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Small Town chords by John Mellencamp (Official Version)

GuitarPianoUkulele

G
D
Cadd9
Am
Em

Intro 1

G

D

Cadd9

D

G

D

Cadd9

D

G

D

Cadd9

D

G

D

Cadd9

D

Verse 1
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
Well, I was born in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
And I live in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
Probably die in a small    town
Am 
D 
Oh, those small communities
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
All my friends are so small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
My parents live in the same     small town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
My job is so small    town
Am 
D 
Provides little opportunity, hey

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Interlude 1

G

D

Cadd9

D

G

D

Cadd9

D

Verse 2
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
Educated in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
Taught to fear of Jesus in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
Used to daydream in       that small town
Am 
D 
Another boring romantic, that's me
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
But I've seen it all in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
Had myself a ball in a small    town
G 
D 
Married an L.A. Doll
Cadd9 
and brought  her to this small town
Am 
D 
Now she's small town just like me
D 

Bridge 1
Cadd9 
G 
No, I cannot   forget
Cadd9 
G 
from where it is that I come from
Cadd9 
G 
D 
I cannot      forget the people who love me
Cadd9 
G 
Yeah, I can be       myself
Cadd9 
G 
here in this     small town
Cadd9 
G 
D 
And people   let me be just what I want to be

Interlude 2

G

D

Cadd9

D

(Ooh nah,

G

D

Cadd9

D

nah, nah, yeah, ooh yeah yeah)

Solo 1
Em 
Em 
G 
Cadd9 
G 
Em 
Em 
G 
D 
Em 
Em 
G 
Cadd9 
G 
D 
D 
D 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
G 
D 
Cadd9 

Verse 3
G 
D 
Cadd9 
Got nothing against a big      town
G 
D 
Still hayseed enough to say
Cadd9 
Look     who's in the big town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
But my bed is in a small    town
Am 
D 
Oh, and that's good enough for me
G 
D 
Cadd9 
Well, I was born in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
And I can breathe in a small    town
G 
D 
Cadd9 
Gonna die in a small    town
Am 
Oh, and that's probably
D 
where they'll bury me, yeah

Outro 1
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
(Ooh, yeah...)
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 
D 
G 
D 
Cadd9 

1985Rock

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GuitarPianoUkulele

0

G
D
Cadd9
Am
Em

Tuning: E A D G B EDifficulty: EasyKey: B majorBPM: 123

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Finger positions, low to high (E A D G B e). 0 is open, x is muted.

G: 3-2-0-0-0-3
D: x-x-0-2-3-2
Cadd9: x-3-2-0-3-3
Am: x-0-2-2-1-0
Em: 0-2-2-0-0-0

Accurately transcribed by the GuitarTuna team.

Add9 chords keep the major or minor triad and add a 9th on top, giving a brighter sound. A short course covers the shapes and where they fit. Learn add9 chords

Most chord-change problems come from the strumming hand, not the fretting hand. The basic strumming course covers the patterns and timing that make any chord progression easier to play. Practice basic strumming

Even perfectly fretted chords sound wrong on an out-of-tune guitar. Get in tune in seconds, right in your browser, with the free online guitar tuner

This is the original studio version of Small Town by John Mellencamp, capturing how the song was actually played on the recording. Unlike our simplified arrangement, this chart keeps the exact chord voicings and capo position in the original key of B major. It suits players who want to learn Small Town the way John Mellencamp intended, without oversimplifying the arrangement.

Small Town

John Mellencamp

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