When I Was Young
View chords used in this chart
Intro:
Em
/ / / / / / / /
[5X: 1: bass (eighth notes) w/cymbal
2: electric guitar (tune low E down to D and back up)
3: acoustic guitar enters
4: violin enters]
Verse 1:
Em D
The rooms were so much colder then
Em D
My father was a soldier then
Em D
And times were very hard
Em
When I was young
Riff 1 [guitar and violin, arranged for two guitars]:
(Em)
v v v v v
------------12-14-12---10-12-10---9--10--9----|-7--
------------10-12-10---8--10-8----7--8---7----|-5--
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(young)
/D Em [Riff 1]
When I was young
Verse 2:
I smoked my first cigarette at ten
And for girls I had a bad yen
And I had quite a ball
When I was young [Riff 1]
Em
/ / / / / / / /
Bridge:
G Em
When I was young it was more important
D
Pain, more pain, but I laughed so much louder, yeah
Em
When I was young [Riff 1]
(D) Em
When I was young [Riff 1]
Verse 3:
I met my first love at thirteen
She was brown and I was pretty green
And I learned quite a lot
When I was young [Riff 1]
/D Em [N.C.]
When I was young
Instrumental break:
[key changes to Gm]:
Gm F [3X]
/ / / / / / / /
Gm
/ / / / / / / /
Chorus [in Bb]
Bb Gm
When I was young it was more important
F
Pain, more pain, though I laughed so much louder, yeah
Gm
When I was young
Riff 2 [guitar and violin, arranged for two guitars]:
(Gm)
v v v v v
------------15-17-15---14-15-14---12-14--12---|-10-
------------13-15-13---11-13-11---10-11--10---|-8--
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(young) * * * parts do not always track
in parallel fifths
Gm [N.C.]
When I was young
Verse 4 [chords implied by bass]:
Gm F
My faith was so much stronger then
Gm F
I believed in fellow men
Gm F
And I was so much older then
Gm [acoustic guitar strums Gm chord; violin enters]
When I was young
When I was young
Coda:
[band re-enters]
(Gm)
When I was young [repeat to fade]
-- another ace 60's tab from Andrew Rogers
How to play When I Was Young
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 Em. 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.