Chords + Lyrics | Time Of Your Life
Intro
| G5 N.C | G5 N.C |
F*ck.
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :||
Verse 1
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :||
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
Bridge 1
||: Em D5 | C G5 :||
So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why.
It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
Chorus 1
| Em G5 | Em G5 |
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right.
| Em D5 |
I hope you had the time of your life.
Instrumental 1
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :||
Verse 2
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Bridge 2
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial,
for what it’s worth it was worth all the while.
Chorus 2
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
Solo
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :|| x4
||: Em D5 | C G5 :||
Chorus 3
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
Instrumental 2
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :||
Chorus 4
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
End
||: G5 | Cadd9 D5 :|| G |
Time Of Your Life Chords: Learn the progressions
The chords in Time of Your Life are simple and diatonic, making use of only the I, IV, V, and VI chords. The real standout element isn’t the chords themselves, but the distinct picking pattern (more on that later).
The intro and verse follow a loop of I – IV – V in the key of G, like this:
||: G5 (I) | Cadd9 (IV) D5 (V) :||
The bridge introduces the melancholic VI chord and shifts things up:
||: Em (VI) D5 (V) | C (IV) G5 (I) :||
The chorus stays with the Em – G, which we heard during the bridge. This repetition leads into the following loop:
| Em (VI) G5 (I) | Em G5 |
| Em D5 (V) |
Using a chord chart, Time of Your Life looks like this:
Time Of Your Life Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Note how the first three sections are repeated three times (D.C x3), followed by the solo, chorus, and outro.
A chord chart doesn’t include rhythm—it’s intended to be used after you’ve learned the song, serving as a quick reference if you need a reminder of any section.
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s the PDF: Time of Your Life chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro. You can download the iReal Pro file here: Time of Your Life iReal Pro. With this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key to suit your needs.
Below, you’ll find a course preview showing how to play Time of Your Life, complete with TAB, play-along loops, and in-depth discussions on each section—plus tips on creating a second guitar part and even tackling the fiddle solo!
Once you’ve gone through that process, the chord chart above will be all you need.
Time Of Your Life TAB | Course Preview
Beyond the fast picking and strumming of the original guitar part, the biggest challenge in learning Time of Your Life is mastering the fiddle solo—note for note—on guitar!
In the beginner course, we cover all of this, but we also explore key changes, using a capo, and creating a second guitar part.
Once you’ve learned the second guitar part, you, me, and the singer can play together like a band—though we might sound a bit country!
This is one of the most interesting aspects of learning this Green Day classic. When you start adding the third to the chords, the song takes on a country feel.
But Billie Joe Armstrong cleverly avoids this by playing G and D as power chords (G5 and D5)—keeping it pure punk!
Before diving into the second guitar and violin solo, we first need to nail Billie Joe’s original guitar part. To get there, we’ll use looped practice at different tempos.
Here’s the TAB for the main riff—play along with me in the video!
In the course, we break down the verse, apply the same approach to the chorus, and work on sweeping exercises to build the speed and accuracy needed to play Time of Your Life well.
Once we’ve got all that down, we’ll create the second guitar part, grab a cowboy hat, and tackle that incredible fiddle solo!
Here’s the link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Time of Your Life – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Time of Your Life Is Not Called Time of Your Life!
The song is officially titled Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), though it has also been referred to as Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) and sometimes just Good Riddance!
Billie Joe Armstrong originally wrote the song for Green Day’s breakthrough album Dookie (1994), but it was held back for three years before appearing on their 1997 follow-up, Nimrod.
Released as a single from Nimrod, Time of Your Life became a huge success and was the only crossover hit from the album to achieve worldwide recognition.
Some might even argue that Time of Your Life helped keep Green Day in the spotlight between Dookie and American Idiot.
According to bassist Mike Dirnt, compared to the rest of Nimrod, Time of Your Life was “the most punk we could go.”
Time Of Your Life Chords: Continue Learning
The biggest hurdle in playing Time of Your Life is mastering fast picking with a sweeping motion. To improve, we’ll start with a sweeping exercise.
Once you can play the complete song, the final challenge is tackling the second guitar part, including a note-for-note version of the violin solo.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Time Of Your Life – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: