Kenny Chesney - American Kids Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Bm7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Cm chord diagram
[Opening]
[Em] [Bm7] [C] [G]
[Em]Doublewide [Bm7]Quick Stop [C]midnight [G]T-top
[Em]Jack in her [Bm7]Cherry Coke [C]town [G]
[Em]Momma and [Bm7]daddy put their [C]roots right [G]here
‘Cause [Em]this is where the car [Bm7]broke [C]down [G]
[verse 2]
[Em]Yellow dog [Bm7]school bus [C]kicking up [G]red dust
[Em]Picking us [Bm7]up by a [C]barbed wire [G]fence
[Em]MT[Bm7]V on the [C]RC[G]A,
[Em]no A/C [Bm7]in the [C]vents
[chorus]
We were [G]Jesus save me, [Bm7]blue jean baby
[Em]Born in the US[C]A
[G]Trailer park truck stop, [Bm7]faded little map dots
[Em]New York to L[C]A
[chorus]
We were [G]teenage dreaming, [Bm7]front seat leaning
[Em]Baby, come give me a [C]kiss
[G]Put me on the cover of the [Bm7]Rolling Stone
Uptown [Em]down home American [C]kids
[chorus]
[Em]Growing [Bm7]up in [C]little pink [G]houses
[Em]Making [Bm7]out on [C]living room [G]couches
[Em]Blowing that [Bm7]smoke on [C]Saturday [G]night
A [Em]little messed up, but we’re all alright, hey
[interlude]
[Em] [Bm7] [C] [G] [Em] [Bm7] [C]
[verse 3]
[Em]Baptist church [Bm7]parking lot, [C]trying not to [G]get caught
[Em]Take her home and [Bm7]give her your [C]jacket [G]
[Em]Making it to [Bm7]second base, but [C]saying you went [G]all the way
[Closing]
[Em]Monday after[Bm7]noon at [C]practice [G]
[Em]Sister’s [Bm7]got a [C]boy[G]friend
[Em]daddy [Bm7]doesn’t [C]like [G]
[G]Now he’s [Em]sitting out [Bm7]back, [C]3030 in his lap
[C]In the blue bug zapper light
[chorus]
We were [G]Jesus save me, [Bm7]blue jean baby
[Em]Born in the US[C A
[G]Trailer park truck stop, [Bm7]faded little map dots
[Em]New York to L[C]A
[chorus]
We were [G]teenage dreaming, [Bm7]front seat leaning
[Em]Baby, come give me a [C]kiss
[G]Put me on the cover of the [Bm7]Rolling Stone
Uptown [Em]down home American [C]kids
[chorus]
[Em]Growing [Bm7]up in [C]little pink [G]houses
[Em]Making [Bm7]out on [C]living room [G]couches
[Em]Blowing that [Bm7]smoke on [C]Saturday [G]night
A [Em]little messed up, but we’re all [Cm]alright, hey
[interlude]
[Em] [Bm7] [C] [G] [Em] [Bm7] [C]
[chorus]
We were [G]Jesus save me, [Bm7]blue jean baby
[Em]Born in the US[C]A
[G]Trailer park truck stop, [Bm7]faded little map dots
[Em]New York to L[C]A
[chorus]
We were [G]teenage dreaming, [Bm7]front seat leaning
[Em]Baby, come give me a [C]kiss
[G]Put me on the cover of the [Bm7]Rolling Stone
Uptown [Em]down home American [C]kids
[chorus]
[Em]Growing [Bm7]up in [C]little pink [G]houses
[Em]Making [Bm7]out on [C]living room [G]couches
[Em]Blowing that [Bm7]smoke on [C]Saturday [G]night
A [Em]little messed up, but we’re all [Cm]alright hey
How to play American Kids on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Kenny Chesney - American Kids on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
American Kids uses these transitions most often: C → G (36), Em → Bm7 (30), and Bm7 → C (29). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Em - Bm7 chord transition.
1. Em → Bm7 chord transition
To move from Em to Bm7;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 4.
- Place index finger on E string fret 2.
2. Bm7 → C chord transition
To move from Bm7 to C;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.
3. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
4. G → Em chord transition
To move from G to Em;
- While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
5. G → Bm7 chord transition
To move from G to Bm7;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 4.
6. Em → C chord transition
To move from Em to C;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
7. Em → Cm chord transition
To move from Em to Cm;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
American Kids chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in American Kids.
- American Kids includes 161 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- American Kids contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how American Kids connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
- Em → C: 26%
- Em → Bm7: 0%
After Bm7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are E7 (25%), C (13%), and A (11%).- Bm7 → C: 13%
- Bm7 → Em: 8%