Peace of Mind

by Tyler Childers • Lesson #252 • Aug 23, 2019

Video Lesson

Song Sheet Temporarily Unavailable...

For copyright reasons, my printable song sheet is temporarily unavailable while I move it over to Musicnotes.com, a sheet music service that is providing licensing for my song arrangements.

Want me to priortize this song, so the song sheet is ready sooner? Click the button below and let me know – this helps me know which songs to work on next!

Click to Request

Learn more about my library of song sheets & instructional PDFs.

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:

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Gain instant access to my library of 222 print-friendly cheat sheets! Also includes my extended video lessons, jam tracks, courses, and more.

Join Song Notes Premium

Have questions? Watch video tour »

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!

If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!


Recent Lessons

  • April 18, 2024

    "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens

    Learn how to play Cat Stevens' 1971 classic! I include campfire-friendly chords and strumming, and a step-by-step breakdown of the intro fingerstyle riff.

  • April 9, 2024

    Chords & Music Theory... 9 New Lessons!

    A roundup of a batch of new chord-related video lessons & PDF cheat sheets I just added to my library! Lots of good stuff here, be sure not to miss 'em.

  • March 30, 2024

    Gordon Lightfoot's "Carefree Highway"

    Learn how to play Lightfoot's 1975 classic, with plenty of tips to help simplify some of the quicker chord changes.

  • March 22, 2024

    Lead Guitar & the F1 Theme Song

    Let's look at the catchy Formula 1 theme song and learn how to play it on lead guitar...including handy trick for dealing with the key change.

  • March 15, 2023

    Pink Floyd's "Breathe" - with Simpler Chords Included

    Learn to play through Pink Floyd's 1973 classic! I'll teach the chords they use, while also showing a handful of useful simplifications and riffs to make this work on a single acoustic guitar.

  • March 6, 2024

    Q&A: 8 Tips to Avoid Muting Strings

    If you're frustrated by muffled, muted, or buzzing strings when playing chords, you're not alone! Here's 8 tips to avoid this common issue.

  • March 1, 2024

    Blues Shuffle Riffs - Using Just 2 Strings!

    A step-by-step introduction to blues shuffle riffs in open position, which are an amazingly fun-to-play way to get that blues sound with just a few fingers.

  • February 16, 2024

    Soulful Lead Guitar with "America the Beautiful"

    Here's a few ways to approach playing melodic lead guitar over America is Beautiful - shown both on an acoustic and electric guitar. Lots of fun!

  • February 8, 2024

    Country Honk by The Rolling Stones

    Let's learn how to play The Stones' acoustic & countrified version of Honky Tonk Women — with all the riffs included!

  • January 31, 2024

    Beginner Blues - New Course Sneak Peek!

    Watch the first three videos of my upcoming course, Beginner Blues Guitar — where I'll teach youthe 12 bar blues, dominant 7th chords, and the shuffle (swing) rhythm.

Browse All Recent Lessons →

Browse All My Lessons

By lesson type

By technique

By musical genre

By decade

By musical key

By popular artist


← back to homepage