PEDRO THE LION
"Yellow Bike"
From the album "Phoenix" (2019)
Standard Tuning
Tempo = 120 bpm
[INTRO]
E
[VERSE 1]
A E
On a desert Christmas morning, 1981
B
One month shy of six years old
F#m
In the valley of the sun
A E
My first two-wheel bicycle stood by the tree
F#m
My heart thumping in my chest
A B
Though I'd tried, I couldn’t ride one yet
[INSTRUMENTAL]
A E
e|--------0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0--0--0-|-(0)----------|
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B F#m
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G|-9---11-11---13-|-13----|
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[VERSE CONTINUED]
A E
Out on our street when my dad let go of the seat
F#m
I rode off and down the road
A B
Somehow I never went back home
[CHORUS 1]
E
But I remember what it was like
A
Astride my yellow bike
E
First freedom, second life
A
All the places I could ride
G#m
Leaving early packing light
C#m B A A/G#
That little ache inside
F#m A
My kingdom for someone to ride with
[CHORUS LEAD]
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[INSTRUMENTAL]
E
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G|--------13-13-|-13---11-11-11---9-9-|
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A|--------------|---------------------|
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A
e|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---------|----------0--0-|
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E A
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[VERSE 2]
A E
Now a highwayman who traded in his handlebars
B
Going back and forth
F#m
In vans and rental cars
A E
On the 10, the 5, the 90, and the 95
F#m
In love with every stretch of road
A B
But when I drive them on my own
[VERSE 2 LEAD]
A E
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F#m A
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[CHORUS 2]
G#m
They remind me what it was like
C#m B A A/G#
Astride that yellow bike
F#m A
My kingdom for someone
[BRIDGE]
A
Some folks are loners
G#m
And you learn from them
F#m
If you've always been a joiner
E
On the move again
A
But if you keep your legs pumping
G#m
Despite everything
F#m
Well, you can take that sting
A B
You can make it swing
[CHORUS 3]
E
Just remember what it was like
A
Astride that yellow bike
E
First freedom, second life
A
All the places I could ride
G#m
Leaving early packing light
C#m B A A/G#
That little ache inside
F#m A
My kingdom for someone to ride with
F#m Am E
I'd trade my kingdom for someone to ride with