Guitar lesson for

Peace of Mind

Video Lesson

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Editor’s notes

Hey friends! In this lesson I’ll teach you how to play “Peace of Mind” by Tyler Childers (track 7 off his 2nd album, “Country Squire”). This is a very straightforward waltz-strumming song that only uses three chords. I’ll not only teach the chords, but explain a few ways to step-by-step get used to the 3/4-time strumming pattern – including the alternating bass note technique. I hope you enjoy! And I very highly recommend this entire album from Childers – I’ve had it on repeat. While the guitar parts don’t stand out as much as they do in his first album, his songwriting and vocals are A+ in my book.

Here’s what I cover in this lesson:

0:00 Playthrough & overview
1:14 Capo & chords
1:52 Strumming: waltz basics
4:33 Strumming: alternating bass notes (with tabs)
6:30 Verse
9:03 Chorus
10:06 Farewell

Lyrics w/ chords

* Capo 1st fret

VERSE, PART 1
              E
    He drinks orange juice and vodka, in the basement while she's talking
        E                                            B7
    To someone long distance, for hours and hours on end
        B7
    And as he's slowly sippin', he thinks about his children
            B7                                                   E
    And the heart attacks that youngest daughter's always giving him

VERSE, PART 2
                   E
        He ain't smoked no marijuana, since he got on with the railroad
                  E                                                   A
        And he's been on with the railroad, for a long and lonesome while
                 A                           E
        But the day that he retires, he'll smoke himself to China
              B7                                                   E
        He'll leave behind his worries, as he's racing through the sky

CHORUS
                         A                    E                 B7                 E
            The days are dark... down in the holler... Waitin' for... the sun to shine
                    A                       E                   B7               E
            On the back... you have been breakin'... tryin' to earn... peace of mind

              E
    She sells Avon to her buddies... and saves a little money
            E                                           B7
    On the makeup she's been using... to hide away the years
            B7
    And she sits and watches TV... usually every evening
             B7                                                        E
    If there ain't some kind of ballgame... that her daughter has to cheer

                    E
        She sneaks menthols in the mornin'... while her family's still snorin'
            E                                                 A
        And as she burns the Eggo's... she looks back at her life
             A                                       E
        That heart she broke in high school... he's singing on the Opry
             B7                                                   E
        She wonders what the hell... that she was thinkin' at the time

            [ CHORUS ]

    Their [E] youngest daughter Stella... she's running with this fell
    That [E] he cannot stand the thought of... that he surely does de[B7]spise
    He's [B7] told her he best never... see the two of them together
    But it's [B7] hard to keep an eye on her... when you're workin' all the [E] time

        There are [E] things he needs to tend to... and the bills the bank keeps sendin'
        Lord, the [E] zeros on the end keep pushing further to the [A] right
        Like a [A] freight train haulin' sorrow... and [A] movin' ever onward
        Through the [B7] tunnel of forever... to the never endin' [E] light

Tyler Childers’ version of this song

Here’s the official version of this song, if you want to hear it:

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