"Department of Youth" by Alice Cooper
Words and music by Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner, and Bob Ezrin
From the album Welcome To My Nightmare (1975)
Transcription by Brian Gaddis
b= bend rb= release bend x= mute ( )= carried note /= slide up
\= slide down
Note: Some parts of this song are not transcribed due to the difficulty
in hearing them.
Intro (play twice)
Rhythm figure one
Guitar one
| E | |
| B | 10 10 10\ 10 10 10 |
| G | 10 10 10\ 3 3 3 5 10 10 10 3 3 3 5 |
| D | 10 10 10\ 3 3 3 5 10 10 10 3 3 3 5 |
| A | 8 8 8\ 1 1 1 3 8 8 8 1 1 1 3 |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 5 |
| D | 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 |
| A | 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 1 |
Verse
"We're in trouble all the time, you read about us all in the papers."
| E | |
| B | 1 1 1 1 1 1 |
| G | 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 2 2 2 |
| D | 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 |
| A | 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 1 |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 |
| D | 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 |
| A | 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 1 |
"We walk around and bump into
Guitar one
| E | |
| B | 1 1 1 |
| G | 3 3 3 5 2 2 2 |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 |
| A | 3 5p3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 |
| E | 1 3/5 5 1 1 1 |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 |
| A | 3 5p3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 |
| E | 1 1 3/5 5 1 1 1 |
"walls, a blind delegation, yeah."
Guitar one
| E | |
| B | 1 1 1 |
| G | 3 3 3 5 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| A | 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 5p3 1 1 1 1 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 3/5 5 |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| A | 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 5p3 1 1 1 1 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 3/5 5 |
Pre-chorus
1. "And we ain't afraid of high power, we're bullet proof. And we
2. "But we'll make it through our blackest hour, we're livin' proof."
Guitar one
| E | 5 (5) |
| B | 5 (5) |
| G | 5 (5) |
| D | 7 (7) |
| A | 7 (7) |
| E | 0 5 (5) |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | 5 5 5 5 5 |
| B | 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 |
| G | 5 5 5 5 5 |
| D | 7 7 7 |
| A | 2 7 7 7 |
| E | 0 |
"never heard of Eisenhower, missle power, justice or truth."
"And we never heard of Billy Sunday, Damon Runyon, manners, or couth."
Guitar two
| E | 1 0 0 1 1 1 3 3 |
| B | 3 3 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 |
| G | 2 2 0 0 3 3 2 2 4 4 |
| D | 0 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 |
| A | 3 1 |
| E | |
Guitar one
| E | |
| B | 9b <9> <9>rb 8\ |
| G | |
| D | |
| A | |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | 3 3 |
| B | 3 3 6b <6> <6>rb 5 |
| G | 4 4 |
| D | 5 5 5 |
| A | |
| E | |
Chorus
"We're the Department of Youth, you're new
Guitar two
| E | 10 10 10 9 9 9 |
| B | 11 11 10 10 |
| G | 10 10 11 9 9 |
| D | |
| A | |
| E | |
"De-partment of Youth. We're the De-
Guitar two
| E | 10 10 10 10 10 |
| B | 10 10 10 10 10 |
| G | 9 10 10 10 |
| D | 12 10 |
| A | |
| E | |
(After second time, go to End)
"partment of Youth, just me an youth."
| E | 10 10 10 9 9 |
| B | 11 11 10 10 |
| G | 10 10 10 9 9 |
| D | 11 11 3~~~ |
| A | 5 5 3 5 |
| E | |
Guitar one (Go to Verse two)
| E | 5 |
| B | 6/8 6 5 6 3 5\ |
| G | 7 3 5\ |
| D | 3 5\ |
| A | 1 3\ |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 5\ |
| D | 3 5\ |
| A | 5 3 5 5p3\1 1 0 1 5~~~ 1 0 1 3\ |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar three |
| E | 5 |
| B | 6/8 6 5 |
| G | 7 |
| D | 8 |
| A | |
| E | |
Verse two
"We talk about this whole stupid world and still come out laughing,
Arranged for one guitar
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 |
| D | 3 3 3 x x x 3 3 3 5 |
| A | 3 3 3 x x x 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 |
| E | 1 1 1 x x x 1 1 1 |
ha! We never make any sense,
| E | |
| B | x x x x x x |
| G | 3 3 3 5 x x x x x x |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 x x x x x x |
| A | 3 5p3 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x |
| E | 1 1 3/5 5 1 1 1 x x x x x x |
"but hell, that never mattered." (Go to Pre-chorus two)
| E | |
| B | |
| G | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 |
| D | 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 |
| A | 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 5p3 1 1 1 1 |
| E | 1 1 1 1 1 3/5 5 |
End
Guitars one and two
| E | |
| B | |
| G | |
| D | 3~~~ 3~~~ 3~~~ |
| A | 3h5 5 3 5 3h5 5 3 5 3h5 5 3 5 |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar three |
| E | |
| B | |
| G | |
| D | |
| A | 5~~~ 5~~~ |
| E | 5h6 6 5 6 5h6 6 5 6 |
Continue above rhythm figure
"We're the Department of Youth. You're new Department of Youth."
"We're the Department of Youth. You're new Department of Youth."
Guitar one
| E | |
| B | 3 5\ |
| G | 3 5\ |
| D | 3 5\ |
| A | 1 3\ |
| E | |
| |
|Guitar two |
| E | 6 8\ |
| B | 6 8\ |
| G | 7 9\ |
| D | 8 10\ |
| A | |
| E | |