WWW.AZCHORDS.COM | Damocles Chords – Sleep Token | Version #1
Tuning:E A D G B E
Capo:2nd fret
[Verse 1]
E A
Well, I've been waking up under blades, blue blossom days
E A
If only Damocles would hit me back
E A
No alabaster carvings or faces on a farthing
E A
Would prevent my head from fading to black
[Pre-Chorus]
B A
And it feels like falling into the sea
B A
From outer space in seconds to me
G#m A
And I play discordant days on repeat
B A
Until they look like harmony
[Chorus]
A
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
B
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
C#m
Come up for air and choke on it all
E
No one else knows that I've got a problem
A
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
E
What if the diamond days are all gone
B
And who will I be when thе empire falls?
Wake up alonе and I'll be forgotten
[Instrumental]
E A
E A
[Verse 2]
E
Well, I know I should be touring
A
I know these chords are boring
E A
But I can't always be killing the game
E A
No golden grand pianos or voices from the shadows
E A
Will do anythin' but feel the same
[Pre-Chorus]
B A
And it feels like falling into the deep
B A
From somewhere way up over the peaks
G#m A
And I play discordant days on repeat
G#m A
Until the tape runs out on me
[Chorus]
A
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
B
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
C#m
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
A
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
E
What if the diamond days are all gone
B
And who will I be when thе empire falls?
E
Wake up alonе and I'll be forgotten
[Bridge]
F#m C#m E B
And nobody told me I'd be begging for relief
A B F#m
When what is silent to you feels like it's screaming to me
F#m C#m E B
Well, nobody told me I'd get tired of myself
A B F#m
When it all looks like heaven, but it feels like hell
[Chorus]
A
When the river runs dry and the curtain is called
B
How will I know if I can't see the bottom?
C#m
Come up for air and choke on it all
No one else knows that I've got a problem
A
What if I can't get up and stand tall?
E
What if the diamond days are all gone
B
And who will I be when thе empire falls?
E
Wake up alonе and I'll be forgotten
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How to play "Damocles" {Chords} on acoustic guitar.
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Song Overview:
Key: E Major
Capo: 2nd fret
Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords Used:
- E major (022100)
- A major (x02220)
- B major (x24442)
- G#m (466444)
- C#m (x46654)
- F#m (244222)
Alternative suggestions:
- A7 (x02020) can replace A for more tension in verses.
==================================
Strumming Pattern:
No official pattern set. Best fit:
- D D U U D U (Down Down Up Up Down Up)
Tempo: about 70 bpm, dragging slow, emotional.
Imagine swinging your hand like a heavy pendulum.
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Sections Breakdown:
Intro:
- E to A gently.
- Let the notes ring long.
- Play lightly, almost ghost-like.
Verse 1:
- E to A repeatedly.
- Play E with a small arpeggio (pluck bass strings first).
- A: emphasize middle strings.
Pre-Chorus:
- B - A - B - A - G#m - A - B - A
- Play tighter, almost marching.
- Dynamics should build like a small tide swelling.
Chorus:
- A - B - C#m - E - A - E - B
- Strumming grows louder.
- At "wake up alone", cut strums shorter, palm mute lightly.
Instrumental:
- Same as Intro.
- Let breath enter the spaces.
Verse 2:
- Same as Verse 1.
- Slightly more attack in pick hand to reflect lyrical bitterness.
Pre-Chorus (variation):
- B - A - B - A - G#m - A - G#m - A
- Note: last G#m-A instead of B-A.
Bridge:
- F#m - C#m - E - B
- A - B - F#m
- Smooth, sad strumming, keep the strokes low and even.
- Try switching F#m for F#m7 (242222) if fingers get tired.
Final Chorus:
- A - B - C#m - E - A - E - B - E
- Strum heavily, almost desperate.
- Last "wake up alone" is quieter, slow down naturally.
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Common Mistakes:
- Strumming too mechanically, no feel.
- Missing muted strokes between choruses.
- Forgetting capo on 2nd fret. Without it, everything sounds too low.
- Rushing tempo; let it breathe.
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General Tips:
- Tune standard EADGBE, capo 2nd fret.
- Use thin pick for better articulation.
- Electric guitars should use warm clean tone with slight reverb.
- Acoustic guitars should aim for bright resonance, avoid muddy bass.
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Song Facts:
"Damocles" by Sleep Token released in 2023,
part of the third album "Take Me Back to Eden."
It's built like an emotional collapse:
each verse quieter, each chorus louder,
like the cracking of a mind under pressure.
The myth of Damocles tells of a man
who sits under a sword hung by a thread,
reminding him constantly of the precariousness of fortune.
In this song, Damocles becomes
a metaphor for emotional dread,
an invisible sword hanging over one's spirit.
Verse 1 reflects numbed existence,
days that bloom only in threat, never joy.
Pre-Chorus captures vertigo,
like a sudden fall from false security.
Chorus questions: when security dies, who remains?
Instrumental speaks through silence:
the absence of effort, the collapse.
Verse 2 acknowledges depression’s fatigue,
and the weariness of forced excellence.
Bridge screams loneliness,
even when surrounded by success or beauty.
Final Chorus resigns:
acceptance of being forgotten.
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Song Meaning:
Each part dissects the soul's exhaustion.
Verse 1: Pretending things are okay, when rot blooms unseen.
Pre-Chorus 1: Sudden plunges into anxiety, random overwhelming fear.
Chorus 1: Panic about identity loss, and futureless nights.
Verse 2: Struggling with burnout, even in passion.
Pre-Chorus 2: Resignation; the "tape" is almost over.
Bridge: Cries for help ignored, silence louder than noise.
Final Chorus: Ultimate fear: becoming a memory no one clings to.
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Comparisons to Previous Works:
Compared to "The Offering" or "Atlantic",
"Damocles" is less about external devotion,
more about internal self-destruction.
It lacks the grandiosity of "The Summoning",
instead it is personal, isolated, naked.
Sleep Token evolve here:
less metal, more melancholy;
less rage, more heartbreak.
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