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When I Was Young

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Dmajor

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Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

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  Estring:  x00230 to  D(x00232)
Intro:
D       Dsus4   D       Dsus4   D
When I wDas young there wGas fire Din my lungs,
                      Bm         A  G*
and I just wanted someone to listen
DSome ears to ignite with Gmy pen and my tDongue,
                      Bm         A  G*
Well I knew it was all just a wish…
                      Bm         A  G* …
But that don’t mean it couldn’t exist
DJust seventeen, yeah I gGave up mDy gun
                      Bm         A  G*
to play my guitar in the trenches
So I sanDg in the face of a man-eGating suDn,
              Bm         A  G*
That Florida heat is a bitch,
But I woBmuldn’t trade notAhing for Dit
[Intro]
G*              D  
When I was young…
G*              D  
When I was young…
I got myself broAke and beat downG, but stDood up
left too many woArds on the tip oGf my tonDgue,
But oh, I was siAnging at the top Gof my lBmungs,
G* …
every night.
DSpinning wheels turning, GI fell into lovDe,
swalloweBmd up in a sea of AforgiveGness,
I’ve got a crookDed killer heart,
I’ve gotG, bastard blood,D  
But my GBmod, oh mAy God, I Gforget,
And you Bmkeep paying for these seAcond-hanDd sins
GWhen I was youngD…
GWhen I was youngD…
I was hiding in Acorners to stay Gout of sDight
Giving my best bAut still falling GbehindD  
                A               D       Bm      A
But GI was reborn in the dust and the pines, oh my…
When I wDas young
BmOh and now I’m, getting Gpushed and pulled apartD  
BmAnd I don’t know, where Git ends or where it starDts
And all of those neon liEmghts, outside of my windGow
Tell me it’s not Emeleven yet, it’s getting close, Gthough
And now I just dBmon’t knoAw what… Gto doGadd9  
DThen I said, “Matt, you just gotGta get bDack
to those Bmnights when you Asat on Gthe cause-way”
All you Dhad was six strings and Ga heart Dthat beat
and you Bmknew that it had Ato mean somethiGng,
Yeah, yoBmu knew that it hAad to mean sometGhing,
                      Bm         A         G(A)
 I just knew it was better than nothing,
GWhen I was youngD…
GWhen I was youngD…
We played rock and roll Amusic on Gbroken Dguitars,
Spent the whole night laAying out Gunder sDtars,
She told me she loved me Awith her hand oGn her heDart,
Now I’m turning these paAges and holding Gon tightD  
Living this life Alike I’Gm never Dgonna die,
Living this life Alike I’Gm never Dgonna die,
                A       G            Bm    A
GLiving tGadd9his life like I’m never gonna die, die, die…
DWhen I wDsus4as youngD  Dsus2  D  
Listen to the record to determine when to hammer on the Dsus4 and the G* chords.
The chords in parentheses are optional.

All chords in this song (9)

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When I Was Young

by Matt Hires

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 2 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Dsus2

Dsus4

Gadd9

CAPO ON 2

Chords (these are the fingerings I’m used to, but if you prefer others, try them out!)

— x00232

Dsus4 — (after D chord) hammer on e string: x00232 to x00233

— 320033

G* — hammer on A string: 300033 to G (320033)

— 224432

— x02220

— 022000

Gadd9 — 320035 (just play a regular G if this is too much of a stretch)

Dsus2 E D

— hammer on string: x00230 to (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,

* …

every night.

D G D

Spinning wheels turning, I fell into love,

Bm A G

swallowed up in a sea of forgiveness,

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

But I was reborn in the dust and the pines, oh my…

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.

About When I Was Young Chords by Matt Hires

Learn how to play When I Was Young by Matt Hires with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “When I Was Young chords”, “When I Was Young guitar chords”, or “Matt Hires When I Was Young 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 When I Was Young chords and for experienced players who want accurate When I Was Young lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D, Dsus4, G, A, Bm, Em.

FAQ — When I Was Young by Matt Hires

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What key is "When I Was Young" in?

The chords for "When I Was Young" show the original chord names (including D, Dsus4, G, A, Bm, Em). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.