RUNAWAY – Guitar Lesson

Co-written in 1961 by Del Shannon, Runaway became an infectious hit that was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 500 songs of all time! Here's your Runaway guitar lesson!

  Am G
         As I walk along I wo nder what went wrong
  F E
        With o ur love, a love that was so st rong
  Am G
         And as I still walk on, I t hink of the things we've done
  F E
        Tog ether, while our hearts were yo ung
chorus:
  A
        I 'm a walkin' in the rain
  F#m
        T ears are fallin' and I feel the pain
  A
        W ishin' you were here by me
  F#m
         To end this misery
  A
        And I w onder
  F#m
        I wa-wa-wa-wa- wonder
  A
        W hy
  F#m
        Ah-why-why-why-why- why she ran away
  D E
        And I w onder where she will s tay
  A D A E
        My little r unaway, r un-run-run-run-r unaway  
(instrumental solo 1, over verse chords)
(repeat chorus)
(instrumental solo 2, over verse chords)
(repeat chorus except for last line)
coda:
  A D A
                 My little r unaway, a-r un-run-run-run-r unaway
  D A
        A-r un-run-run-run-r unaway       (repeat to fade)

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

Hank February 25, 2012 at 8:30 AM

You can actually sing! I can't so have to rely on my guitar more for harmony.
You sounded pretty close to Del.
Picking between chords and such
I have a fender strat and a Marshall amp which I do not like the sound of. Your amp sounds really good. I do not really know what my problem is but may try another combination, Can't get the deeper sounds I like.

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admin February 25, 2012 at 9:13 AM

Thank you! If I’m not mistaken Hank … Marshall amps tend to feature sort of a UK sound …. for that cleaner US sound you might think about a Fender amp. I had a Hot Rod for awhile and it had some nice warm tones. I also like and recommend a Peavey Classic 30 or Classic 50. Chhers!

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Hank April 6, 2012 at 4:15 AM

Thanks again Mace.Your suggestion is well taken about the fender or peavy. I will look into. If the sound does not tickle my ears I need to change the gear.90%of my playing is acoustic for that reason. Maybe my ears at 65 need those softer tones! However the old music on a good combo is definitely an ear tickler which can consume one for hours.
If you ever do a lesson on the lead part of runaway I would pay for it. The tune is upbeat and a little hard without tab. Not a good version on the web that I know of.
Regards,  Hank

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Bob April 24, 2012 at 1:10 PM

Hello! I really appreciate these lessons very much. I am a beggining guitar learner, but I love this song, and by golly, I am going to learn it (and sing it)! I cant quite make out the F chord you play here, and it looks easier than the barre version, so if you could help out there, that would be great.
Also, any suggestions on how to get that B#m chord down? That is pretty tough for these beggining fingers!
 
Thanks for all you do!

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admin April 24, 2012 at 1:14 PM

Hi Bob …. your 2nd to 4th fingers are in the same place as for the barre chord ….. your first finger is flattened on the 1st and 2nd strings at the 1st fret instead of barring the entire first fret … hope that helps.

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Bob April 24, 2012 at 1:21 PM

Whoops! Sorry, I meant the F#m chord!

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Addy June 23, 2012 at 2:31 PM

Thanks again Jackson for great classic oldy…. These songs will never fade. Excellent lesson as always and a one for the future which I will try to sing / play and add to my collection. Cheers bud.   Addy

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admin June 23, 2012 at 9:30 PM

I agree … music is pretty subjective but at times …. you just know that a great song is a great song!

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Ron M September 15, 2012 at 2:07 PM

Awesome lesson a lot of fun to play and sing.

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admin September 15, 2012 at 2:09 PM

Thanks Ron …. it is a fun tune!

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mike shattuck December 2, 2013 at 4:57 PM

I need help in bringing up the song yesterday, please reply.

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admin December 2, 2013 at 5:06 PM

I can’t connect with your email Mike … it keeps coming back undeliverable! The link to Yesterday works so if you can’t connect …. it’s at your end. Here’s the link http://songmentor.com/?p=1754

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Gary September 13, 2017 at 4:48 PM

Your a legend Mr. Jackson, great lessons, fantastic guitarist, it's been 20 years since I last played guitar, you've inspired me to pick it up again, thanks…

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admin September 16, 2017 at 9:20 AM

Thank you so much Gary. Much appreciated!

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