Mar302024

Larry Sparks – You Aint Lived Chords on Piano and Ukulele

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These are You Aint Lived by Larry Sparks on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar & Keyboard.

[Intro 1]
G Gsus4 G  Gsus4

[Intro 2]
G    G
D    D  D D

[Verse 1]
       G
If you never had a nickel pop
     G
from Wesley Benson’s store
   G7
or rolled a load of cotton'
        C
 to the gin.
   D
Or sat down on the front porch
    D
 of Golder Hartning’s store,
         C
watching old men playing
checkers
    C                   D
and wondering who might win.

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[Verse 2]
   G
Or took a sack of corn down
   G
to Hartley Russell’s place
    G7
and watched him as he ground
           C
 it in the mill.
    D
And go back home and smell it
       D
 as it rises in the stove,
C                4
good ol’ country boys know
         D
 God is real.

[Chorus] (Count 2)
          C           D
You ain’t lived, boy,   you
      G         G
ain’t lived,
   Em               Em          A7
if hard times never kissed you,
                D        D
nothing more to give.
   C              D
If you ain’t seen granny take
    G               Em
the smile on Sunday morn,
          C           D
you ain’t lived, boy,
          G        G
you ain’t lived.

[Interlude] (Mandolin)
C   D  G   Em
C   D
G   G  G   G

[Verse 3]
       G
If you never seen the sunrise
            G
from the backside of a mule
   G7
or worked down in the hot
              C
field all the week.
   D
Or saw revival come to our
D
little country church,
C
watching the baptising down
     C          D
the Custameeda creek.

[Verse 4]
       G
If you never had a biscuit
      G
from mama’s whole food store
   G7
or watched her taking butter
          C
from the churn.
   D
Or seen her taking flour sacks
     D
 and turn them into shirts,
C                             D
fashion never was her main concern.

[End-Chorus]
          C           D
You ain’t lived, boy,
          G         G
you ain’t lived,
   Em               Em
if hard times never kissed you,
A7                 D      D
   nothing more to give.
   C              D
If you ain’t seen granny
         G               Em
take the smile on Sunday morn,
          C           D
you ain’t lived, boy,
          G        G
you ain’t lived.

[Outro]
C    D  G  Em
C    D    G  G

How to play You Aint Lived: key, chords and progression

You Aint Lived by Larry Sparks is centred on G major (one sharp: F♯). The song uses 7 chords: G, Gsus4, D, G7, C, Em and A7.

The progression the song keeps returning to is D – C – D – G (V – IV – V – I in G major). In solfa, that is soh – fah – soh – doh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Beginner-friendly: every chord is an open chord on guitar, so you can play it without a capo or barre chords.