John Cougar Mellencamp Chords and Lyrics
- Authority Song
- Check It Out
- Crumblin' Down
- Human Wheels
- Hurts So Good
- Jack & Dianne
- Jackie Brown
- Lonely Ol' Night
- Minutes to Memories
- Pink Houses
- Play Guitar
- R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A
- Small Town
- Wild Nights
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Authority Song
A D E A D E
They like to get you in a comprimising position
A D E A D E
They like to get you with a smile on your face
A D E A D E
Oh they think you're so cute when they got in that condition
A D E A D E
Well I think it's a total disgrace, and I say
CHORUS
A D E A D E
I fight authority, authority always wins
well I fight authority, authority always wins
well I've been doin' it since I was a young boy and I come out winnin'
well I fight authority, authority always wins
Call my preacher I said give me strength for round 5
he said you don't need no strength you need to grow up son
I said growin' up leads to growin old and then to dyin'
and dyin' to me don't sound like all that much fun, and I say
CHORUS
i say oh no...
CHORUS (a cappella with hand claps)
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Check It Out - John Mellancamp
Intro: This is played by an accordin or violin, can't tell but the tab
follows.
(The 023 notes are a quick hammer on.)
D----2--------------2------------2--------------2---2--------2--2---
A-023--3-2-0-----023--3-2-----023--3-2-0-----023--3-------023--3----
E------------3-------------3-------------3------------3-----------3-
During the verses, C and G are open chords, then the F G combo are each barre
chords on the first and third frets, respectively.
C
A million poets
G
Screamin' out their words
C
To a world full of people
G
Just livin' to be heard
C
Future generations
G
Ridin' on the highways that we built
F G
I hope they have better understanding
C
Check it out
G
Goin' to work on Monday
C
Check it out
G
Got yourself a family
C
Check it out
G
All utility bills have been paid
F G
You can't tell your best buddy that you love him
C
So check it out
G
Where does our time go
C
Check it out
G
Got a brand new house in escrow
C
Check it out
G
Sleepin' with your back to your loved one
F G
This is all that we've learned about happiness
Intro
C
Check it out
G
Forgot to say hello to my neighbors
c
Check it out
G
Sometimes I question my own behavior
C
Check it out
G
Talkin' about the girls that we've seen on the sly
F G
Just to tell our souls that we're still the young lions
C
So check it out
G
Gettin' too drunk on Saturdays
C
Check it out
G
Playin football with the kids on Sundays
C
Check it out
G
Soarin' with eagles all week long
F G
And this is all that we've learned about living
F G
This is all that we've learned about living
Lead Guitar (nearly the same as the intro, but with the change noted)
D----2--------------2------------2--------------2---5--
A-023--3-2-0-----023--3-2-----023--3-2-0-----023--3------
E------------3-------------3-------------3---------------
Then, jam with the following chords
Barre C (3rd fret) Barre G (3rd fret)
Repeat twice
Barre F (lst fret) Barre G (3rd fret)
C
A million your poets
G
Screamin' out their words
C
Maybe someday
G
Those words will be heard
C
By future generations
G
Ridin' on the highways that we built
F G
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
F
Check it out
G
Hope they'll have a better understanding
F
Check it out
G
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
F
Check it out
G
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
F
Check it out
G
Hope they will have a better understanding
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Crumblin' Down - John Cougar Mellencamp
Medium Rock Tempo
INTRO:
---------------------3--x-x-x-------------------------3---3-3-------------
---------------------3--------------------------------3---3-3-----------2-
---0---2-2-0-2---2-0-4----------------0-2-2-0-2---2-0-4---4-4---------2---
---0---2-2-0-2---2-0-5----------------0-2-2-0-2---2-0-5---5-5-----4-------
-------0-0-0-0---0-0-0--------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0---0-0-------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> VERSE I:
A G/A
Well, some people ain't no damn good.
A G/A
You can trust `em, you can't love `em. No good deed goes unpunished.
A G/A
And I don't mind being their whippin' boy.
A G/A
I've had that pleasure for years and years
A G/A
No, no, I never was a sinner. Tell me, what else can I do?
