Brown Eyed Girl | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: G (G C6 G C6 G) | C (C F6 C F6 C) | G (G C6 G C6 G) | D ( D5 D Dsus4 D5) :||
Verse 1
| G | C | G | D |
Hey, where did we go? Days when the rains came.
| G | C | G | D |
Down in the hollow, playin’ a new game.
| G | C | G | D |
Laughin’ and a-runnin’, hey, hey, skippin’ and a-jumpin’
| G | C | G | D |
In the misty morning fog with, our, our hearts a-thumping and
| C | D | G (G/F#) | Em |
you, my brown-eyed girl.
| C | D | G | D |
You my, brown-eyed girl.
Verse 2
| G | C | G | D |
And whatever happened, to Tuesday and so slow?
| G | C | G | D |
Going down the old mine with a transistor radio.
| G | C | G | D |
Standing in the sunlight laughing, hiding behind a rainbow’s wall.
| G | C | G | D |
Slipping and sliding, all along the waterfall with
| C | D | G (G/F#) | Em |
you, my brown-eyed girl.
| C | D | G | D | D | D |
You my, brown-eyed girl. Do you remember when, we used to sing?
Chorus 1
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da (just like that).
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da, la-tee-da.
Breakdown
| G | G | G | G |
| G | C | G | D |
Verse 3
| G | C | G | D |
So hard to find my way, now that I’m all on my own.
| G | C | G | D |
I saw you just the other day, my, how you have grown.
| G | C | G | D |
Cast my memory back there Lord, sometimes I’m overcome thinking ’bout it.
| G | C | G | D |
Making love in the green grass, behind the stadium with
| C | D | G (G/F#) | Em |
you, my brown-eyed girl.
| C | D | G | D | D | D |
You my, brown-eyed girl. Do you remember when, ah we used to sing?
Chorus 2
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da (lying in the green grass).
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da (bit by, bit by, bit by, bit by, bit by, bit).
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da (sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la,la, tee-da-la, tee-da-la, tee-da-la, da da da, de da da, de da da, de da).
| G | C | G | D |
Sha-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la tee-da (be-de-bit by, be-de-bit by, be-de-bit by, be-de-bit by)
Brown Eyed Girl’s chords and progressions
Using almost exclusively the good old I – IV – I – V chord progression (same as American Pie), Brown Eyed Girl only adds an Em to complete the chords.
In the key of G, this is G – C – G – D. And then at the end of the chorus C – D – G (G/F#) Em.
This makes Brown Eyed Girl an excellent initial challenge for the beginner guitarist. And since it is still played in many function bands, you may have to play this song for the rest of your life, just like Van The Man!
if you do, ensure you’ve learned the intro chord licks that incorporate the 6 extensions, it’ll be more enjoyable that way.
The biggest hit of the 60s didn’t pay Van a penny
Van Morrison’s signature song, Brown Eyed Girl is one of his best-known and perhaps what most people come across before they discover his more complex compositions, Moondance, Crazy Love, And It Stoned Me, Tupelo Honey, and Into The Mystic.
Originally entitled Brown Skinned Girl, Van has developed a love-hate relationship with the song. He claims he’s “written about 300 songs better than that”.
Still, this was his breakthrough single as a solo artist following his departure from his first band Them, and it clearly set him up to sign his next record deal with Warner Bros.
Brown Eyes Girl remains his best-known song and he does play it, reluctantly, during most gigs.
Perhaps the bitter feelings Mr. Morrison has regarding Brown Eyed Girl are down to the fact that even though he wrote it, he never received any royalties. The contract he signed with Bang Records in 1967 effectively gave them all the rights to it.
He even wrote a song about it entitled The Big Royalty Check.
Considering Brown Eyed Girl is one of 10 songs played on American radio to have over 10 million plays, I guess his frustrations are justified.
Brown Eyed Girl chords | Related pages
Beginner Acoustic
This collection of beginner acoustic tunes will teach you how to arrange for one acoustic guitar, as well as how to create a supporting part.
Playing songs will help you with switching between open-position chords and give you the context you need in order to understand how music works theoretically.
Five similar tunes
- American Pie chords
- Don’t Look Back In Anger chords
- Losing My Religion chords
- Moondance chords
- Stuck In The Middle chords
Van Morrison
Starting out in his native Northern Ireland with the band Them, Van Morrison’s solo career began with one of the worst record deals in the history of the business.
His best-known tunes include Gloria, Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Crazy Love, Into The Mystic, and Have I Told You Lately.
Van Morrison on the web
Pop & Rock
Whenever a tune doesn’t fit into a specific genre, it tends to end up here, in the Pop & Rock section.
Learn tunes from Tom Petty, Eagles, Toto, Oasis, Elvis, Clapton, John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, R.E.M., Radiohead, Bruno Mars, and more.
