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When I

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Cmajor

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Intro:  C,  Fmaj7, C  
CWhen I, When I was a boy
Well I was Fmaj7careless and I was foolish
And I treated life as if it were a Ctoy
Yeah I was Fmaj7careless and I was foolish
And I treat life as if it were a Amlittle baby's toyFmaj7  
Oh boy, oh Gboy
CWhen I, when I was a man
Well I Fmaj7shouldered off my boyish ways
And I set about to learn the best I Ccan
And Fmaj7all the wicked ways of this old world
Were just so hard to underAmstandFmaj7  
Oh man, oh Gman
Chorus:
But if you're Fmaj7stepping hard
you're Gbound to make some Amnoise
And if you're Fmaj7crying
Then I Ghope you're overCjoyed
And if you're Fmaj7lacking
Let me Ggive you what I Amhave
'Cause I've got your Gback
Well I'm coming Cback
COoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, COoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, AmOoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, GOoooh
 C,  Fmaj7, C  
CWhen I, when I was in love
Man I would Fmaj7count my blessings daily
'Cause it seems try fell upon me from aCbove
Oh but Fmaj7somehow time had tricked me to believe it
That it just wasn't enAmough
Fmaj7Mmmmm I fucked it Gup, mmmm
Chorus:
But if you're Fmaj7stepping hard
you're Gbound to make some Amnoise
And if you're Fmaj7crying
Then I Ghope you're overCjoyed
And if you're Fmaj7lacking
Let me Ggive you what I Amhave
'Cause I've got your Gback
And I always Fmaj7have
Oh Cyeah!
COoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, COoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, COoooh, Fmaj7Ooooh, COoooh

All chords in this song (4)

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When I

by Shovels & Rope

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Fmaj7

C Fmaj7 C

Intro: , ,

When I, When I was a boy

Fmaj7

Well I was careless and I was foolish

And I treated life as if it were a toy

Fmaj7

Yeah I was careless and I was foolish

Am Fmaj7

And I treat life as if it were a little baby's toy

Oh boy, oh boy

When I, when I was a man

Fmaj7

Well I shouldered off my boyish ways

And I set about to learn the best I can

Fmaj7

And all the wicked ways of this old world

Am Fmaj7

Were just so hard to understand

Oh man, oh man

Chorus:

Fmaj7

But if you're stepping hard

G Am

you're bound to make some noise

Fmaj7

And if you're crying

G C

Then I hope you're overjoyed

Fmaj7

And if you're lacking

G Am

Let me give you what I have

'Cause I've got your back

Well I'm coming back

C Fmaj7 C Fmaj7 Am Fmaj7 G

Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh

C Fmaj7 C

, ,

When I, when I was in love

Fmaj7

Man I would count my blessings daily

'Cause it seems try fell upon me from above

Fmaj7

Oh but somehow time had tricked me to believe it

That it just wasn't enough

Fmaj7 G

Mmmmm I fucked it up, mmmm

Chorus:

Fmaj7

But if you're stepping hard

G Am

you're bound to make some noise

Fmaj7

And if you're crying

G C

Then I hope you're overjoyed

Fmaj7

And if you're lacking

G Am

Let me give you what I have

'Cause I've got your back

Fmaj7

And I always have

Oh yeah!

C Fmaj7 C Fmaj7 C Fmaj7 C

Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh

About When I Chords by Shovels & Rope

Learn how to play When I by Shovels & Rope with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “When I chords”, “When I guitar chords”, or “Shovels & Rope When I 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 chords and for experienced players who want accurate When I lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, Fmaj7, Am, G.

FAQ — When I by Shovels & Rope

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Yes. Tap any chord in "When I" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "When I" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "When I" in?

The chords for "When I" show the original chord names (including C, Fmaj7, Am, G). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.