Can't Keep Johnny Down
View chords used in this chart
Intro: G D C (2x)
G D C G D
Outnumbered a million to one
C G D C
All of the dicks in this dick town
G D C
Can't keep Johnny down
G D C G D
M-e-n piled up in a towering mound
C G D C
None of them once has found a way
G D C
To keep Johnny down
A Em
Spending days by myself
Remembering slights
A B
I'm not a monument to justice
C
Plus which I don't forget a face
G D
And they can't (down, down, down)
C G D
Can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down)
C G D
They haven't yet built the man (down, down, down)
C G D C
That will keep old Johnny down (down, down, down)
Em A C D G C A D
G D
Some dude
C G D
Hitting golf balls on the moon
C G D
Bathroom in his pants
C G D C
And he thinks he's better than m-e
G D C G D
I'm pointing a finger at my own face
C G
They can't know what's in here
D C G D C
And they can't keep Johnny down
A
Beneath my dignity
Em
To flip off the guy
A B
When he pulls up alongside
C
To say my gas cap is unscrewed
G D
And they can't (down, down, down)
C G D
Can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down)
C G D
They haven't yet built the man (down, down, down)
C G D C
That will keep old Johnny down (down, down, down)
G D
And they don't (down, down, down)
C G D
Don't know what I've seen (down, down, down)
C G D
Can't know what's in here (down, down, down)
C G D C
And they can't keep Johnny down (down, down, down)
Em A C D G C A D
G D C Am G
How to play Can't Keep Johnny Down
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 G. 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.