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Rock In The Usa

John Cougar Mellencamp

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: Scott A. Yanoff 
From: hamilton@elec.uq.oz.au (Lefty)

R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A.
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Very easy - the basic chord pattern is  E A D A (open chords)
Generally, the strumming pattern (I think) is two downstrokes on
the beat for each chord and then change to the next chord with
an upstroke on the change.

The only exceptions are replacing the E chord of the sequence
with a B chord at the end of the chorus (which I don't usually bother
doing - the E chord sounds fine).  Also, use only a single downstroke
and no upstroke in the first verse for each word in "crack, boom, bam".

Anyway, it goes something like this:

(Fast rock beat)

     E             A               D             A             E A D A
They come from the cities and they come from the smaller towns,

E           A            D             A     E      A       D    A
beat up cars with guitars and drummers goin' crack, boom, bam.

CHORUS

 E     A             D      A
 R. O. C. K.  in the U. S. A.

 E     A             D      A
 R. O. C. K.  in the U. S. A

 E     A             D      A           B
 R. O. C. K.  in the U. S. A, yeah, yeah

 (no chord)             E  A  D  A  etc, for a few more bars
 Rockin' in the U. S. A.

- The remainder of the song follows the same pattern:

Said goodbye to their families, said goodbye to their friends;
with pipedreams in their heads and very little money in their hands.
Some are black and some are white, aint't too proud to sleep on the floor tonight.
With the blind faith of Jesus, you know that they just might . . .

(no chord)
be rockin in the USA

>Chorus

Voices from nowhere and voices from the larger towns
Filled our head full of dreams, turned our world upside down
There was Frankie Lymon, Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder (they were rockin')
Jackie Wilson, Shangrilas, Young Rascals (they were rockin')
Spotlight on Martha Reeves, let's don't forget James Brown.

(no chord)           (spoken)
Rockin' in the USA.   Hey!

>Chorus
(repeat and fade)

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