[Intro]
(Guitar 1:  18 bars)
D 
(Guitar 2:)
E7 E7 G G A A D D E7 E7 G G A7 A7
[Strophe]
D                E7 
Well, she was an American girl 
G         A 
Raised on promises 
D                 E7 
She couldn't help thinkin' that there was a 
G                   A 
little more to life somewhere else
[Pre-Refrain]
A                  D 
After all it was a great big world 
G                      Em 
With lots of places to run to 
A 
And if she had to die tryin' she had one little promise she was gonna keep
[Refrain]
G       A          D                   Bm 
O yeah, all right, take it easy, baby, make it last all night 
G       A           D 
She was an American girl
[Strophe]
D                  E7 
Well, it was kinda cold that night 
G                      A 
She stood alone on the balcony 
D                        E7 
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by 
       G              A 
Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach
[Pre-Refrain]
A                     D 
And for one desperate moment there 
G                    Em 
He crept back in her memory 
A 
God it's so painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach
[Refrain]
G       A          D                   Bm 
O yeah, all right, take it easy, baby, make it last all night 
G       A           D 
She was an American girl
[Outro]
G G G G G# A D
G G G G G# A D
G G G G G# A D
G G G A A A
 
D E7 G A
(Repeat to end)