Nothing But Thieves - Can You Afford to Be An Individual?: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Can You Afford to Be An Individual?" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

F#
I couldn't be anything that I didn't wanna be
G                     Em                         F
It's stubborn as hell or a problem with authority
F#
'Cause it won't mirror your image of masculinity
G             Em
Oh did I disappoint ya?
Em                    F
Sorry to disappoint ya

F#                         G        Em       F#
What will you do when the vultures come for you?
F#                  G  Em
Will you run and hide?

And now we're breeding a feeling of animosity
Our thoughts are tribal,
go viral and now it's deafening
Oh, how we're loving in the comfort of
pack mentality
The internet has teeth and it eats
and eats and eats ya

F#           G                   Em
So are you scared of your introspection?
            F   F#
Why could that be?
     G            Em
Oh, maybe you object to what you find there
F#           G                     Em
And as you stare into your own reflection
      F     F#
What do you see?
       G    Em
Your black hole for a soul

Chorus:
F#            G                 A
And as your stare into your reflection what
        F#
do you see?
       G    A          F#
Your black hole for a soul

So, how's it being a prisoner of your own illusion?
Up on a pedestal, revelling in your own confusion
I see you hide behind your altar
or your constitution
But you can't live forever in your own echo chamber

And you're so scared of the people up in
your fairyland
But how can you hate something you don't
even understand?
Oh, you're a walking contradiction in a MAGA-hat
It's where I wanna be, God bless
the land of the free

So who are you to tell us where we do
and don't belong?
And who are you to tell us who to love
and who to not?
Because your mother told ya you would
win when you were young
Oh it's a boy's wonderland, we know it now

But now the liberals aren't liberal,
they're just as venomous
And you can't have an opinion unless
you're one of us
No second chances, you're branded,
your kind are dangerous
We're bringing each other down,
we're tearing each other down

So have I gotta kill myself to be original?
And if I fucking hate you all, am I a criminal?
Can you afford to be an individual?
Can you afford to be an individual?


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

Em

Guitar chord Em

F

Guitar chord F

F#

Guitar chord F#

G

Guitar chord G

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Can You Afford to Be An Individual?" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Can You Afford to Be An Individual?" by Nothing But Thieves.