A G/A
Second best is what you get `till you learn to bend the rules
A G/A
And time respects no person and what you lift up must fall
A G/A
There waitin' outside to claim my crumblin' walls.
E
Saw my picture in the paper, read the news around my face.
And now some people don't want to treat me the same.
> CHORUS:
A G
When the walls come tumblin' down;
D G D
When the walls come crumblin', crumblin';
A G D A
When the walls come tumblin', tumblin' down.
> Repeat Intro
> VERSE II: (same chord pattern as Verse I)
Well some people say I'm obnoxious and lazy,
I'm uneducated, my opinion means nothin'.
But I know I'm a real good dancer.
Don't need to look over my shoulder to see what I'm after.
Everybody's got their problems. Ain't no new news here.
I'm the same old trouble you've been havin' for years.
Don't confuse the problem with the issue, girl. It's perfectly clear.
Just a human desire to have you come near.
Want to put my arms around you, feel your breath in my ear.
You can bend me, you can break me but you better stand clear.
> Repeat Chorus.
> Repeat Intro and fade
CHORDS:
A x 0 2 2 2 0
G/A x 0 5 4 3 3
E 0 2 2 1 0 0
D x x 0 2 3 2
G 3 X 0 0 0 3
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Human Wheels - John Mellencamp
I play this capo'd at the 2nd fret, bringing all the following chords down
a whole step, and that way I get to skip the F#m : )
F#m E D F#m
This land today shall draw it's last breath
F#m E D F#m
And take into it's ancient depths
E A E F#m
This frail reminder of it's brave and blundering deed
E F#m
While I with human hindered eyes
E A A/G# F#m
Unequal to the sweeping curve of life
E F#m
Stand on this single print of time
Chorus:
A E A E F#m
Human wheels, spin round and round
E F#m
While the clock keeps the pace
E A A/G# F#m
Human wheels spin round and round
E F#m
Help the light find my face
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Hurts So Good - John Mellencamp
INTRO:
Chord Code
--------------------
A(no 3rd) A1
Asus4sus2 A2
A6(no 3rd) A3
A1 A2 A A3 A1 A1 A2 A A3 A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------3-3-3-2-----------------------------3-3-3-2------------------------
---2---4-4-4-2------2---2-----------2---2--4-4-4-2------2---2----------2--
---2---2-2-2-2------4---2----2--2-4-----2--3-3-3-2------4---2---2--2-4----
---0---------0---0--0---0---------------0--------0---0--0---0-------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> VERSE I:
A E F#m D
When I was a young boy, said put away those young boy ways
A E F#m D
Now that I'm gettin' older, so much older I love all those young boy days.
A E A E
With a girl like you, with a girl like you,
F#m D E
Lord knows there are things we can do, baby, just me and you.
Come on and make it . . .
CHORUS:
A E A E
hurt so good. Come on baby, make it hurt so good.
D F#m D E
Sometimes love don't feel like it should. You make it . . . hurt so good.
Repeat Intro
VERSE II: (same chord pattern as Verse I)
Don't have to be so exiting.
Just tryin' to give myself a little bit of fun, yeah.
You always look so invitin' you ain't as green as you are young
Hey baby, its you. Come on, girl, now, its you.
Sink your teeth right through my bones, baby.
Let's see what we can do. Come on and make it . . .
Repeat Chorus.
D A D F#m A
I ain't talkin' no big deals; I ain't made no plans myself.
D E
I ain't talkin' no high heels; Maybe we could walk around all day long,
walk around all day long.
Repeat Intro and fade
CHORDS:
A(no 3rd) x 0 2 2 x x
Asus4sus2 x 0 2 4 3 x
A6(no 3rd) x 0 4 2 x x
E 0 2 2 1 0 0
D x x 0 2 3 2
F#m 2 4 4 2 2 2
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Jack & Dianne
I just sat down and figured this out yesterday. I'm not sure it's all right,
but here it goes. There is one chord I am not sure what it is called, I think
it's an E6, That is how I will note it, it looks like this:E A D G B e
| | | o | |
|-|-|-|-|-|
| | o | | |
|-|-|-|-|-|
Play the D chord like the one Eddie Van Halen uses in 316. For those who
don't know it looks like this:
e------------------------------
B--------------3---------------
G--------------2---------------
D--------------4---------------
A------------------------------
E--------------X---------------
I think this sounds a lot better than just using a regular D chord.
