Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up chords by Maddie Poppe

• Capo on 2nd

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Difficulty: Intermediate

Verse 1:
C                                     Em
That was the way, that was the way it was
            Am                                            F
When you're five years old and don't have nowhere else to run
       C                                              Em
Except into your mother's arms, where she held you so tight
           Am                                                     F
And you're scared of the dark so you sleep with your little night light

         C                                                    Em
When you walked up to school and everyone there was your best friend
         Am                                         F
When you learned your numbers and shapes and played pretend
           C                                               Em
You didn't mind that your hair was a mess, you were so carefree
           Am                                       F
You didn't know how cold and cruel this world would one day be

Chorus:
Dm              G
We were just so young
               C
We should have known
   Em          Am
We should have known
         Dm                                G                         C
That one day we'd hate our bodies and we'd orbit around buttons on a phone
   Em          Am
We should have known
         Dm                                   G                                  C
That one day we'd pluck our eyebrow hairs and wonder why the cool kids stared at me
   Em               Am
Oh why'd it have to be
    Dm
Our imaginations have run dry
   G                                 C
We hate ourselves and have a nightly cry
            Em             Am
And then we act like we're fine
     Dm                                 G                           C
It's alcohol and bombs and drugs, don't ever let your children grow up

    Em          Am
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

C  Em

Verse 2:
         C                                                     Em
We would swing on the swings and jump off and pretend we could fly
       Am                                             F
But as soon as we blinked we grew up and we're junior high
       C                                                       Em
So our dads dropped us off at the park and we stayed out 'till ten
       Am                                        F
So the makeup comes out and we think we need the perfect boyfriend

Chorus:
Dm              G
We were just so young
              C
How didn't we know
    Em        Am
How didn't we know
             Dm                         G                                          C
That we'd be independent on our own and lose more friends while traveling down the road
        Em        Am
Oh, how didn't we know
             Dm                               G                                     C
That there's more to life than sleepovers and jocks turn out worse than the science nerds
    Em                    Am
But somehow that all gets blurred
           Dm
And some relationships they end real fast
    G                                      C
And though you want you might never get it back
          Em              Am
The doors close just like that
       Dm                                   G                           C
It's depression and it's broken love, don't ever let your children grow up

    Em          Am
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

C  Em

(Vocals)

Outro:
Dm              G
We're no longer young
               C
So now that we know
   Em          Am
So now that we know
          Dm                                      G                              C
That this world could use some turning 'round, if only we could find some common ground
         Em    Am
But it's up to us
      Dm                                         G                               C
And although at times it gets so rough, you have got to let your children grow up
   Em          Am
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
               Dm                        G                             C
Yeah, you have got to let your children, got to let your children grow up