• Song:

    Substitute

  • Artist:

    The Who

  • Album:

    Singles Box

Note: all patterns are approximate

[intro]
||D* D* A/D*  |G/D D D   ||D   D  A/D     | G/D  D D      |
||-------5---3|-3--0-2---||5---2---5-----3|--3-----2------|
||7--3---5---3|-3--3-3---||7---3---5-----3|--3---3-3-----3|
||7\-2--/6---4|-4--2-2--x||7---2---6-----4|--4---2-2-----2|
||0--0---0-x-0|-0--0-0--0||0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0|0-0-0-0-0-----0|
||------------|----------||---------------|----------0-2--|
||------------|----------||---------------|---------------|
*See fingering note

[verse pattern]
|D  D/B D D D/B D|D  D/B D D  D/B D|D  D/B D D D/B D|D  D/B D D  D/B D|
|2--(2)-2-2-(2)-2|2--(2)-2----(2)-2|2--(2)-2-2-(2)-2|2--(2)-2---------|
|3--(3)-3-3-(3)-3|3--(3)-3----(3)-3|3--(3)-3-3-(3)-3|3--(3)-3--------3|
|2--(0)-2-2-(0)-2|2--(0)-2----(0)-2|2--(0)-2-2-(0)-2|2--(0)-2--------2|
|0--(0)-0-0-(0)-0|0--(0)-0----(0)-0|0--(0)-0-0-(0)-0|0--(0)-0--------0|
|----2-------2---|--0-2------0-2---|----2-------2---|--0-2------0-2---|
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|


|D             |G                 |D  D/B D D D/B D|D  D/B D D  D/B D|
   You think we look pretty good together
               (look pretty good together)
|2-------------|3-----------------|2--(2)-2-2-(2)-2|2--(2)-2--------2|
|3-------------|3-----------------|3--(3)-3-3-(3)-3|3--(3)-3--------3|
|2-------------|0-----------------|2--(0)-2-2-(0)-2|2--(0)-2--------2|
|0-------------|0-----------------|0--(0)-0-0-(0)-0|0--(0)-0--------0|
|--------------|------------------|----2-------2---|--0-2------0-2---|
|--------------|3-----------------|----------------|-----------------|

|D             |G                 |D  D/B D D D/B D|D  D/B D        |
   You think my shoes are made of leather
               (shoes are made of leather)
|2-------------|3-----------------|2--(2)-2-2-(2)-2|2--(2)-2--------|
|3-------------|3-----------------|3--(3)-3-3-(3)-3|3--(3)-3--------|
|2-------------|0-----------------|2--(0)-2-2-(0)-2|2--(0)-2--------|
|0-------------|0-----------------|0--(0)-0-0-(0)-0|0--(0)-0--------|
|--------------|-----------------0|----2-------2---|--0-2-----------|
|------------3-|3-----------------|----------------|----------------|
                                                          [vol up]

     |Em    G        D   |Em     G      D     |
I'm a substitute for a----nother guy           
     |-------------------|--------------------|
     |-------------------|--------------------|
     |-------------------|--------------------|
     |---2----------0h2p0|-x-2----------0h2p0-|
     |-----------0h2-----|-x---------0h2------|
     |0-----3^~----------|0------3^-----------|

 |Em          G    D         |Em        G   D         |
I look pretty tall but my heels are high               
 |---------------------------|------------------------|
 |---------------------------|------------------------|
 |---------------------------|------------------------|
 |-----2--------------0h2p0h2|------2----------0h2p0h2|
 |-----------------0h2-------|--------------0h2-------|
 |0-x---------3^-------------|0-x-------3^------------|

   |Em                G     D       |Em    G    D        |
The simple things you see are all complicated             
   |--------------------------------|--------------------|
   |--------------------------------|--------------------|
   |--------------------------------|--------------------|
   |-------2-----------------0h2p0h2|---2----------0h2p0-|
   |----------------------0h2-------|-----------0h2------|
   |0--x--------------3^------------|0-x---3^------------|

|Em          G     D      |Em        G D       |A     D/A|D/A A     |
 Look bloody young but I'm just back-dated,   yeah                   
|-------------------------|---0----------------|---------|----------|
|-------------------------|---0---------------0|--------3|--3-------|
|-------------------------|---0---------------0|---2----2|--2-2-----|
|-----2----------------0--|---2-----------0h2p0|---2----4|--4-2-----|
|------------------0h2----|------------0h2-----|0--0----0|--0-0-----|
|0-x---------3^-----------|0-------------------|---------|----------|

[chorus]
|D   D  A/D    G/D|G/D  Ds2 D       |D   D    A/D        G/D|G/D     D D      |
 Sub sti tute your lies for fact,  I see right through your plastic mac        
(Sub-sti-tute)                      (Sub-sti---tute)                           
|5---2---5-------3|--3------2-------|5---2-----5-----------3|---3----0-2------|
|7---3---5-------3|--3---3--3-------|7---3-----5-----------3|---3----3-3------|
|7---2---6-------4|--4---2--2-------|7---2-----6-----------4|---4----2-2------|
|0-0-0-0-0--0--0-0|0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-|0-0-0--0--0---0---0---0|-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|-----------------|

 |D    D   A/D          |G/D     Ds2 D      |
I look all white, but my dad was black
  (Sub-sti-tute)

                              [2/4]        [4/4]            
  |D    D       A/D        G/D| G/D   Ds2  |D      |       |
My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack
  (Sub--sti-----tute)
  |5----2-------5------------3|--3---------|2------|-------|
  |7----3-------5------------3|--3---------|3------|-------|
  |7----2-------6------------4|--4-------2-|2------|------0|
  |0-0--0---0---0----0----0--0|0-0---0---0-|0------|------0|
  |---------------------------|------------|-------|------0|
  |---------------------------|------------|-------|-------|

[repeat verse]
I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth
                 (plastic spoon in my mouth)

The north side of my town faced east and the east was facing south
                         (faced east and the east was facing south)

       |Em      G     D|Em     G      D |
Now you dare to look me in the eye 
       |-----0-----3--2|--0-----------2-|
       |-----0-----3--3|--0---------3-3-|
       |-----0-----0--2|--0---------0-2-|
       |-----2-----0--0|--2---------0-0-|
       |-----2---------|--2-------------|
       |0-------3--3--2|0------3----3-2-|

Those crocodile tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem and you won't try
To work it out at all, you just pass it by, pass it by

[repeat chorus, muted, volume down, increasing attack to end]

 Substitute me for him 
(Substitute)

 Substitute my coke for gin
(Substitute)

 Substitute you for my mum
(Substitute)

At least I'll get my washing done
  (Sub---sti--tute)

[volume up]

I substitute your lies for fact
 (Substitute)
I see right through your plastic mac
 (Sub-sti---tute)
I look all white but my dad was black
 (Sub--sti-tute)
                              [2/4]       [4/4]   
  |D    D       A/D        G/D| G/D   Ds2 |D      |
My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack    
  (Sub--sti-----tute)                              
  |5----2-------5------------3|--3--------|2------|
  |7----3-------5------------3|--3--------|3------|
  |7----2-------6------------4|--4--------|2------|
  |0-0--0---0---0----0----0--0|0-0--0---0-|0------|
  |---------------------------|---------0-|-------|
  |---------------------------|-----------|-------|
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