I Tried to Die Young

[ Em7/D = Emin7 with a D bass ]

D.......Em7/Dbass.....G/D.......D........ (x2)

....D...................Em7.........
I tried to die young, really I tried

.........G..........................D.............
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb.

...Bm...........A...............G...
I laugh at the things that I've done

........A............D....
When I tried to die young.

..........D...............................Bm...............
I took a plane through the dawn, threw myself on the tracks

.........G.........................A.............
But the train didn't come and I had to walk back.

..........D.............................Bm.............
I jumped into the whirlpool, thought I'd get sucked in;

.............G......................A.......................
I just kept spinning around till I learned how to swim and I

D....................Em7............
Tried to die young ~ boy, did I try,

.........G...........................D............
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb

.......Bm............A...........G...
And I laugh at the things I've done

........A............D....
When I tried to die young.

..........D............................Bm...................
Well my heart kept on breaking and the crack sought the edge

...........G...........................A...............
Where the hand of a shadow grabbed the hand in my head.

............D..........................Bm............
There were demons, I know them and they still come by,

......G.......................A...........
But we've become friends, my demons and I.

.........D...........................Em7...
Well I tried to die young, really I tried,

.........G...........................D.............
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb.

.......Bm...........A...........G...
And I laugh at the things I've done

........A.............D...
When I tried to die young.

..........Bm..........F#m7...........G.......A......
I took a razor to the wrist of reality,

.....Bm.........F#m7..............G........A.....
Hell-bent on my way toward futility.

...........Bm............F#m7.........G...............A......
I've got a reason to believe that it won't go on forever

....G........................A.....................
But reason to the heart is a message undelivered...

..........D....................................Em7.....
Ahhh!  I tried to die young, really, really I tried

........Em7..........................D............
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb

.......Bm..........A.............G....
and I laugh at the things I've done

........A............D.........
When I tried to die young

.....D   (pause)             Bm     (pause)     
Now I'm the old girl I never thought I'd become...

        (G)    (pause)                  A...............
Does it get any better? asks the little girl in my song.

.........D...............................Bm..................
I'm still learning the answers so I make up things you see...

....................G..........................A............
She laughs ~ You're still the same and you'll never kill me!

......D............................Em7...
Oh I tried to die young, really I tried

........G............................D............
But the voice deep inside would not let me succumb

.......Bm...........A............G....
and I laugh at the things I've done

........A...........D.....
When I tried to die young.

......Bm..........F#m7...........G......A...
Oh I laugh at the things I've done,

........Bm..........F$m7..........G.....A...
Well I laugh at the things I've done,

...Bm..........A.............G...
I laugh at the things I've done

........A............D......Em7/D.....G.......D........ etc.
When I tried to die young


D.......Em7/D..........G...........D.......... etc.

                                            by Melanie Safka
                                transcribed by Ian of Oz