Anyway, the above so-called E6 chord should also be used. Here it
is again in the same format I used to tab the above chord:
e------------------------------
B------------------------------
G--------------1---------------
D--------------2---------------
A------------------------------
E------------------------------
The first part (the heavy part) just goes A, E6, A, E6, D
with the little peck: D------0-0-
A--0-2-----
E----------
Then: A E6 D E6
little ditty, about Jack and Diane
A E6 D E6 A
Two American kids growing up in the heartland
A E6 D E6
Jackie gonna be a football star
A E6 D E6 A
Diane's debutante in th back seat of jackie's car
(same for every verse)
in-between:
A
e----------
B----2-3-2-
G----2-2-2-
D----2-2-2-
A----0-0-0-
E----------
E, D,D, E
A
e----------
B----2-3-2-
G----2-2-2-
D----2-2-2-
A----0-0-0-
E---------
E, D,D, A
CHORUS:
A E6 D E6
Oh Yeah, life goes on
A E6 D E6
Long after the thrill of livin' is gone
A E6 D E
Oh Yeah, I said, Life goes on
A E D E A
Long after the thrill of livin' is gone.
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Jackie Brown - John Mellencamp
Capo 4
e ---------------------------------------------
B ---------------------------------------------
G --------0-----------------------0------------
D ----0-2---2-0---0-2---------0-2---2-0---0----
A --3-----------3-----------3-----------3---3--
E ---------------------------------------------
C/G
Is this your life, Jackie Brown?
Poorly educated and forced to live on the
Em
poor side of town
C/G
Is this your daughter, Jackie Brown?
This pretty little girl in worn out clothes that have
Em
been hand-me-down
C/G
Is this your wife, Jackie Brown?
Sad blue eyes, walking on eggshells, so you
Em
don't see her frown
F G C/G
Is this your family Jackie Brown?
F C/G
Dream of vacationing in a mountain stream
Am G
and giving the world more than it gave you
F C/G
What ugly truths freedom brings
Am G
and it hasn't been very kind to you
F G C/G
Is this your family, Jackie Brown?
C/G
Is this your meal, Jackie Brown?
Barely enough, I've seen people throw more
Em
than this out
C/G
Is this your home, Jackie Brown?
This three room shack, with no running water
Em
and the bathroom out back
C/G
Is this your grave, Jackie Brown?
This little piece of limestone that says another desperate man
Em
took himself out
F G C/G
Is this your dream, Jackie Brown?
F C/G
Going nowhere, and nowhere fast
Am G
We shame ourselves to watch people like this live
F C/G
But who gives a damn about Jackie Brown
Am G
Just another lazy man who could take what was his
F G C/G
One hell of a life, Jackie Brown
F G C/G
Forever more, Jackie Brown
F G C/G
Well amen-n-amen, Jackie Brown
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Lonely Ol' Night
She calls me up and says "Baby, it's a lonely ol' night"
E Esus4 E
I don't know, I'm just so scared and lonely all at the same time
Esus4 E
Nobody told us it was gonna work out this way
A Asus4 A
No no no no no
Asus4
I guess they knew we'd work it out in our own way
E Esus4 E Esus4 E Esus4 E
It's a lonely ol' night
D A
Can I put my arms around you?
D A
It's a lonely ol' night
D A
Custom made for two lonely people like me and you
E Esus4 E Esus4
Radio playing softly some singer's sad, sad song
E Esus4 E
He's singin about stanin' in the shadows of love
Esus4
I guess he feels awfully alone
E
She says "I know exactly what he means
A Asus4 A
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah"
Asus4
And it's a sad, sad, feelin' when you're livin' on those in betweens,
E Esus4 E
But it's okay
Esus4 E Esus4 E
It's a lonely ol' night
Can I put my arms around you?
It's a lonely ol' night
Custom made for two people like me and you
She calls me baby
E A/E
She calls everybody baby
E A/E
It's a lonely ol' night, but ain't they all?
E A/E E
It's a lonely ol' night
Can I put my arms around you?
