Pink Houses
John Mellencamp
Transcribed by:CPDmusic
E-mail: CPDmusic@hotmail.com
The song “Pink Houses” by John “Cougar” Mellencamp was written in 1983, reached No. 8 on
Billboard charts, and remains a rock radio staple to this day. It is recommended for
to intermediate guitar players. The song only uses a few basic chords, and has a pretty
main riff, based off of the G and Cadd9 chords.
RIFF:
E||-----||-----------3------3--3--3--|--3------3------------|
B||-----||-----------3------3--3--3--|--3------3------------|
G||-----||*-------0--0------0--0--0--|--0------0------------|
D||-----||*----------0------0--0--0--|--2------0------------|
A||-----||---0h2-----2------2--2--2--|--3------2------------|
E||--3--||-----------3------3--3--3--|---------3--------3---|
----------3----3--3--3--3--|--3------3-------------||
----------3----3--3--3--3--|--3------3-------------||
-------0--0----0--0--0--0--|--0------0------------*||
----------0----0--0--0--0--|--2------0------------*||
--0h2-----2----2--2--2--2--|--3------2-------------||
----------3----3--3--3--3--|---------3--------3----||
CHORDS:
Intro:
Verse 1:
There’s a black man with a black cat
Living in a black neighbourhood
He’s got an interstate runnin’ through his front yard
You know he thinks he’s got in so good
And there’s a woman in the kitchen
Cleanin’ up the evening slop
And he looks at her and says “hey darling
I can remember when you could stop a clock”
Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that America for you and me
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby
Ain’t that America, home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Oh, for you and me
X2
Verse 2:
Well there’s a young man in a T-shirt
Listening to a rock ‘n’ roll station
He’s got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, “Lord this must be my destination
Cause they told me when I was younger
Said, ‘Boy, you’re gonna be president’
But just like everything else, those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went”
Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that America for you and me
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby
Ain’t that America, home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Oh, for you and me
X4
Bridge:
F C G (Play 4 times)
Verse 3:
Well there’s people and more people
What do they know, know, know
Go to work in some high-rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico, oh yeah
And there’s winners, and there’s losers
But they ain’t no big deal,
Cause the simple man baby pays for thrills
The bills and the pills that kill
Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that America for you and me
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby
Ain’t that America, home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Oh, for you and me
Oh but ain’t that America for you and me
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby
Ain’t that America, home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Oh, for you and me
X4