Learning To Fly | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
||: Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) :|| x4
Verse 1
||: Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) :||
Well, I started out, down a dirty road.
Started out, all alone.
And the sun went down, as I crossed the hill.
And the town lit up, the world got still.
Chorus 1
||: Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) :||
I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings.
Coming down, is the hardest thing.
Verse 2
Well the good ol’ days, may not return.
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn.
Chorus 2
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly). But I ain’t got wings (I’m learning to fly).
Coming down (I’m learning to fly). Is the hardest thing (I’m learning to fly).
Instrumental 1
| G | G |
||: Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) :|| x4
Verse 3 (breakdown)
Now some say life, will beat you down.
Yeah, break your heart, steal your crown.
Verse 4 (full band)
So it started out, for God knows where.
I guess I’ll know, when I get there.
Chorus 3
I’m learning to fly, around the clouds.
But what goes up (I’m learning to fly), must come down.
Instrumental 2
| G | G |
||: Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) :||
Chorus 4 (outro)
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly), but I ain’t got wings.
Coming down, is the hardest thing.
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly), around the clouds.
But what goes up (I’m learning to fly), must come down.
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
(I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
Learning To Fly | Chords + Lyrics (2nd guitar, capo 5)
Intro
||: C G | Em D (Dadd4) :|| x4
Verse 1
||: C G | Em D (Dadd4) :||
Well, I started out, down a dirty road.
Started out, all alone.
And the sun went down, as I crossed the hill.
And the town lit up, the world got still.
Chorus 1
||: C G | Em D (Dadd4) :||
I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings.
Coming down, is the hardest thing.
Verse 2
Well the good ol’ days, may not return.
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn.
Chorus 2
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly). But I ain’t got wings (I’m learning to fly).
Coming down (I’m learning to fly). Is the hardest thing (I’m learning to fly).
Instrumental 1
| D | D |
||: C G | Em D (Dadd4) :|| x4
Verse 3 (breakdown)
Now some say life, will beat you down.
Yeah, break your heart, steal your crown.
Verse 4 (full band)
So it started out, for God knows where.
I guess I’ll know, when I get there.
Chorus 3
I’m learning to fly, around the clouds.
But what goes up (I’m learning to fly), must come down.
Instrumental 2
| D | D |
||: C G | Em D (Dadd4) :||
Chorus 4 (outro)
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly), but I ain’t got wings.
Coming down, is the hardest thing.
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly), around the clouds.
But what goes up (I’m learning to fly), must come down.
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
I’m learning to fly (I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
(I’m learning to fly, I’m learning to fly).
Learning To Fly Chords: Learn the progressions
Just like another Tom Petty hit, Free Fallin’, Learning To Fly is best played using two guitars (or more!).
Guitar 1 should be played without a capo using these chords on a never-ending loop:
||: Fadd9 (IV) C (I) | Am7 (VI) G (V) (Gsus4) :||
Using the extensions Fadd9 and Am7, we get that open G string ringing through the progression, kind of like Blackbird does.
To get it right, you need TAB, here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Learning To Fly – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The second guitar could play these chords using a capo on fret 5:
||: C (IV) G (I) | Em (VI) D (V) (Dadd4) :||
Avoiding the extensions is a good idea, it makes the parts blend better, just like he did with Free Fallin’.
There is a third possibility when playing Learning To Fly’s chords, the TAB I linked to above show all three.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, all you need is a chord chart, here’s one I made for you.

Learning To Fly Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
As the chords are so few, I just wrote it out once in the chart above, detailed the arrangement and then on the same page, put down what it’s like with a capo as well. I felt having two separate charts was overkill.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Learning To Fly Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Learning To Fly iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key, although if you do that, it won’t sound like the original parts anymore as they rely on the chord shapes.
Learning To Fly was just another hit from Tom Petty!
On the 1991 album Into The Great Wide Open, we find the title track and Learning To Fly as the two big singles.
This was Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers reunion after he’d momentarily gone solo with Full Moon Fever two years earlier.
As a single, Learning To Fly did reach #1 and at the peak of Tom Petty’s hit parade, it was just another great tune. Around this time he just kept writing hits, like it was the easiest thing in the world.
It was as if he, Jeff Lynne (producer), and Mike Campbell had found the secret formula and just kept doing it.
If you are interested in writing hits, I find it hard to name a better era than 1989-1991 Tom Petty, study them in-depth – you may learn how to fly!
Learning To Fly Chords | Related Pages
Learning To Fly | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Learning To Fly by Tom Petty using TAB and chord analysis.
| Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) | Fadd9 C | Am7 G (Gsus4) |
Well, I started out, down a dirty road…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Tom Petty tunes
Tom Petty released most of his albums with his band The Heartbreakers although some solo material appeared as well.
His best-known tunes include American Girl, Free Fallin’, Learning To Fly, Into The Great Wide Open, Don’t Come Around Here No More, and I Won’t Back Down.
Tom Petty on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Learning To Fly’s chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.