It's a lonely ol' night
Custom made for two people like me and you
Yeah like me and you
E Esus4
Yeah like me and you
E Esus4 E
CHORD FORMATIONS:
E 0 2 2 1 0 0
Esus4 0 2 2 2 0 0
A x 0 2 2 2 0
Asus4 x 0 2 2 3 0
A/E 0 0 2 2 2 0
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Minutes to Memories
CAPO on the 2nd FRET!
INTRO:
Guitar #1: (Repeat 4 times)
D C9
E--2-2-0-2-0-2----------0-2-0-2-0-2-(Reach with second finger)---------
B--3--------------------3----------------------------------------------
G--2--------------------0----------------------------------------------
D--0--------------------2----------------------------------------------
A--0--------------------3----------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------------
Guitar #2: (Comes in on 3rd repetition of above)
E--2-(vibrato)----------2--3--5--7-5-3---------------------------------
On a Greyhound thirty miles beyond Jamestown
D2 C9
He saw the sun set on the Tennessee line
D2 C9
He looked at the young man who was riding beside him
D2 C9
He said I'm old kind of worn out inside
D2 C9
I worked my whole life in the steel mills of Gary
D2 C9
And my father before me I helped build this land
D2 C9
Now I'm seventy-seven and with God as my witness
D2 C9
I earned every dollar that passed through my hands
D2 C9
My family and friends are the best things I've known
A G
Through the eye of the needle I'll carry them home
A G
CHORUS:
Days turn to minutes and minutes to memories
D2 C9 G
Life sweeps away the dreams that we have planned
D2 C9 G
You are young and you are the future
D2 C9 G
So suck it up and tough it out and be the best that you can
A G
INTRO, TWICE, BOTH GUITAR PARTS
The rain hit the dog in the twilight's last gleaming
He said Son it sounds like rattling old bones
This highway is long but I know some that are longer
By sunup tomorrow I guess I'll be home
Through the hills of Kentucky 'cross the Ohio River
The old man kept talking 'bout his life and his times
He fell asleep with his head against the window
He said an honest man's pillow is his peace of mind
This world offers riches and riches will grow wings
I don't take stock in those uncertain things
CHORUS
INTRO, 4 TIMES, FIRST GUITAR ONLY
The old man had a vision but it was hard for me to follow
I do things my way and I pay a high price
When I think back on the old man and the bus ride
Now that I'm older I can see he was right
Another hot one out on highway eleven
This is my life It's what I've chosen to do
There are no free rides No one said it'd be easy
The old man told me this my son I'm telling it to you
CHORUS
FADE WITH INTRO
CHORD FORMATIONS: (CAPO on the 2nd FRET!)
-----------------
D2 x 0 0 2 3 x
C9 x 3 2 0 3 0
G 3 2 0 0 3 3
A 0 0 2 2 2 x
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Pink Houses - John Cougar Mellencamp
Intro : G, C ( 4 times)
G
There's a black man with a black cat living in a black neighborhood.
He's got an interstate running through his front yard.
F C G
You know he thinks he's got it so good
G
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleaning up the evening slop.
F
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin'
C G
I can remember when you could stop a clock"
Chorus
G C G
Oh but ain't that America for you and me
C G
Ain't that America something to see baby
C D
Aint that America home of the free
C
Little pink houses for you and me ( Enter Drums )
( G,C,G,C 2 times)
G
Well there's a young man in a tee-shirt
listening to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got greasy hair and a greasy smile he says,
F C G
"Lord this must be my destination"
Cause they told me when I was younger,
"Boy you're gonna be president"
F C
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
G
just kinda came and went
Chorus
( OH BABY FOR YOU AND ME ) ( G, C, G, C, G, C,
( F, C, G, F, C, G, F, C, G, F, C, G)
G
Well there's people and more people what do they know
F C G
Go to work in some high rise and vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico
G
And there's winners and there's losers
But they aint no big deal
F C
Because the simple man baby pays for the thrills, the bills,
G
the pills that kill
Chorus ( Repeat Twice)
( G, C - 4 times ) ooooh yeah..... oooooh yeah.....
