Only The Good Die Young Chords & Guitar Lesson
Welcome to my Only the Good Die Young chord chart by Billy Joel. Such a great and fun song to learn on the guitar. Fortunately for beginners, the only place where this gets real tricky is the F chord but we can easily solve that problem with the Fmaj7 chord below.
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Only The Good Die Young Guitar Chords:
Only The Good Die Young Strumming Patterns:
This was a fun one to figure out due to the timing on the chorus. I would highly recommend sitting with the chorus for a second and listening to the rhythm before playing. The trick part is the first down strum is NOT on the 1st beat. It's on the 2nd beat.
Strumming Pattern (verse):
F C C Am F
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
DU UD U U DU UD U U
Strumming Pattern (chorus):
C F
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
......D U DU D D DU DU
G C
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
......D U DU D D D U DU
Need help making your guitar sound better? Check out Lauren’s Strumming Course.
Only The Good Die Young Guitar Lesson:
This song does not have a video lesson to go along with it yet.
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Only The Good Die Young Chord Chart:
Intro:
F Am F |G C|
F Am F G
Verse:
F |G Am |
Come out, Virginia, don't let me wait
F |G C |
You Catholic girls start much too late
F |G Am |
Ah but sooner or later it comes down to fate
F (hold) G (hold)
I might as well be the one
F |G Am |
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
F |G C |
They built you a temple and locked you away
F |G Am |
Ah but they never told you the price that you pay
F (hold) G (hold for 8 count)
For things that you might have done
Chorus:
C
Only the good die young
F G C
Thats’ What I Said
C F G C
only the good die young only the good die young.
Verse:
F |G Am |
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd.
F |G C |
We ain’t too pretty, we ain’t too proud.
F |G Am |
We might be laughing a bit too loud
F (hold) G (hold)
Oh, but that never hurt no one.
F |G Am |
So come on, Virgina, show me a sign
F |G C |
Send up a signal, I’ll throw you line
F |G Am |
That stained glass curtain you’re hiding behind
F (hold) G (hold for 8 count)
never lets in the sun.
Chorus:
C
Only the good die young
F G C
Thats’ What I Said
C F G C
only the good die young only the good die young.
Bridge:
G(hold) F(hold) C C
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
D7 D7 F F
You got a brand new soul and a cross of gold
G (hold) F (hold) C C
But, Virginia, they didn't give you quite enough information
D7 D7 F G (hold)
You didn't count on me when you were counting on your rosary, oh-oh-oh.
Verse:
F |G Am |
And they say there’s a heaven for those who will wait.
F |G C |
Some say it’s better but I say it ain’t.
F |G Am |
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,
F (hold) G (hold)
the sinners are much more fun.
Chorus:
C
Only the good die young
F G C
Thats’ What I Said
C F G C
only the good die young only the good die young.
Bridge:
G7(hold) F(hold) C(hold 8 counts)
D7 D7 F F
Bridge:
G(hold) F (hold) C C
Said your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
D7 D7 F G (hold)
Oh, she never cared for me but did she ever say a prayer for me, no-oh-oh.
Verse:
F |G Am |
Come out, come out, come come out Virginia, don't let me wait
F |G G |
You Catholic girls start much too late
F |G Am|
Sooner or later it comes down to fate
F (hold) G (hold 2)
I might as well be the one
Chorus Repeat Out:
C
Only the good die young
F G C
Thats’ What I Said
C F G C
only the good die young only the good die young.
This file is the author’s own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It’s intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
We do not distribute printable chord and lyrics charts. These charts are here only to support online learning. We highly recommend buying music from Hal Leonard or a reputable online sheet music store.