Brown Eyed Girl chords by Van Morrison


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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 GCGD. And then at the end of the chorus CDG (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.


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