"Slave to the Grind" by Skid Row (Slave to the Grind, 1991)

 "Slave to the Grind" by Skid Row (Slave to the Grind, 1991)

Key: D Major
Tuning: Drop D (D A D G B E)
Power Chords Used: D5, F5, C5, G5, Bb5

• D5: 0-0-0-x-x-x (open) or x-5-7-x-x-x
• F5: 3-3-3-x-x-x or x-8-10-x-x-x
• C5: x-3-5-x-x-x or 10-10-10-x-x-x
• G5: 5-5-5-x-x-x or x-10-12-x-x-x
• Bb5: x-1-3-x-x-x or 8-8-8-x-x-x

Intro
D5 F5 C5 G5 (x4, with riff)
(Guitar 1 plays riff, Guitar 2 strums power chords, palm-muted)
Intro Riff (Guitar 1, Drop D, simplified from Songsterr, web ID 5):

e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|-5-----3-----0-------3---3p0-----|
A|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-5-----3-----0---------------3p0-|
D|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-5-----3-----0-------------------|
  PM-----------------------------|

(Guitar 2 strums D5, F5, C5, G5)

Verse 1
D5 F5
You got me forced to crack my lids in two
C5 G5
I’m still stuck inside this rubber room
D5 F5
I gotta punch the clock that leads the blind
C5 G5
I’m just another gear in the assembly line, oh no

Pre-Chorus
Bb5 C5
The noose gets tighter around my throat
Bb5 C5
But I ain’t at the end of my rope, ‘cause

Chorus
D5 F5
I won’t be the one left behind
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind
D5 F5
Tear down the rat racial slime
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind

Verse 2
D5 F5
A routine injection, a lethal dose
C5 G5
But my day in the sun ain’t even close
D5 F5
There’s no need to waste your prayers on me
C5 G5
You better mark my words ‘cause I’m history, yes indeed

Pre-Chorus
Bb5 C5
You might beg for mercy to get by
Bb5 C5
But I’d rather tear this thorn from my side

Chorus
D5 F5
I won’t be the one left behind
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind
D5 F5
Tear down the rat racial slime
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind

Bridge
Bb5 C5
They swallowed their daggers by turning their trick
Bb5 C5
They tore my intentions apart brick by brick
Bb5 C5
I’m sick of the jive, you talk verbal insecticide
Bb5 C5
I’m sick of the jive, you talk verbal insecticide

Solo
D5 F5 C5 G5 (x4)
(Solo by Dave Sabo, D major pentatonic, per Songsterr, web ID 5)

Chorus
D5 F5
I won’t be the one left behind
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind
D5 F5
Tear down the rat racial slime
C5 G5
Can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind

Outro
D5 F5
I said slave to the grind
C5 G5
Slave to the grind
D5 F5
Slave to the grind
C5 G5
Slave
(Repeat D5, F5, C5, G5, fade out)

Notes

• Power Chords: The D5, F5, C5, G5 progression for verses and chorus, and Bb5, C5 for the pre-chorus and bridge, are adapted from Chordify (web ID 24, listing G, D, F, C, adjusted for Drop D), Ultimate Guitar (web ID 18), and Songsterr (web ID 5). Cifra Club (web ID 13) and WeChords (web ID 8) confirm the progression, optimized for power chords in Drop D, per Guitartabsexplorer (web ID 23). Chordify notes D major (~130 BPM); Drop D enhances the heavy riffs.
• Playing Tips: The intro riff (Guitar 1) is palm-muted, using Drop D’s low D string; Guitar 2 strums D5, F5, C5, G5 with aggressive downstrokes. Keep strumming tight for the verse and chorus. The solo uses D major pentatonic; Songsterr (web ID 5) has a detailed tab. Use a high-gain tone (e.g., Marshall JCM800) to match Sabo and Hill’s sound. If using standard tuning, transpose to E5, G5, D5, A5, C5, but Drop D is recommended for authenticity.
• Transposition: In standard tuning, play E5, G5, D5, A5, C5 (capo on 2nd fret for D5, F5, C5, G5, Bb5). For a different key, transpose to C major (C5, Eb5, Bb5, F5, Ab5) using Cifra Club’s transposer.
• Context: "Slave to the Grind" is the title track of Skid Row’s second album, the first heavy metal album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 (134,000 copies sold in its debut week), certified 2x platinum, per Wikipedia (web ID 4). It’s heavier than their debut, avoiding glam clichés, per critics like Martin Popoff (web ID 4) and X posts (

  @doomedparade

  ,

  @HeavyMetal_999

  , web IDs 7, 6). The song’s raw energy made it a live staple, per

  @themetalvoice

  (web ID 5).