A wonderful anthemic song with beautiful chord and key changes.
I have seen it played live (on video) with the rhythm guitar capo?d at 2. 
I?m sure there are very good reasons for this but I prefer playing it this way...

Chords 
======
D      X02320
Dmaj7  xx0222
G      320033
E      022100
Bm     x24322
A      x02220
F#     244322
Emaj7  021100
Ab     466544
C#m    x46654
B      x24442
A/E    002220


Intro
=====

D   G    x 2


Verse 1
=======
      D                        Dmaj7
She's up before the sun on the run   
        G
Another dollar another day another cup of coffee
D                         G
Thank you Lord for giving me one more
           D                         Dmaj7
She still leans on her dreams but it seems
     G
Some-times she's the only one who still believes 
     Bm                  A                     G
That life is hard so she takes it on with an A-merican heart 


Chorus 1
========
       D                         Dmaj7
And it beats like a drum down in New Orleans
G
Sings like a Motown melody
   D                      G
It dreams like California bigger than the Texas sky
   D         F#           Bm          A         G
It bleeds it scars but it shines when times get hard
                                D     /F#  G         
And you can't break an American heart
D   /F#  G


Verse 2 
=======
         D                       Dmaj7
From the small town friday night lights 
       G
To the Broadway neon burning up bright
      D                     G
We're all the same and it's in our veins
  D                          Dmaj7
A spirit that you can't keep down 
  G
A fire inside that'll never burn out
Bm             A             G
If you are the owner of an A-merican heart


Chorus 2 (key change!)
========
       E                         Emaj7
Cos it beats like a drum down in New Orleans
A
Sings like a Motown melody
   E                      A
It dreams like California bigger than the Texas sky
   E         Ab           C#m         B         A
It bleeds it scars but it shines when times get hard
                                C#m   /Eb  E  /Ab  A         
And you can't break an American heart
            C#m   /Eb  E  /Ab  A         
An American heart


Chorus 3
========
       E                         Emaj7
And it beats like a drum down in New Orleans
A
Sings like a Motown melody
   E                      A
It dreams like California bigger than the Texas sky
   E         Ab           C#m         B         A
It bleeds it scars but it shines when times get hard
                              A/E               E     /Ab  A         
And you can't break you can't break an American heart
            E     /Ab  A 
An American heart
            E 
An American heart

God bless America land of the free

God bless America




-----------------------------------------
I hope I've done it justice!

Kevin O'Brien
Watford
England
November 2012 

watfordkev@gmail.com