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Break The Shell

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Cmajor

90BPM

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[Intro]
C G Am Em F Em C
[Verse]
    AmI met a pFrophet dark as the nGight
She could sCee intGo my Amsoul
Said she'd been wFatching and had some adGvice
She said sChadows mGake you wAmhole
A life without pFain is a wolf in sheep's clGothes
Cause if you lCisten Gto the Amlessons Emthat it Dholds
You'll find the gFoldG  
[Chorus]
CChild it's tGime Amto break the sEmhell
LFife's gonna hEmurt but it's mFeant to be fGelt
You cannCot touch the sGky from Aminside yourEmself
FYou cannot Emfly uFntil you bGreak the sChell
[Verse]
   AmI can remFember when I was a cGhild
How the gCrown folks sGeemed so cAmrazy
Why are they so aFngry, why are they so lGoud ?
And when I gCrow up that's nGever ever gonna Ambe me
That was the mFoment that I decGide
That I would bCuild a wGall just sAmhy of sEmix feet tDall
Too strong to FfallG  
[Chorus]
CChild it's tGime Amto break the sEmhell
LFife's gonna hEmurt but it's mFeant to be fGelt
You cannCot touch the sGky from iAmnside yourEmself
FYou cannot Emfly uFntil you bGreak the sChell
[Bridge]
   FCourage is not being hCard
It's time to pEmeel back all of the layers
You Amput between who you're meant to Dbe
And who you Fare
And go be who you Fmare
[Verse]
   AmSo much disappFointment to finally undersGtand
That there is Cno such tGhing as Amperfect
Were all simply dFoing the best that we cGan
And we have a cChoice to lGive or Amtruly Embe alDive
TGhis is your lCife
[Chorus]
(C)            G              Am  Em  
Child it's time to break the shell
LFife's gonna hEmurt but it's mFeant to be fGelt
You cannCot touch the sGky from iAmnside yourEmself
FYou cannot Emfly uFntil you bGreak the sChell
(C)            G              Am  Em  
Child it's time to break the shell
LFife's gonna hEmurt but it's mFeant to be fGelt
You cannCot touch the sGky from iAmnside yourEmself
A bFird cannot fEmly uFntil it bGreaks the sChell
[Outro]
CDo with Gthese words Amwhat you wGill
It's tFime for Cus to Dbe for reaGl
YFou'll be stuck on the Dground unFtil
FYou finally Gbreak the Cshell

All chords in this song (7)

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Break The Shell

by India.Arie

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

C G Am Em F Em C

[Verse]

Am F G

I met a prophet dark as the night

C G Am

She could see into my soul

F G

Said she'd been watching and had some advice

C G Am

She said shadows make you whole

F G

A life without pain is a wolf in sheep's clothes

C G Am Em D

Cause if you listen to the lessons that it holds

F G

You'll find the gold

[Chorus]

C G Am Em

Child it's time to break the shell

F Em F G

Life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt

C G Am Em

You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself

F Em F G C

You cannot fly until you break the shell

[Verse]

Am F G

I can remember when I was a child

C G Am

How the grown folks seemed so crazy

F G

Why are they so angry, why are they so loud ?

C G Am

And when I grow up that's never ever gonna be me

F G

That was the moment that I decide

C G Am Em D

That I would build a wall just shy of six feet tall

F G

Too strong to fall

[Chorus]

C G Am Em

Child it's time to break the shell

F Em F G

Life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt

C G Am Em

You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself

F Em F G C

You cannot fly until you break the shell

[Bridge]

F C

Courage is not being hard

It's time to peel back all of the layers

Am D

You put between who you're meant to be

And who you are

And go be who you are

[Verse]

Am F G

So much disappointment to finally understand

C G Am

That there is no such thing as perfect

F G

Were all simply doing the best that we can

C G Am Em D

And we have a choice to live or truly be alive

G C

This is your life

[Chorus]

C G Am Em

()

Child it's time to break the shell

F Em F G

Life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt

C G Am Em

You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself

F Em F G C

You cannot fly until you break the shell

C G Am Em

()

Child it's time to break the shell

F Em F G

Life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt

C G Am Em

You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself

F Em F G C

A bird cannot fly until it breaks the shell

[Outro]

C G Am G

Do with these words what you will

F C D G

It's time for us to be for real

F D F

You'll be stuck on the ground until

F G C

You finally break the shell

About Break The Shell Chords by India.Arie

Learn how to play Break The Shell by India.Arie with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Break The Shell chords”, “Break The Shell guitar chords”, or “India.Arie Break The Shell chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Break The Shell chords and for experienced players who want accurate Break The Shell lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, G, Am, Em, F, A.

FAQ — Break The Shell by India.Arie

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What key is "Break The Shell" in?

The chords for "Break The Shell" show the original chord names (including C, G, Am, Em, F, A). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.