Guilty of Love - Whitesnake

"Guilty of Love" by Whitesnake (Slide It In, 1984)

Key: A Major
Capo: No capo (transpose if needed for vocal range)
Chords Used: A, F#m, D, E, F#m (power chords for riff)
Note: Chords are placed above lyrics to align with vocal phrasing. Use a hard rock strumming pattern (e.g., down-down-up-down). Listen to the album version for rhythm and riff timing. The riff in the chorus is played by Guitar 2 (tab provided below).

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Intro
A F#m D E (x2)
(Guitar 2 plays riff, see tab below)

Verse 1
A F#m
I believe my love for you
D E
Is a love that will last forever
A F#m
An’ I’m here to testify
D E
I’m a prisoner of your heart
A F#m
Baby, don’t you believe
D E
When I tell you I love you, that I really mean it
A F#m
Don’t you walk away
D E
Don’t you turn your back on me

Pre-Chorus
F#m E F#m
I’m guilty of love
D E
It’s a crime of passion
F#m E F#m
Guilty of love
D E
An’ there’s no doubt about it, no doubt about it

Chorus
A F#m
I’m guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree

Interlude
A F#m D E (x2)

Verse 2
A F#m
I can never forget the times
D E
When I took what you gave me for granted
A F#m
So I stand accused
D E
An’ I plead guilty to the crime
A F#m
You can lock me away if you want
D E
Just as long as your arms are around me
A F#m
An’ I won’t mind
D E
If you just throw away the key

Pre-Chorus
F#m E F#m
I’m guilty of love
D E
It’s a crime of passion
F#m E F#m
Guilty of love
D E
An’ there’s no doubt about it, no doubt about it

Chorus
A F#m
I’m guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree

Bridge
A F#m D E (x2)
(Guitar 2 plays riff or solo prep)

Solo
A F#m D E (x4)
(Solo harmonized, use verse chords as backing)

Pre-Chorus
F#m E F#m
I’m guilty of love
D E
It’s a crime of passion
F#m E F#m
Guilty of love
D E
An’ there’s no doubt about it, no doubt about it

Chorus
A F#m
I’m guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree

Outro
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree
(Repeat chorus, fade out with A F#m E)
A F#m
Guilty of love, I’m guilty of love
E
I’m guilty, in the first degree

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Chorus Riff (Guitar 2)

Played during “I’m guilty of love” in the chorus:

E------------------------------------|-------------------|
B--------------------10----9----10---|--10----9----10-\--|
G--------------------11----9----11---|--11----9----11-\--|
D--------------------11----9----11---|--11----9----11-\--|
A--------------------(9)--------(9)--|--(9)--------(9)\--|
E------------------------------------|-------------------|

• Note: Guitar 1 plays A, F#m, E chords over this riff. The riff emphasizes F#m and E power chords with slides.