Verse: D E7 Well she was an American girl. G A Raised on promises D E7 She couldn't help thinking that there was G A a little more to life somewhere else D After all it was a great big world G Em with lots of places to run to A And if she had to die tryin' she had one little promise she was gonna keep Chorus: G A D Bm G Oh yeah, allright, take it easy baby make it last all night A D She was an American girl Verse: D E7 Well it was kinda cold that night G A She stood alone on the balcony D E7 Yeh, she could hear the cars roll by, G A out on four-fortyone like waves crashing on the beach D And for one des'rate moment there G Em he crept back in her memory A God it's so painful when something that's so close is still so far to reach. Chorus: G A D Bm G Oh yeah, allright, take it easy baby make it last all night A D She was an American girl This arrangement is its contributor’s own interpretation, shared for private study, education and non-commercial use. The underlying song, lyrics and music remain the property of their copyright owners. To request removal, see Legal & Copyright.
American Girl chords by Tom Petty
Suggested strumbusy upbeat 4/4
1
d
&
–
2
d
&
u
3
d
&
u
4
d
&
u
Prefer something simpler: down-up eighths d u d u
How to play American Girl on ukulele
On ukulele, American Girl comes down to the busy upbeat 4/4: d – d u d u d u. It rolls along at a medium pace of around 118 bpm. It is posted in its original key of D major. The chords land in comfortable skilled territory. Drive constant down-up strums to match the jangly Rickenbacker chug.
6 ukulele chords used in "American Girl" by Tom Petty: A, Bm, D, Em, E7 and G
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The lyrics are wrong at the end of verse one. It’s “But she had to die trying to achieve that one little promise she was gonna keep.”
Transpose to -2 and use D instead of D7
If it’s hard to do a transition between d g and a do g like this do a Bm then put your middle finger on the e string on the third threat
Strumming pattern?