Knaan - Wavin Flag Acoustic

wavin’ flag
k’naan

based on acoustic version seen live . thanks to others who have posted this
amazing song which is the official world cup 2010 song and has become in the last
days , canada’s song for haiti relief . the Em7 is basically walking down from the
C to the Am – only finger 2nd and 5th strings . my first post , so be gentle .

( intro sung over single – string picked melody or single chord played in short arpeggio ) :
C F
when i get older , i will be stronger ,
Am G C
they’ll call me freedom , just like a wavin’ flag

( verse 1 ) :
C Em7
born to a throne , stronger than rome
Am G
but violence prone , poor people zone ,
F Em
but it’s my home , all i have known ,
Dm F G
where i got grown , streets we would roam .
C Em7
but out of the darkness , i came the farthest ,
Am G
among the hardest survival .
F Em
learn from these streets , it can be bleak ,
Dm G
except no defeat , surrender retreat ,
C Em7
so we struggling , fighting to eat and
Am G
we wondering when we’ll be free ,
F Em
so we patiently wait , for that fateful day ,
Dm G
it’s not far away , so for now we say

[ chorus ]
C F
when i get older , i will be stronger ,
Am G C
they’ll call me freedom , just like a wavin’ flag
F Am
and then it goes back , and then it goes back ,
Am G
and then it goes back , and then it goes
C F
when i get older , i will be stronger ,
Am G C
they’ll call me freedom , just like a wavin’ flag
F Am
and then it goes back , and then it goes back ,
G
and then it goes back oh oh oh

( verse 2 same chords as verse 1 ) :

so many wars , settling scores ,
bringing us promises , leaving us poor ,
i heard them say , love is the way ,
love is the answer , that’s what they say ,
but look how they treat us , make us believers ,
we fight their battles , then they deceive us ,
try to control us , they couldn’t hold us ,
cause we just move forward like buffalo soldiers .
but we struggling , fighting to eat ,
and we wondering , when we’ll be free
so we patiently wait , for that faithful day ,
it’s not far away , but for now we say ,

[ chorus ]

( bridge ( note 2nd and 3rd oh , oh , ohlines are sung simultaneously with the two
lines of lyrics immediately following them ) :

C Em7 Am G F Em Dm
( ohhhh ohhhh ohhhhh ohhhh )
G
and everybody will be singing it

( ohhhh ohhhh ohhhhh ohhhh )
C Em7 Am
and you and i will be singing it
( ohhhh ohhhh ohhhhh ohhhh )
G F
and we all will be singing it
Em Dm G
( ohhh ohh ohh ohh )

[ chorus ] 2

x ( coda ) :

C Em7 Am G
when i get older , when i get older
F Em Dm G C
when i get older , just like a waving flag ,
Em7 Am G F
just like a waving flag , just like a waving flag
Em Dm G G
flag , flag , just like a waving flag