Jackson Browne - These Days
Hello! Below you'll find my "These Days" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
Jackson Browne wrote this song when he was 16 and it is a timeless classic with an amazing chord progression and lyrics. The Nico version is also excellent with a few differences that I go over in the video - you can get my chord chart for her version here.
Enjoy!
These Days Piano Tutorial
Here's a piano tutorial video for These Days:
These Days Chords & Lyrics
[Intro]
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | x2
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | x2
[Verse 1]
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
Well I've been out walking
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
I don't do that much talking, these days
F C Bb
These days, these days I seem to think a lot
Bb F C A7/C#
About the things that I forgot to do, for you
Dm Am7 Bb
And all the times I had a chance to
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
Well I've been out walking
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
I don't do that much talking, these days
F C Bb
These days, these days I seem to think a lot
Bb F C A7/C#
About the things that I forgot to do, for you
Dm Am7 Bb
And all the times I had a chance to
[Instrumental]
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 |
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 |
[Verse 2]
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
And I had a lover
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
But it's so hard to risk another these days
F C Bb
These days, now if I seem to be afraid
Bb F C A7/C#
To live the life that I have made in song
Dm Am7 Bb (F Csus4/E...)
Well it's just that I've been losing, for so long
[Instrumental]
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | x2
| F | C | Bb | Bb |
| F | C A7/Db | Dm Am7 | Bb |
| F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | x2
| F | C | Bb | Bb |
| F | C A7/Db | Dm Am7 | Bb |
[Verse 3]
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
Well, I'll keep on movin', moving on
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
Well, I'll keep on movin', moving on
F Csus4/E Dm7 F/C Bbmaj7
Things are bound to be improvin' these days
F C Bb
One of these days, these days I sit on corner stones
Bb F
And count the time in quarter tones to ten
Things are bound to be improvin' these days
F C Bb
One of these days, these days I sit on corner stones
Bb F
And count the time in quarter tones to ten
C A7/C#
My friend
Dm Am7
Don't confront me with my failures
Don't confront me with my failures
Bb (F Csus4/E...)
I had not forgotten them
I had not forgotten them
[Outro]
| F Csus4/E | Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | Bbmaj7 :||
| F Csus4/E | Dm7 F/C | Bbmaj7 | Bbmaj7 :||
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
These Days Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "These Days" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.
3. Simplify if need be: "These Days" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
