Tuning:

Hands down, and unquestionably my favorite Beach Boys song. According to biographer Jon Stebbins, Sail on Sailor "is perhaps the only perennial Beach Boys favorite to still thrive in the classic rock and album rock FM radio formats of the present." Being consistently inconsistent, Brian Wilson has said both, "It's the only song that we did that I absolutely do not like at all. I never liked 'Sail On, Sailor'" and after he selected the song as one of 19 track selections for the compilation "Classics Selected by Brian Wilson", he said, "I love how this song rocks." [Intro] G C/G G [2X] / / / / / / / / / / / / [Verse]

^GI sailed an ocean,^C/G ^Gunsettled ocean^C/G ^G ^GThrough restful waters^C/G ^Gand deep commotion ^Ebmaj9Often f^Am7/Drightened, ^Ebmaj9unen ^Am7/Dlightened ^Ebmaj7Sail on, sa^Fil on sai^Glor

[Verse]

^GI wrest the w^C/Gaters,^G fight Neptune's ^C/Gdaughters ^G ^GSail through the sorrow^C/Gs ^Gof life's marauders ^Ebmaj9Unrepentin^Am7/Dg, ^Ebmaj9often e^Am7/Dmpty ^Ebmaj7Sail on, sa^Fil on sai^Glor

[Pre-bridge]

^DCaught like a sewe^D#dimr rat a^Emlone but I sail ^DBought like a crust of ^D#dimbread, ^Emoh do I wail

[Bridge 1]

Seldom ^Am7stum^Emble, never ^Am7crumbl^Eme Try to ^Am7tumb^Emle, life's a ^Am7rumbl^Eme Feel the s^Gting^Am7ing I've been ^Ggiv^Am7en Never ^Gend^Am7ing, unrel^Genti^Cng Heartbreak ^Am7sear^Eming, always ^Am7fearin^Emg Never ^Am7cari^Emng, perse^Am7verin^Emg ^Ebmaj7Sail on, s^Fail on, s^Gailor

[Verse 3]

^GI work the seaways^C/G, ^G the gale-swept seaways^C/G ^G ^GPast shipwrecked daughters^C/G ^G of wicked waters ^Ebmaj9Uninspired,^Am7/D ^Ebmaj9drenched and ^Am7/Dtired ^Ebmaj7Sail on, sa^Fil on sai^Glor

[Bridge 2]

Always ^Am7needing^Em, even ^Am7bleeding^Em Never ^Am7feeding^Em all my ^Am7feelings^Em Damn the ^Gthunder^Am7, must I ^Gblunder^Am There's no ^Gwonder^Am7 all I'm ^Gunder ^C Stop the ^Am7crying^Em and the ^Am7lying ^Em And the ^Am7sighing^Em and my ^Am7dying ^Em You've got to ^Ebmaj7sail on, s^Fail on, s^Gailor

[Coda (repeat to fade)]

^Ebmaj7Sail on, s^Fail on, s^Gailor T.W. Day 2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail_On,_Sailor A lost lyric: "Fill your sails with fortitude and ride her stormy waves You've got to sail on, sail on, sailor."

The Beach Boys - Sail on sailor