Mar222021

John Prine – My Own Best Friend Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

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[Intro]
G C G C G C

[Verse 1]
                   C
I'm beginning to like you
                          G
But, you know that ain't right
                     D
'Cause you'll just twist and
twist and twist
                       G
Till I'm all crooked inside
                          C
Then you'll take all you gave me
                    G
Like it never was there
        D
And I think that I might,
No! I know
                       G
Yes, I will help you there
'Cause....

[Chorus]
                G
I've done it before
 C              G
And I'd do it again
                 D
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
               G
My own best friend

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[Verse 2]
                    C
I'm a victim of friction
                    G
I got too close to see
            D
Yeah, we sparked in the dark
                        G
And God hung a light on me
                        C
And the lamp gets real heavy
                G
Hangs from my heart
         D
And it comes
And it goes
Till I can't tell the
             G
difference apart
But....

[Chorus]
                G
I've done it before
 C              G
And I'd do it again
                 D
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
               G
My own best friend

[Verse 3]
          D
So many people say
                      G
I'll never work out that way
            B7
You can't stand the heat
While you're watching your
            C
heart just melt away
                      A
In the basement on a rainy day
D
La la la
C
La la la
Bm
La la la
            D
La la la La La.....

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Verse 4]
                         C
There's a motel in Shreveport
                      G
Don't ask me where, please
           D
They check in
They check out
                            G
By the light of the color T.V.'s
                     C
The maid calls you Honey
                     G
She makes your bed slow
           D
And she speaks
Of the sheets That don't fit
                        G
But you know that she knows

[Chorus]
                G
I've done it before
 C              G
And I'd do it again
                 D
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
               G
My own best friend
               G
My own best friend
               G
My own best friend
               G
My own best friend

How to play My Own Best Friend: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for My Own Best Friend by John Prine on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

My Own Best Friend by John Prine is written in G major (one sharp: F♯) and moves through 6 chords: G, C, D, B7, A and Bm.

Most of the song cycles through C – G – D – G (IV – I – V – I in G major). In solfa, that is fah – doh – soh – doh. Get these 4 changes smooth and the rest comes quickly.

Beginner-friendly: almost every chord here is an open shape on guitar: no capo, no barre chords needed.