“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is a catchy and upbeat song by The Beatles, released in 1968 as part of their album The Beatles (also known as the White Album). The song was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. It features a ska-inspired rhythm, a piano solo, and lyrics about a fictional couple named Desmond and Molly Jones.

The song is in the key of B-flat major, but it can be played with a capo on the first fret to simplify the chords. In this article, we will show you how to play “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles on guitar using three different sources of chords and tabs.

Chords

intro]
|E   |A   |A   |A   |A
 
[Verse 1]
A                           E
Desmond has a barrow in the market place,
E7                       A
Molly is a singer in the band.
A7                             D
Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your face
          A                E                A
And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand,
 
[Chorus]
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
 
[Verse 2]
A                              E
Desmond takes a trolley to the jeweller's store.
E7                         A
Buys a twenty carat golden ring.
A7                             D
Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door.
          A               E             A
And as he gives it to her she begins to sing,
 
[Chorus]
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
 
[Bridge]
D                                                      A Asus2 A A7
In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home.
D
With a couple of kids running in the yard,
   A/E               E
Of Desmond and Molly Jones. (ha ha ha ha)
 
[Verse 3]
A                       E
Happy ever after in the market place,
E7                               A
Desmond lets the children lend a hand.
A7                               D
Molly stays at home and does her pretty face
           A                 E                 A
And in the evening she still sings it with the band.
 
[Chorus]
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
 
[Bridge]
D                                                      A Asus2 A A7
In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home.
D
With a couple of kids running in the yard,
   A/E               E
Of Desmond and Molly Jones. (ha ha ha ha)
 
[Verse 4]
A                       E
Happy ever after in the market place,
E7                             A
Molly lets the children lend a hand.
A7                                 D
Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face
           A               E               A
And in the evening she's a singer with the band.
 
[Outro]
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         A
La-la how their life goes on.
A                             E    F#m7
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.. bra.
A               E         F#m
La-la how their life goes on.
                               E            A
And if you want some fun, sing Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da

The strumming pattern is:

| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |

D D U U D U

where D stands for downstroke and U stands for upstroke.

The song has four verses, four choruses, two bridges, and an outro. The chord progression for each section is:

• Verse: A E E7 A A7 D A E A
• Chorus: A E F#m A E A
• Bridge: D A Asus2 A A7 D A/E E
• Outro: A E F#m A E F#m E A

You can follow the lyrics and the chords on the website, or watch a video lesson that explains how to play the song step by step.

E-Chords

E-Chords is another website that offers guitar chords and tabs for various songs. It also has video lessons, guitar tuner, metronome, and other tools for guitar players. You can find a version of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles on E-Chords that is similar to the one on Ultimate Guitar, but with some minor differences.

This version of the song uses the same chords as the previous one, but with different names:

• Bb (x13331) instead of A
• F (133211) instead of E
• F7 (131211) instead of E7
• Eb (x68886) instead of D
• Gm (355333) instead of F#m
• Bbsus2 (x13311) instead of Asus2
• Bb7 (x13131) instead of A7
• Bb/F (113331) instead of A/E

The strumming pattern is also the same as before:

| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |

D D U U D U

The chord progression for each section is:

• Verse: Bb F F7 Bb Bb7 Eb Bb F Bb
• Chorus: Bb F Gm Bb F Bb
• Bridge: Eb Bb Bbsus2 Bb Bb7 Eb Bb/F F7
• Outro: Bb F Gm Bb F Gm F Bb

You can follow the lyrics and the chords on the website, or watch a video lesson that shows how to play the song with a capo on the first fret.

YouTube

YouTube is a great source of video tutorials for learning how to play guitar songs. There are many channels that offer lessons for “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles, but we will recommend one that we think is clear and easy to follow.

This version of the song uses the same chords as the first one, but with different fingerings:

• A (577655) instead of x02220
• E (022100) instead of 022100
• E7 (020130) instead of 020100
• D (xx0232) instead of xx0232
• F#m (244222) instead of 244222
• Asus2 (x02200) instead of x02200
• A7 (575655) instead of x02020
• A/E (x02120) instead of 0x2220

The strumming pattern is slightly different from the previous ones:

| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |

D D U D U D U

The chord progression for each section is the same as before:

• Verse: A E E7 A A7 D A E A
• Chorus: A E F#m A E A
• Bridge: D A Asus2 A A7 D A/E E
• Outro: A E F#m A E F#m E A

You can watch the video lesson and follow the instructor’s instructions and tips.

Conclusion

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles is a fun and easy song to play on guitar. You can choose from different sources of chords and tabs, depending on your preference and skill level. The song has a simple structure and a catchy melody that will make you want to sing along. We hope this article helped you learn how to play “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles on guitar. Happy strumming!