The Who - I Don't Wanna Get Wise: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" 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 I Don't Wanna Get Wise Guitar Chords and Lyrics by The Who

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 "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" smoothly on your guitar.

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

         F
He was drunk, I was blind
           A#          C
Though we tried to be kind
       F
I was sunk, always late
         A#         C
We were quick to rotate

           Dm             C
Let's be blunt, I was a bluff
            A#            F
And the surreal life was tough
         Dm            C
I was a runt, we told lies
        A#
But to our great surprise

        Gm7          C
All the shit that we did
                Gm7       C
Brought us some money, I guess
          Gm7           C
And those snotty young kids
        Gm          C
Were a standing success
           A#          F
Helped us conquer and rise
        A#              C
And we learned in this hell
We don't wanna get wise

Chorus:
          F
We don't wanna get wise
F
(I don't wanna get wise
F
I don't wanna get wise)
                 D#
Life teaches us well

We still pull, we get smug
And we all like a drug
Over full, always sated
Puffed up, elated

Let's admit our mistakes
Are what triggered our breaks
We were shits, so no disguise
And it is no surprise

That the crap that we did
Brought us money, God bless
And those snotty young kids
Were a standing success
Helped us conquer and rise
And we learned in this hell
We didn't wanna get wise!

Chorus

  D#            Dm
Experiment, you universe
Cm                  F
We'll ask why you choose to curse
C#                  G#
Why set a fire you plan to douse?
Csus4             C
Why set a rat to catch a mouse?

He was drunk (he was drunk),
I was blind (he was blind)
Though we tried to be kind
I was sunk (he was sunk),
he was late (always late)
We were quick to rotate

We tried hard to stay young
But the high notes were sung
We've been scarred, we've been prized
But you could see in our eyes

Chorus
(I don't wanna get wise
I don't wanna get wise)
We got wise!
(I don't wanna get wise
I don't wanna get wise)
We got wise
(I don't wanna get wise
I don't wanna get wise)
We got wise
(I don't wanna get wise
I don't wanna get wise)
We got wise


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

C

Guitar chord C

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

C#

Guitar chord C#

Csus4

Guitar chord Csus4

Dm

Guitar chord Dm

D#

Guitar chord D#

F

Guitar chord F

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

G#

Guitar chord G#

Gm7

Guitar chord Gm7

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 "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" by The Who.

The Who Song List