Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks
Lyrics and Guitar Lessons
Watch These Videos
Original version and covers
Sunny Afternoon Lyrics
The tax man’s taken all my dough
And left me in my stately home
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
And I can’t sail my yacht
He’s taken everythin’ I’ve got
All I’ve got’s this sunny afternoon
Save me, save me
Save me from this squeeze
I’ve got a big fat momma tryin’ to break me
And I’d love to live so pleasantly
Live this life of luxury
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
In the summertime, in the summertime, in the summertime
My girlfriend’s run off with my car
And gone back to her ma and pa
Telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty
Now I’m sitting here
Sipping at my ice cold beer
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
Help me, help me, help me sail away
Well give me two good reasons
Why I ought to stay
‘Cause I love to live so pleasantly
Live this life of luxury
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
In Summertime, in summertime, in summertime
Save me, save me
Save me from this squeeze
I’ve got a big fat momma tryin’ to break me
And I’d love to live so pleasantly
Live this life of luxury
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
In the summertime, in the summertime
In the summertime, in the summertime, in the summertime
Guitar Lessons
Sunny Afternoon – Step 1
Before we start exploring how to play Sunny Afternoon I want you to gain a firm understanding of the triplet feel.
To achieve this we play the sweeping exercise using 12/8, shuffle and swing rhythms.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 1.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 2 (Free Preview)
In this step, we learn to play the intro/chorus tag. It uses a swing feel and presents several challenges.
Not only is it difficult to fret the descending bass line, but there’s also plenty of muting going on as well.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 2.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 3
In this step, we learn how to play the verse. This is much, much easier to achieve than playing that intro you did in the last step.
There’s also plenty of songwriting tricks here to learn from if you’d like to write hits yourself.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 3.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 4
In this step, we play the chorus. This section is possibly the easiest of all three you need to play the complete song.
Practice along to the loop aiming to get it exactly as the TAB display before you start coming up with variations.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 4.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 5
It’s time to play the complete song. Hopefully, that intro/chorus tag is by now not too difficult.
Use the chart to guide you as you play along with me and the singer.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 5.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 6
Let’s develop a 2nd guitar part for the intro/chorus tag and verse.
We do this by removing the capo and play as if in the key of Dm.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 6.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 7
In this step, we work out how to play a 2nd guitar part for the chorus.
We try both big open position chords to support the first guitar as well as small compact jazz style comping. You’ll gain lots from practicing this.
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 7.
Sunny Afternoon – Step 8
In this final step, you join me and the singer(s) again.
As we’re a band now, maybe it’s time to fire up that tour bus and book us some gigs!
Go to Sunny Afternoon step 8.
Related Pages
Chords and Guitar Lessons
Sunny Afternoon’s bass line create a looped pattern for the intro/chorus tag in a minor key. When the chorus starts, the same major key is applied.
Going from minor to major like this is one of the best tricks to apply when you want to create a feeling of release in a song.
Go to Sunny Afternoon chords and guitar lessons.
The Kinks
Categorized as a British invasion band, along with the other members of the so-called Big Four, The Kinks changed popular music forever.
Among their hits, you find Lola, Sunny Afternoon and You Really Got Me, which fourteen years later would be covered by Van Halen using a much louder amp.
Go to The Kinks biography.
Sign Up
A monthly subscription with access to all acoustic and electric step by step lessons, each one designed to bring your guitar playing skills to the next level.
Including detailed, but bite-sized explanations on how the music theory of each song is applied to the neck.
Go to Monthly subscription.