintop
        Eb    Fm7      Eb
And he knew he could not stop
Ab                      F7              Bb7
Always living with the threat of death ahead
Eb                  G7
Folks you'd better stop and think
Ab                           F7  Fm7
Everybody knows we're on the brink
Eb                             F7sus4   Em    Fm7    Em
What will happen, now that the King is dead?