Chords + Lyrics | What’s My Age Again?
Intro
||: D#m/B D#m/F# | D#m/C# D#m :|| x4
Verse 1
||: D#m/B D#m/F# | D#m/C# D#m :||
I took her out, it was a Friday night.
I wore cologne to get the feeling right.
We started making out and she took off my pants.
| D#m/B D#m/F# | D#m/C# | D#m |
But then I turned on the TV and that’s about the time she walked away from me.
Chorus 1
||: F#5 C#5 | D#5 B5 :||
Nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three.
And are still more amused by
TV shows, what the hell is ADD?
| F#5 C#5 | D#5 | C#5 |
My friends say I should act my age. What’s my age again? What’s my age again?
Instrumental 1
| B5 (D#m/B D#m/F#) | B5 (D#m/C# D#m) |
Verse 2
||: B5 F#5 | C#5 D#5 :||
Then later on, on the drive home.
I called her mom, from a payphone.
I said I was the cops and your husband’s in jail.
| B5 F#5 | C#5 | B5 |
The state looks down on sodomy and that’s about the time that bitch hung up on me.
Chorus 2
Nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three.
And are still more amused by
prank phone calls, what the hell is call ID?
My friends say I should act my age. What’s my age again? What’s my age again?
Instrumental 2
||: D#m | D#m/C# | D#m/B | D#m/C# :|| x4
And that’s about the time she walked away from me.
Chorus 3
Nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three.
And you still act like you’re in freshman year.
What the hell is wrong with me?
My friends say I should act my age. (What’s my age again?) That’s about the time she broke up with me.
Chorus 4
No one should take themselves so seriously.
With many years ahead to fall in line.
Why would you wish that on me?
I never wanna act my age. What’s my age again? What’s my age again?
Outro (as chorus)
||: F#5 C#5 | D#5 B5 :|| x3
| F#5 C#5 | D#5 | C#5 | B5 | B5 |
What’s my age again?
What’s My Age Again Chords: The Simple, Repetitive Magic of Punk
Intro + Verses
The intro and verse feature a clean guitar riff built around D#m/B – D#m/F# – D#m/C# – D#m, outlining a VI chord with a bass line moving through IV – I – V – VI.
In verse 2, this bass line is played as power chords instead. The final line is the same in both verses and follows a similar structure, but extends the last bar and changes the final chord:
||: B5 F#5 | C#5 D#5 :|| x3
| B5 F#5 | C#5 | B5 |
Chorus
The chorus follows the I–V–VI–IV progression—ranked #3 on my list of essential chord progressions, often called “the safe bet for modern hits.” Songs like No Woman No Cry, I’m Yours, I Try, and So Lonely all use variations of this structure.
In my intermediate acoustic course, the lessons for I’m Yours break down how different hit songs build melodies over this progression. If I’d discovered What’s My Age Again earlier, its vocal melody would have been a perfect addition to that lesson!
Here’s the full chorus progression with Roman numerals:
||: F#5 (I) C#5 (V) | D#5 (VI) B5 (IV) :||
| F#5 (I) C#5 (V) | D#5 (VI) | C#5 (V) |
To get TAB for this and all other sections, check out the TAB lesson here: → What’s My Age Again – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Instrumental
The instrumental sections are variations on the intro. The first one is just two bars, played under a B5, like this:
| B5 (D#m/B D#m/F#) | B5 (D#m/C# D#m) |
The second instrumental section uses a similar progression (without the B5), with each chord lasting a full bar:
||: D#m | D#m/C# | D#m/B | D#m/C# :||
As you can see, What’s My Age Again relies on extremely simple, repetitive chords—a key characteristic of punk.
If you tune down a semitone, the song shifts to the key of G, making it even easier to play.
Here’s a chord chart (in F#).
What’s My Age Again? Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Download my chart as a PDF, or grab the iReal Pro format—maybe you can structure the layout better than I did!
You can also use iReal Pro to change the key to G, making it fit a guitar tuned down a semitone.
What’s My Age Again? TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for all sections of What’s My Age Again?
I do feel like it would be easier to play this on a guitar tuned down a semitone, thinking in Em—although that doesn’t seem to be what Blink-182 does. I stuck with writing it in D#m, even though it does feel a bit strange.
Here’s a preview of the course TAB: the main riff, which you hear during the intro, verse, and first instrumental section.
Blink-182’s breakthrough single
Blink-182’s album Enema of the State was a massive success.
Produced by Jerry Finn (Green Day) and featuring new drummer Travis Barker, the band had found their calling—capturing the reckless, immature spirit of American 20-somethings.
What’s My Age Again? might be the best example of this, with its carefree skate-punk riffs and infamous streaking music video. Fittingly, the song was originally titled Peter Pan Syndrome.
As the lead single from the album, it reached #2 in the U.S. and marked the moment Blink-182 fully crossed over into the pop-punk mainstream.
The music video had a huge impact, featuring the band running naked through L.A., annoying everyone in sight, intercut with shots of them performing in an all-white infinity room. The woman on the album cover, adult film star Janine Lindemulder, also makes an appearance.
What’s My Age Again? Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: What’s My Age Again? (Blink-182) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
