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

Tuning: G C E A (G C E A)

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


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

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


  F#m     Bm
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

D F#m


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


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


  F#m     Bm
(Oh oh oh oh oh oh)

D F#m


(Vocals)

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