Old Man | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: 6/4 Dm9add4 |4/4 D (Dsus4 Dsus2) :||
Chorus 1
| 6/4 Dm9add4 |4/4 D (Dsus4 Dsus2) |
Old man look at my life I’m a lot like you were.
| 6/4 Dm9add4 |
Old man look at my life I’m a lot like you were.
Instrumental 1
| 4/4 D F/C (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G |
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) F/C (Fsus2) |
Verse 1
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G |
Old man look at my life, twenty-four and there’s so much more.
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C F/C (Fsus2) |
Live alone in a paradise that makes me think of two.
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C G |
Love lost, such a cost, give me things that don’t get lost.
| D C | F/C (Fsus2) G (A B C D) |
Like a coin that won’t get tossed, rolling home to you.
Instrumental 2
| D (Dsus4 Dsus2) | Am7 Em7 G |
Chorus 2
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 G |
Old man take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you.
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 G |
I need someone to love me the whole day through.
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 Csus2 |
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true.
Instrumental 3
| D F (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G |
| D F (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) F (Fsus2) |
Verse 2
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G |
Lullabies, look in your eyes, run around the same old town.
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C F/C (Fsus2) |
Doesn’t mean that much to me, to mean that much to you.
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C G |
I’ve been first and last, look at how the time goes past.
| D C | F/C (Fsus2) G (A B C D) |
But I’m all alone at last, rolling home to you.
Instrumental 4
| D (Dsus4 Dsus2) | Am7 Em7 G |
Chorus 3
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 G |
Old man take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you.
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 G |
I need someone to love me the whole day through.
| D (Dsus4) | Am7 Em7 Csus2 |
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true.
Instrumental 5
| 6/4 Dm9add4 |4/4 D (Dsus4 Dsus2) |
Outro
| 6/4 Dm9add4 |4/4 D (Dsus4 Dsus2) |
Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like you were.
| 6/4 Dm9add4 |
Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like you were.
Outro
| 4/4 D F (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G | D |
Old Man’s chords and progressions
You can describe what Neil Young plays during the intro using chord names, I’ve done it above as:
||: 6/4 Dm9add4 |4/4 D (Dsus4 Dsus2) :||
However, this will only help you if you know exactly how to play it and for that you need TAB. Once you’ve got it down, these chord names tell you about the intervals used and serve as a reminder.
As great as the intro is, I actually think the verse chords are even better. We now get a D major, not a D minor chord but when the F enters, that suggests it should have been Dm.
This play between the Dm and D chords is essential in order to fuse the blues with folk music. Also notice how we vary the verse by first going to G (chord IV if D), then F (chord I if in Dm), like this:
||: D F/C (Fsus2) | C (Csus2) G |
| D F/C (Fsus2) | C F/C (Fsus2) :||
Members start off by learning the intro which consists of a series of hammer-on chord licks, manipulating that D chord in a very clever way.
This D chord then goes on to be the star of the show as the only chord not belonging to the key. Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): Old Man chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Old Man is one of Neil Young’s best tunes from his golden era!
One of Neil Young‘s best tunes, Old Man was released in 1972, just after Heart Of Gold and with The Needle And The Damage Done as a B-side!
This must be considered three of the best tunes released in a row by anyone, ever.
Neil’s greatness as a songwriter is clear for everyone to see, once you start really digging into the material, and transcribing this in detail, you’ll discover that this is beyond great, perhaps up there with the best ever.
I have personally found a new level of respect for Neil since I transcribed his, in my opinion, greatest hits.
Following the deep dive into his greatest tunes, I went back and listened to his ’70s albums and was truly blown away, I would advise any aspiring songwriter and/or guitar player to do the same, it’s truly a goldmine.
Old Man chords | Related pages
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