Well, (G)me and my la dy had our (D)first big fight, so I (Em)drove a round till I saw the (G)ne on lights of a (C)cor ner bar and it (G)just seemed right, so I (Am7)pulled up.
Not a (G)soul a round but the old bar keep down at the end and look in’ (G)half a sleep.
But (C)he walked up and said, (G)“What ’ll it be?” I said, “The (Am7)good stuff.”
He (C)did n’t reach a round for the (Dsus)whis key,
he (C)did n’t pour me a beer.
His (C)blue eyes kind a went (Dsus)mist y, he said, (Em)“You can’t find that here.
(D)’Cause it’s the (G)first long kiss on a (D)sec ond date,
(Em)ma ma’s all wor ried when you (G7)get home late and drop pin’ the ring in the spa (G)ghet ti plate ’cause your (Am7)hands are shak in’ so (C)much.
And it’s the (G)way that she looks with the rice in her hair and (Em)eat in’ burnt sup pers the whole first year and ask in’ for sec onds to (G)keep her from tear in’ (Am7)up.
Yeah, (D)man, that’s the (G)good stuff.”
He grabbed a (G)car ton of milk and he poured a glass.
And I smiled and said, “I’ll (G)have some of that.” We (C)sat there and talked as an (G)hour passed like old friends.
I saw a (G)black and white pic ture and he (D)caught my stare.
It was a pret ty girl with bouf fant hair.
He said, “That’s my Bon nie, (G)tak en ’bout a year af ter we wed.”
He said, “I (C)spent five years in the (Dsus)bot tle
when the (C)can cer took her from me.
But (C)I’ve been so ber three years now ’cause the (Am7)one thing strong er than the (C)whis key was the (G)sight of her hold in’ my (D)ba by girl,
the (Em)way she a dored that string of pearls I gave her the day that our young est boy Earl (Am7)mar ried his high school love.
And it’s a (G)new T shirt say in’ I’m a grand pa, (Em)be in’ right there as our time got small and hold in’ her hand when the (G)good Lord called
her up.
Yeah, (D)man, that’s the (G)good stuff.”
He said, “When (D)you get home, she’ll start to cry.
When she (D)says, ‘I’m sor ry,’ say, (G)‘So am I.’
And look in to those eyes so deep in love
and drink it (D)up
’cause that’s the (G)good stuff,
that’s the (G)good stuff.”
This page shows “The Good Stuff” by Kenny Chesney in our color-coded kid songbook view — every note is colored by pitch (red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, blue G, purple A, pink B) and the lyrics sit directly under each note, so children can sing along while they play. The song is in the key of G at 120 BPM, a medium-difficulty arrangement — try slowing the tempo down using the BPM control.
This arrangement is a great way to develop your suspended-chord vocabulary — you'll move between Csus2 and C, Dsus4 and D, often just lifting or adding a single finger, so pay close attention to which note changes and keep the rest of your hand anchored. Your left hand holds a steady pedal-bass pattern in G for long stretches, which sounds simple but demands evenness and control; resist the urge to rush it at 120 BPM. I'd suggest learning the left hand alone first until that bass feels automatic, then layer in the right-hand chord shapes. The trickiest transitions tend to be G7 to C and Am7 to Dsus4 — loop those two-chord moves slowly until the fingering is second nature before you play the full progression. Watch your timing on the Em7-to-Am7 shift especially; students often stumble there because both shapes feel similar and the fingers get lazy. Once this clicks, you'll have real confidence handling sus voicings in any ballad setting.