When I Was Young
View chords used in this chart
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 ronsaninja@gmail.com) and I’ll
see what I can do!
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 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.