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Only The Good Die Young

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Capo on fret 5 (as written in this song)

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

Only The Good Die Young
The Stranger, 1977
Billy Joel
Capo 5
Chords Used:
   Cx32010      G320033   G*     32003x     D/F#20023x
   Dxx0232      Ax02220     Cadd9x32030      G/Dxx0003
  Em022000    G/Bx2003x   Cadd9* x32033     G5/Dxx0033
For the G/D either G/D or G5/D can be used
[Intro]
 Cadd9  Cadd9*  Cadd9|  Cadd9   D/F#  G*
 Cadd9  Cadd9*  Cadd9|  Cadd9  D/F#  
[Verse]
CCome out Virginia, G/Ddon't let me Emwait
You CCatholic girls start mDuch too Glate
But Csooner or later it cG/Domes down to Emfate
I Cmight as well be the Done
Well, they Cshowed you a statue, G/Dtold you to Empray
They Cbuilt you a temple and lDocked you Gaway
But Cthey never told you the G/Dprice that you Empay
For Cthings that you might have Ddone
[Chorus]
Only the good die GyounCg
That's what I saidD  G  
Only the good Gdie Cyoung
Only the good Ddie youngG  
[Verse]
You might have Cheard I run with a G/Ddangerous Emcrowd
We Cain't too pretty, we Dain't too Gproud
We Cmight be laughing a G/Dbit too Emloud
But Cthat never hurt no Done
So come Con Virginia, shG/Dow me a Emsign
CSend up a signal, I'll Dthrow you the Gline
The Cstained-glass curtain you're G/Dhiding beEmhind
CNever lets in the Dsun
[Chorus]
Darlin', only the good die GyoungC  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wDhoaG  
I tell ya only the good Gdie Cyoung
Only the good Ddie youngG  
[Bridge]
You got a Dnice white dress and a Cparty on your confirmaGtion
You got a Abrand new soul, and a crCoss of gold
But VirDginia they didn't give you qCuite enough informaGtion
You didn't cAount on me when you were counting on your Crosary
DOh Cwoah G/Bwoah
[Verse]
They Csay there's a heaven for G/Dthose who will Emwait
CSome say it's better but DI say it Gain't
I'd rather Claugh with the sinners than G/Dcry with the Emsaints
The Csinners are much more Dfun
[Chorus]
You know that only the good die GyoungC  
Oh woah, babDyG  
I tell ya only the good Gdie Cyoung
Only the good Ddie younGg
[Instrumental]
D  C  G    A    C
[Bridge]
You say your Dmother told you all that I could Cgive you was a repuGtation
Aww, she never Acared for me
But did she ever say a Cprayer for me?
DOh Cwoah G/Bwoah
[Verse]
Come ouCt, come out, come out VirG/Dginia, don't Emlet me wait,
  CYou Catholic Dgirls start Gmuch too late
 CSooner or later it G/Dcomes down to Emfate
I Cmight as well be the Done
You know that only the good die yGoungC  
[Outro]
D  G  G  C  D  G

All chords in this song (10)

The story behind the song

This song is told from the perspective of a young man trying to convince a Catholic girl to have sex with him. He believes her religious upbringing is the only thing holding her back, and he attempts to persuade her that "only the good die young." Despite the narrator's efforts, the girl ultimately maintains her chastity. The song, from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger, captures a moment of youthful desire and the clash between religious conviction and burgeoning lust.

AI-written from these sources:Only the Good Die Young — Wikipedia ↗List of Billy Joel band members — Wikipedia ↗

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Chord Book

670,000+ free guitar chords · free-chords.com

Only The Good Die Young

by Billy Joel

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 5 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

D/F#

Cadd9

G/D

G/B

G5/D

Only The Good Die Young

The Stranger, 1977

Billy Joel

Capo 5

Chords Used:

C G G D/F#

x32010 320033 * 32003x 20023x

D A Cadd9 G/D

xx0232 x02220 x32030 xx0003

Em G/B Cadd9 G5/D

022000 x2003x * x32033 xx0033

For the G/D either G/D or G5/D can be used

[Intro]

Cadd9 Cadd9 Cadd9 Cadd9 D/F# G

* | *

Cadd9 Cadd9 Cadd9 Cadd9 D/F#

* |

[Verse]

C G/D Em

Come out Virginia, don't let me wait

C D G

You Catholic girls start much too late

C G/D Em

But sooner or later it comes down to fate

C D

I might as well be the one

C G/D Em

Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray

C D G

They built you a temple and locked you away

C G/D Em

But they never told you the price that you pay

C D

For things that you might have done

[Chorus]

G C

Only the good die young

D G

That's what I said

G C

Only the good die young

D G

Only the good die young

[Verse]

C G/D Em

You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd

C D G

We ain't too pretty, we ain't too proud

C G/D Em

We might be laughing a bit too loud

C D

But that never hurt no one

C G/D Em

So come on Virginia, show me a sign

C D G

Send up a signal, I'll throw you the line

C G/D Em

The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind

C D

Never lets in the sun

[Chorus]

G C

Darlin', only the good die young

D G

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

G C

I tell ya only the good die young

D G

Only the good die young

[Bridge]

D C G

You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation

A C

You got a brand new soul, and a cross of gold

D C G

But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information

A C

You didn't count on me when you were counting on your rosary

D C G/B

Oh woah woah

[Verse]

C G/D Em

They say there's a heaven for those who will wait

C D G

Some say it's better but I say it ain't

C G/D Em

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints

C D

The sinners are much more fun

[Chorus]

G C

You know that only the good die young

D G

Oh woah, baby

G C

I tell ya only the good die young

D G

Only the good die young

[Instrumental]

D C G A C

[Bridge]

D C G

You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation

Aww, she never cared for me

But did she ever say a prayer for me?

D C G/B

Oh woah woah

[Verse]

C G/D Em

Come out, come out, come out Virginia, don't let me wait,

C D G

You Catholic girls start much too late

C G/D Em

Sooner or later it comes down to fate

C D

I might as well be the one

G C

You know that only the good die young

[Outro]

D G G C D G

About Only The Good Die Young Chords by Billy Joel

Learn how to play Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Only The Good Die Young chords”, “Only The Good Die Young guitar chords”, or “Billy Joel Only The Good Die 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 Only The Good Die Young chords and for experienced players who want accurate Only The Good Die Young lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, G, D/F#, D, A, Cadd9.

FAQ — Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel

How do I play "Only The Good Die Young" by Billy Joel on guitar?

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Can I transpose "Only The Good Die Young" to a different key?

Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "Only The Good Die Young" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.

Can I see chord diagrams for "Only The Good Die Young"?

Yes. Tap any chord in "Only The Good Die Young" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.

Is "Only The Good Die Young" easy to play on guitar?

Many players learn "Only The Good Die Young" by Billy Joel with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Billy Joel below.

What key is "Only The Good Die Young" in?

The chords for "Only The Good Die Young" show the original chord names (including C, G, D/F#, D, A, Cadd9). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.