Sufjan Stevens - Old Man of the Lake: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Old Man of the Lake" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Old Man of the Lake Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Old Man of the Lake" smoothly on your guitar.

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

18+
F#
We had our bikes
C#
And wearing Spandex
  B
Three of us, my brother and my cousin named Josh

At Crater Lake with California license plates
A Prius and an energy bar

In my fatigue, I turned the key
And drove the car like a frisbee on a methadone high

And just my luck, a Ranger in a pick-up truck
Appeared as the image of God

And I don't like to start a fight
The Ranger rolled with his hands on his gun

He gave us shit, and made us sit
On the curb with our back to the terminal sun

Chorus:
A#     B           C#
What price would I pay
      G#
To reverse my fate?
G#m            F#
Old man of the lake
                   C#
Have a laugh at us now
(Coo-Coo-Coo)

My brother said "don't give him trouble"
As he made a remark at the officer's back

The Ranger reached and swung his gun around
My brother went down like a domino pair

And like a dream the Ranger screamed
"Put your hands on your head
Keep them where I can see them"

He cuffed 'em off
And fucked 'em up
With a laugh while we sat
With our hands on the curb

Chorus:
What wish could I call
From the witches cauldron?
Old man of the lake
Have a laugh at us now
(Coo-Coo-Coo)
(Coo-Coo-Coo)

Old man of the lake
Have a laugh at us now
(Coo-Coo-Coo)
(Coo-Coo-Coo)
Old man of the lake
Have a laugh at us now
(Coo-Coo-Coo)


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

B

Guitar chord B

C#

Guitar chord C#

F#

Guitar chord F#

G#

Guitar chord G#

G#m

Guitar chord G#m

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 "Old Man of the Lake" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Old Man of the Lake" by Sufjan Stevens.

Sufjan Stevens Song List