Awful Beautiful Life
View chords used in this chart
Note-This is played in Drop D tuning to get the full
effect, however it sounds fine with normal chords too.
If you play in normal tuning just ignore the walkdown.
See diagrams at the bottom.
Intro: D - to a quick G (x4)
D G D G
I woke up early with a pounding in my head
D G D G
I'd been out the night before with all my friends
D G D G
A little worried, kinda wondering what I did
D G D
I said, Lord please forgive me for my sins
A G
My wife wanted to kill me but she tried to save me first
A G (walkdown)
You're goin' if I have to drag your butt to church
D G D G
I love this crazy tragic, sometimes almost magic
D G A/E D
Awful, beautiful life
D G D G
I read the hymns and kinda sorta sang along
D G D G
Made it through the Sunday sermon wide awake
D G D G
We met the family for dinner at our home
D G D
Drank some beer, watched the game and cooked some steak
A G
My little brother had a big fight with his wife
A G (walkdown)
And our poor mother sat between em both all night
D G D G
I love this crazy tragic, sometimes almost magic
D G A/E D
Awful, beautiful life
Instrumental: Bm A G (x2) D G D G D A-G-D
Bm F#m
We said a prayer for cousin Michael in Iraq
Bm F#m
We're all aware that he may never make it back
Bm F#m
We talked about the way we missed his stupid jokes
G D/F# Em7 A
And how he loved to be a soldier more than most
D G D G
I lay in bed that night and thought about the day
D G D G
And how my life is like a roller-coaster ride
D G D G
The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way
D G D
It'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight
A G
You can't really smile until you shed some tears
A G (walkdown)
I could die today or I might live on for years
D G D G
I love this crazy tragic, sometimes almost magic
D G A/E D
Awful, beautiful life
D G D G
I love this crazy tragic, sometimes almost magic
D G A/E D
Awful, beautiful life
How to play Awful Beautiful Life
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is D. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.