Redgum - I Was Only 19 Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
[Opening]
[A] [C] [G] [D] [A] [G] [A]
[A]Mum and Dad and [C]Denny
saw the [G]passing out pa[D]rade at Pucka[A]punyal
It was a [G]long march from ca[A]dets
[A]The sixth battalion was the [C]next to tour,
and it was [G]me who drew the [D]card
We did Ca[A]nungra, Shoal [G]water before we [A]left
[verse 2]
And [E]Townsville lined the footpaths as we [D]marched down to the [A]quay
This [E]clipping from the paper shows us [D]young and strong and [A]clean
And [F#m]there’s me in me [E]slouch hat with me [D]SLR and [A]greens
God [E]help me, I was only nine[D]teen
[verse 3]
From [A]Vung Tau, riding [C]Chinooks, to the [G]dust at Nui [D]Dat
I’d been [A]in and out of [G]choppers now for [A]months
But we [A]made our tents a [C]home, VB and [G]pinups on the [D]lockers
And an [A]Asian orange [G]sunset through the [A]scrub
[verse 4]
And [E]can you tell me, doctor, why I [D]still can’t get to [A]sleep?
And [E]night time’s just a jungle dark and a [D]barking M six [A]teen?
And [F#m]what’s this rash that [E]comes and goes,
can you [D]tell me what it [A]means?
God [E]help me, I was only nine [D]teen
[verse 5]
A [A]four weeks ope[Am]ra[C]tion
when each [G]step could mean your [D]last one on two [A]legs
It was [G]war within your[A]self
But you wouldn’t let your [C]mates down til they [A]had you dusted [D]off
So you [A]closed your eyes and [G]thought about something [A]else
[verse 6]
Then [E]someone yelled out “Contact!” and the [D]bloke behind me [A]swore
We [E]hooked in there for hours, then a [D]god all mighty [A]roar
[F#m]Frankie kicked a [E]mine the day that man [D]kind kicked the [A]moon
God [E]help me, he was going home in [D]June
[verse 7]
[A]I can still see [C]Frankie, drinking [G]tinnies in the [D]Grand Hotel
On a [A]thirty six hour [G]rec leave in Vung [A]Tau
And [A]I can still hear [C]Frankie, lying [G]screaming in the [D]jungle
Til the [A]morphine came and [G]killed the bloody [A]row
[verse 8]
And the [E]Anzac legends didn’t mention [D]mud and blood and [A]tears
And the [E]stories that my father told me [D]never seemed quite [A]real
I [F#m]aught some pieces [E]in my back that I [D]didn’t even [A]feel
God [E]help me, I was only [D]nineteen
[Closing]
And [E]can you tell me, doctor, why I [D]still can’t get to i[A]sleep?
And [E]why the Channel Seven chopper [D]chills me to my [A]feet?
And [F#m]what’s this rash that [E]comes and goes, can you [D]tell me what it [A]means?
God [E]help me, I was only nine[D]teen
[A] [C] [G] [D] [A] [G] [A]
How to play I Was Only 19 on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Redgum - I Was Only 19 on guitar requires 7 chords and 11 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.
I Was Only 19 uses these transitions most often: D → A (29), E → D (20), and A → E (14). 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 A - C chord transition.
1. A → C chord transition
To move from A to C;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
2. 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.
3. G → D chord transition
To move from G to D;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
4. D → A chord transition
To move from D to A;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
5. A → G chord transition
To move from A to G;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
6. A → E chord transition
To move from A to E;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
7. E → D chord transition
To move from E to D;
- Slide your index finger on G string from fret 1 to fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
8. A → F#m chord transition
To move from A to F#m;
- While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to A string fret 4.
- Place pinky on D string fret 4.
9. F#m → E chord transition
To move from F#m to E;
- While playing F#m, lift your pinky from D string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your ring finger from A string fret 4 to D string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
10. A → Am chord transition
To move from A to Am;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
11. Am → C chord transition
To move from Am to C;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
I Was Only 19 chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Was Only 19.
- I Was Only 19 includes 125 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- I Was Only 19 contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how I Was Only 19 connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
- A → D: 29%
- A → G: 13%
After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).- D → A: 17%
- D → E: 3%