VERSE 1:

-4  6   6   6     6   -7   -6     6

I got my first real six-string

     -6   -6  -6  -6    -7     -6     -6

Bought it at the five-and-dime

     6      6    6    6    -7   -6       6

Played it 'till my fingers bled

 -6    -6    -6  -6    -6   -7  -6   -6

Was the summer of sixty-nine

VERSE 2:

  6      6       6        6       6         -7

Me and some guys from school

 -6  -6   -6     -6    -6     -7     -6      -6

Had a band and we tried real hard

   6    6    6      6    6  6   6   -7  -6   6

Jimmy quit and Joey got married

  -6  -6        -6          -6   -7  -7   -6   -6

Shoulda known we'd never get far

CHORUS 1:

   6       6    6    -5    6      6

Oh when I look back now

  -7       -7  -7          -7     -7   -8     7  6  -6

That summer seemed to last forever

 6    6  6   -5    6    -6

And if I had the choice

  -7      -7   -7  -7   -8   7    6      -6

Yeah I'd always wanna be there

      6        6      6      -5      6   -6    -5    6

Those were the best days of my life

VERSE 3:

  6       6     6     6    -7   -6    6

Ain't no use in complainin'

     -6     -6  -6  -6  -7  -6  -6

When you got a job to do

      6      6     6     6          6     6    6     -7    -6   

Spent my evenings down at the drive-in

    -8    -8       -8    -8  -8    -8

And that's when I met you    (yeah)

CHORUS  2:

  6     6    6     6    -5      6      6

Standin' on your Mama's porch

  -7    -7   -7     -7     -7    -8       7  6  -6

You told me that you'd wait forever

 6       6      6       6    -5    6    -6

Oh and when you held my hand

-7   -7    -7  -7   -7    -8     7    6   -6

I knew that it was now or never

    6         6      6      -5      6   -6    -5    6

Those were the best days of my life

  -8      -7  -6          6    6  6       6      6     6    -8   6      6 

Ooh, yee-aah… back in the summer of sixty-nine     (oooh)