Aug212023

Katie Lynne Sharbaugh – Omaha The Only What If on Piano & Ukulele

KeyKeyCapo

View

[Intro]
 G  Am  F   C
G  Am  F   C

[Verse 1]
G        Am           F  C
 I met a man going to Omaha
  G        Am
He told me some stories
            F      C
'bout his son-in-law
    G
He spoke just like your
 Am           F       C
 parents in a western drawl
   G              Am
If you could even call
    F    C
 it that
G           Am
 I told him how we'd
         F   C
hit the Iowa state fair
G         Am
 I felt a little like
    F    C
 an alien out there
G           Am
 It's crazy how much
     F       C
he resembled ya
      G
Guess that's the comfort
 Am         F   C
 of middle America

[Chorus]
G      Am           F
 And I know you're away and
      C
 out achieving something
G           Am         F
 Found your own saving grace
           C
and she's cute as a button
G         Am            F
 And I'm still a basket case
                C
but that's the life
that I picked
G               Am
 You're not the one
           F
 that got away,
                 C
 you're just the only
 "What if?"

[Post-Chorus]
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)

[Verse 2]
G           Am
 He gave a smile as
    F         C
 he waved goodbye
     G                Am
I've seen that same expression
          F       C
 'bout a million times
     G                Am
"Godspeed" he said to me
            F       C
 with understanding eyes
  G            Am       F    C
I never got to know his name
G              Am
 I watched him as he turned
    F     C
 to walk away
  G                 Am
I thought about you all
            F       C
the way to baggage claim
    G                  Am
You can't ask fire to stick
            F       C
 around in pouring rain
      G               Am
Guess that's either a blessing
       F     C
or an awful shame

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

[Chorus]
G      Am           F
 And I know you're away and
       C
 out achieving something
G           Am         F
 Found your own saving grace and
       C
 she's cute as a button
G         Am            F
 And I'm still a basket case
                C
 but that's the life
 that I picked
G               Am
 You're not the one that
      F                    C
 got away, you're just the only
 "What if?"

[Post-Chorus]
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)


[Bridge]
Em             F
 Baby it was alright for
just a little bit
Am              D7
 Romeo spinnin' lies
 to hand to Juliet
F                        C
 You had a blueprint for life,
 I had a bucket list
    D7            Am/E
And I didn't fit, so
  F               Fm
 I just made the best of it

[Chorus]
G      Am           F
 And I know you're away and
      C
 out achieving something
G           Am         F
 Found your own saving grace
           C
 and she's cute as a button
G           Am             F
 Aren't you glad I gave my place
            C
 to someone worthy of it?
G               Am            F
 You're not the one that got away,
                  C
you're just the only "What if?"

[Outro]
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)
G   Am     F      C
(la la, la la, la la la)

Watch: Omaha (The Only What If)

From Katie Lynne Sharbaugh - Topic on YouTube. Play along with the chords above.

How to play Omaha The Only What If: key, chords and progression

These are Omaha The Only What If chords by Katie Lynne Sharbaugh on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

Omaha The Only What If by Katie Lynne Sharbaugh is written in C major (no sharps or flats) and moves through 8 chords: G, Am, F, C, Em, D7, Am/E and Fm.

The progression the song keeps returning to is G – Am – F – C (V – vi – IV – I in C major), a rotation of the “four-chord” pop progression (I–V–vi–IV). In solfa, that is soh – lah – fah – doh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Good to know: F and Fm are played as barre or movable shapes on guitar. Practise the change into them slowly; on piano and ukulele the same chords are easier.