When I Was Young Chords & Lyrics by Matt Hires
When I Was Young
guitar chords lyrics
CAPO ON 2
Chords (these are the fingerings I’m used to, but if you prefer others, try them out!)
D — x00232
Dsus4 — (after D chord) hammer on e string: x00232 to x00233
G — 320033
G* — hammer on A string: 300033 to G (320033)
Bm — 224432
A — x02220
Em — 022000
Gadd9 — 320035 (just play a regular G if this is too much of a stretch)
Dsus2 — hammer on E string: x00230 to D (x00232)
Intro:
D Dsus4 D Dsus4 D
D G D
When I was young there was fire in my lungs,
Bm A G*
and I just wanted someone to listen
D G D
Some ears to ignite with my pen and my tongue,
Bm A G*
Well I knew it was all just a wish…
Bm A G* …
But that don’t mean it couldn’t exist
D G D
Just seventeen, yeah I gave up my gun
Bm A G*
to play my guitar in the trenches
D G D
So I sang in the face of a man-eating sun,
Bm A G*
That Florida heat is a bitch,
Bm A D
But I wouldn’t trade nothing for it
[Intro]
G* D
When I was young…
G* D
When I was young…
A G D
I got myself broke and beat down, but stood up
A G D
left too many words on the tip of my tongue,
A G Bm
But oh, I was singing at the top of my lungs,
G* …
every night.
D G D
Spinning wheels turning, I fell into love,
Bm A G
swallowed up in a sea of forgiveness,
D
I’ve got a crooked killer heart,
G D
I’ve got, bastard blood,
Bm A G
But my God, oh my God, I forget,
Bm A D
And you keep paying for these second-hand sins
G D
When I was young…
G D
When I was young…
A G D
I was hiding in corners to stay out of sight
A G D
Giving my best but still falling behind
A D Bm A
G
But I was reborn in the dust and the pines, oh my…
D
When I was young
Bm G D
Oh and now I’m, getting pushed and pulled apart
Bm G D
And I don’t know, where it ends or where it starts
Em G
And all of those neon lights, outside of my window
Em G
Tell me it’s not eleven yet, it’s getting close, though
Bm A G Gadd9
And now I just don’t know what… to do
D G D
Then I said, “Matt, you just gotta get back
Bm A G
to those nights when you sat on the cause-way”
D G D
All you had was six strings and a heart that beat
Bm A G
and you knew that it had to mean something,
Bm A G
Yeah, you knew that it had to mean something,
Bm A G (A)
I just knew it was better than nothing,
G D
When I was young…
G D
When I was young…
A G D
We played rock and roll music on broken guitars,
A G D
Spent the whole night laying out under stars,
A G D
She told me she loved me with her hand on her heart,
A G D
Now I’m turning these pages and holding on tight
A G D
Living this life like I’m never gonna die,
A G D
Living this life like I’m never gonna die,
A G Bm A
G Gadd9
Living this life like I’m never gonna die, die, die…
D Dsus4 D Dsus2 D
When I was young
Listen to the record to determine when to hammer on the Dsus4 and the G* chords.
The chords in parentheses are optional.
I hope this made sense, this is the first tab I’ve ever posted.
Leave any suggestions in the comments (or email me at [email protected]) and I’ll
see what I can do!
