(CN.C.)When I get old er, I will be strong er.
They’ll call me free dom just like a wav in’ flag.
(C)When I get old er, (F)I will be strong er.
(Am)They’ll call me free dom (G)just like a wav in’ (C)flag.
And then it goes (F)back and then it goes (Am)back and then it goes (G)back, oh.
(C)Born to a throne, (G)strong er than Rome, (Am)a vio lent prone, (G)poor peo ple zone.
(F)But it’s my home, (C)all I have known, (Dm7)where I got grown, (G)streets we would roam.
(C)Out of the dark ness, (G)I came the far thest (Am)a mong the hard est sur (G)vi val.
(F)Learn from these streets, (C)it can be bleak, ac (Dm7)cept no de feat, sur (G)ren der, re treat.
(So we (C)strug gl ing,)
(G)fight ing to eat.
(And we (Am)won der ing)
(G)when we’ll be free.
So we (F)pa tient ly wait for (C)that fate ful day.
It’s (F)not far a way, but (G)for now we say: (C)When I get old er, (F)I will be strong er.
(Am)They’ll call me free dom (G)just like a wav in’ (C)flag.
And then it goes (F)back and then it goes (Am)back and then it goes (G)back, oh.
(C)So man y wars, (G)set tl ing scores, (Am)bring ing us prom is es, (G)leav ing us poor.
(F)I heard them say, (C)“Love is the way.” (Dm7)“Love is the an swer,” (G)that’s what they say.
But (C)look how they treat us, (G)make us be liev ers.
(Am)We fight their bat tles, (G)then they de ceive us.
(F)Try to con trol us, (C)they could n’t hold us ’cause (G)we just move for ward like Buf fa lo Sol diers.
we (Am)back and then it goes (G)back and then it goes...
(C)When I get old er, (F)I will be strong er.
(Am)They’ll call me free dom (G)just like a wav in’ (F)flag.
And then it goes back and then it goes (G)back and then it goes back, (Oh, and then it...
oh,
oh,
oh.
Oh,
oh,
oh,
oh.
Oh,
Oh, oh.) oh,
oh.
(C)When I get old er, (F)I will be strong er.
(Am)They’ll call me free dom (G)just like a wav in’ (C)flag.
And then it goes (F)back and then it goes (Am)back and then it goes (G)back, and then it goes...
(C)When I get old er, (F)I will be strong er.
(Am)They’ll call me free dom (G)just like a wav in’ (C)flag.
And then it goes (F)back and then it goes (Am)back and then it goes (G)back, and then it goes...
(Am)back and then it goes (G)back, oh.
(G)When I get old er,
(G)when I get old er,
(C)I will be strong er
(F)just like a wav in’ (C)flag,
(G)just like a wav in’ (Am)flag,
(G)just like a wav in’ (F)flag,
(C)flag,
(Dm7)flag,
(F)just like a wav in’ (C)flag.
This page shows “Wavin' Flag” by K'naan 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 C at 75 BPM, a comfortable easy-level arrangement perfect for first-time learners.
This arrangement is a great way to lock in a left-hand octave bass pattern — your left hand will jump between root-note octaves under each chord, so start hands-separate and really nail those leaps at a slow tempo before adding the right hand. The five chords here — Am, C, Dm7, F, and G — sit comfortably on white keys, but watch the transition from F to Dm7: that added seventh can catch you off guard if you're not anticipating the finger shift. At 75 BPM the tempo is forgiving, so use that space to keep your octaves steady and even rather than rushing ahead. Loop the four-bar verse pattern until it feels automatic, then layer in the right-hand melody. A common stumble is letting the energy drop during repeated chord cycles — stay deliberate with your rhythm and lean slightly into each downbeat to keep that upbeat drive alive. This is the song that'll make your I–V–vi–IV shape changes feel effortless.