Teenage Dirtbag | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 :||
Verse 1
||: E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 :||
Her name is Noelle, I have a dream about her.
She rings my bell, I got gym class in half an hour.
Oh, how she rocks, in Keds and tube socks.
Bridge 1
||: C#m Asus2 | B5 :||
But she doesn’t know who I am.
And she doesn’t give a damn about me.
Chorus 1
||: E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 :||
‘Cause I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
Yeah, I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 | E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |2/4 A5 B5 |
Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me. Oo-o-o-oo-o-oh.
Instrumental 1
||: E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 :||
Verse 2
Her boyfriend’s a dick and he brings a gun to school.
And he’d simply kick, my ass if he knew the truth.
He lives on my block and he drives an IROC.
Bridge 2
But he doesn’t know who I am.
And he doesn’t give a damn about me.
Chorus 2
‘Cause I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
Yeah, I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby.
Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me. Oo-o-o-oo-o-oh.
Chorus tag 1
||: E Asus2 | E Asus2 | E Asus2 | C#5 G#5 A5 B5 :||
Oh yeah, dirtbag. No, she doesn’t know what she’s missing.
Oh yeah, dirtbag. No, she doesn’t know what she’s missing.
Instrumental 2
| E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 |
Verse 3
Man, I feel like mold, it’s prom night and I am lonely.
Lo and behold, she’s walking over to me.
This must be fake, my lip starts to shake.
Bridge 3
How does she know who I am?
And why does she give a damn about me?
Chorus 3 (Breakdown)
I’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby.
Come with me Friday, don’t say maybe
I’m just a teenage dirtbag baby like you. Oo-o-oo-oh
Chorus tag 2
Oh yeah, dirtbag. No, she doesn’t know what she’s missing.
Oh yeah, dirtbag. No, she doesn’t know what she’s.
Outro
| E B5 | E5 Asus2 | E B5 | E5 (A G#) | (F# G# F#) E |
Missing, ah oh, oh.
Teenage Dirtbag Chords: Learn the progressions
Teenage Dirtbag uses simple chords and progression to get into your mind. Let’s analyze each chord progression to find out how ideas are recycled.
The intro, verse, and instrumental sections are all I – V – I – IV, with power chords and a sus2, like this:
||: E5 (I) B5 (V) | E5 (I) Asus2 (IV) :||
The bridge starts on chord VI, and then goes to IV – V, like this:
| C#m (VI) Asus2 (IV) | B5 (V) |
The chorus goes back to chord I and adds a turnaround riff, like this:
| E5 (I) A5 (IV) | B5 (V) C#5 (VI) G#5 (III) |
The characteristic turnaround has a 2/4 bar in it.
| E5 A5 | B5 C#5 G#5 |2/4 A5 B5 |
The chorus tag section finally uses the full triad for the E chord as it goes like this:
||: E (I) Asus2 (IV) :|| x3
| C#5 (VI) G#5 (III) A5 (IV) B5 (V) :||
The outro slows down and is compulsory to memorize!
| E B5 | E5 Asus2 | E B5 | E5 (A G#) | (F# G# F#) E |
As Teenage Dirtbag was recorded using an acoustic guitar going through amps, this tune works using the same part no matter if you play it on your own using an acoustic, or in a band with an electric – very unusual!
There’s TAB for all sections if you follow this link: Teenage Dirtbag – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve memorised the TAB, this chord chart is all you need to bring to the gig or rehearsal.
Teenage Dirtbag Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Teenage Dirtbag Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Teenage Dirtbag iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key although in my experience, this tune is always played in the original key.
Teenage Dirtbag was inspired by a teenage satanic ritual murder!
Released in 2000, Teenage Dirtbag was the lead single from Wheatus‘ debut album.
An enormous success worldwide, it made the band famous overnight. Recorded in Brendan’s mother’s basement, only the mixing and mastering were done in a professional setting.
In the charts, Teenage Dirtbag performed best in Australia, Austria, and Belgium, where it reached #1. A further ten countries had it in the top 10, including the U.K. (2) and U.S. (7).
The idea for the tune came from Brendan at the age of 10, walking around in AC/DC T-shirts, being a little rebel while simultaneously a murder committed by another teen in a satanic ritual, also wearing an AC/DC T-shirt.
This caused the people around him to view him as if he were the same as the murderer when he was just a regular teenager, hence the line: I’m just a Teenage Dirtbag!
I met the band in 2003 when they were touring the U.K. At the time, Teenage Dirtbag was so big they played it three times in every gig. Their message was very bitter as they kept telling everyone: never sign a major record deal!
Wheatus never managed to follow their huge hit with another big tune. They still play it at gigs, and so do party bands, more than two decades after the initial release.
Teenage Dirtbag Chords | Related Pages
Teenage Dirtbag | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus using TAB and chord analysis.
| E5 B5 | E5 Asus2 |
Her name is Noelle, I have a dream about her…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Wheatus tunes
Brendan B. Brown grew up playing Iron Maiden and AC/DC tunes, contemplating the hardship of Western white male teenage years first-hand.
As Wheatus‘ guitarist, singer, and songwriter he managed to sum this up perfectly in his massive tune Teenage Dirtbag.
Wheatus on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Teenage Dirtbag 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 practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