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Play Guitar - John Cougar Mellencamp
You may drive around your town in brand new shiny car
Your face in the wind your haircut's in
And you friends think you're bizarre
You may find a cushy job and I hope that you go far
But if you really want to taste some cool success
You better learn to play guitar
Chorus
Play guitar ------ play guitar
Play guitar ------ play guitar
Play guitar ------ play guitar
You got your eye on the cheerleader queen
You're walking her home from school
You know that she's only 17 She's gonna make you a fool
You know you can't touch that stuff
Without money or a brand new fast car
Let me give you some good advice young man
You better learn to play guitar
Chorus
All women around the world want a phony rock star who plays guitar
Solo
You can pump your iron and shine your shoes
And wear your hair just right
You go down out on crusin' street Cause you want to score tonight
Ra da ra da ra da da
And you really want to show your scars
Forget all about that macho shit and learn how to play guitar
Chorus
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R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A.
Very easy - the basic chord pattern is E A D A (open chords)
Generally, the strumming pattern (I think) is two downstrokes on
the beat for each chord and then change to the next chord with
an upstroke on the change.
The only exceptions are replacing the E chord of the sequence
with a B chord at the end of the chorus (which I don't usually bother
doing - the E chord sounds fine). Also, use only a single downstroke
and no upstroke in the first verse for each word in "crack, boom, bam".
Anyway, it goes something like this:
(Fast rock beat)
E A D A E A D A
They come from the cities and they come from the smaller towns,
E A D A E A D A
beat up cars with guitars and drummers goin' crack, boom, bam.
CHORUS
E A D A
R. O. C. K. in the U. S. A.
E A D A
R. O. C. K. in the U. S. A
E A D A B
R. O. C. K. in the U. S. A, yeah, yeah
(no chord) E A D A etc, for a few more bars
Rockin' in the U. S. A.
- The remainder of the song follows the same pattern:
Said goodbye to their families, said goodbye to their friends;
with pipedreams in their heads and very little money in their hands.
Some are black and some are white, aint't too proud to sleep on the floor tonight.
With the blind faith of Jesus, you know that they just might . . .
(no chord)
be rockin in the USA
>Chorus
Voices from nowhere and voices from the larger towns
Filled our head full of dreams, turned our world upside down
There was Frankie Lymon, Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder (they were rockin')
Jackie Wilson, Shangrilas, Young Rascals (they were rockin')
Spotlight on Martha Reeves, let's don't forget James Brown.
(no chord) (spoken)
Rockin' in the USA. Hey!
>Chorus
(repeat and fade)
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Small Town
CAPO ON 4TH FRET!
INTRO: G D2 C9 G D2 C9 G D2 C9 G D2 C9
(Repeat G D2 C9 throughout each line of the verse, except the last)
Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
Am D2
All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity
Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another boring romantic that's me
But I've seen it all in a small town
Had myself a ball in a small town
Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town
Now she's small town just like me
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
G C9
I cannot forget the people who love me
G D2
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
G C9
And people let me be just what I want to be
G D2
INTRO/SOLO
Got nothing against a big town (After each line of verse ending with
Still hayseed enough to say "town," guitarist plays:
Look who's in the big town ----0-----------
But my bed is in a small town ------3---------
Oh, and that's good enough for me --------0------- )
Well I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in this small town
And that's prob'ly where they'll bury me
Chord Formations: (CAPO ON 4TH FRET!)
-----------------
G: 3 2 0 0 3 3
D2: x x 0 2 3 x
C9: x 3 2 0 3 x
Am: x 0 2 2 1 0
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Wild Nights
Bass:
G__________________|___________________________________
D_____5__2________ |____5______________________________
A__________5_2_5___|______4_5__________________________
E___0____________0_|__3________________________________
Thats Basically it for the begining of the song the Guitar Can also play
these licks.The guitar could also play Em and G behind this while the bass
plays.
After the first Verse the guitar and Bass come together and both play
Em and C
This gets played untill he starts to sing the OOH OOH E part in which he
plays:
Em C D Em D Dsus G.
Thats it for the whole song.I kinda have the solo figured out but I'm not
going to post untill It's perfect.The song is played in regular tunning(I
think)Well anyway this is it, Take it or leave it.This will be updated later
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