9 To 5 | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: F# | F# (D# E F) :||
Verse 1
| F# |
Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen,
| B | F# | C# |
pour myself a cup of ambition and yawning, stretching, trying to come to life.
| F# |
Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumping,
| B | F# C# | F# N.C |
out on the street, the traffic starts jumping with folks like me on the job from 9 to 5.
Chorus 1
| B | B | F# | F# |
Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
They just, use your mind and they never give you credit, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
| B | B | F# | F# |
9 to 5, for service and devotion, you would think that I would deserve a fair promotion.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
Want to, move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me, I swear sometimes that man is out to get me.
| F# | F# (D# E F) |
Mmmmmm.
Verse 2
| F# |
They let you dream just to watch them shatter,
| B | F# | C# |
you’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder but you got dreams he’ll never take away.
| F# |
In the same boat with a lot of your friends,
| B | F# C# | F# N.C |
waiting for the day your ship will come in and the tide’s gonna turn and it’s all gonna roll your way.
Chorus 2
| B | B | F# | F# |
Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
They just, use your mind and you never get the credit, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
| B | B | F# | F# |
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you, there’s a better life and you think about it, don’t you.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
It’s a rich man’s game, no matter what they call it and you spend your life putting money in his wallet.
Chorus 3
| B | B | F# | F# |
9 to 5, oh what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
They just, use your mind and they never give you credit, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
| B | B | F# | F# |
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you, there’s a better life and you think about it, don’t you.
| B | B | G#m | C# |
It’s a rich man’s game, no matter what they call it and you spend your life putting money in his wallet.
9 To 5 Chords: Learn the progressions
Being in the awkward key of F#, we are dealing with the I – IV, and V chords for the verse. The order is I – IV – I – V. F# – B – F# – C#.
When the chorus kicks in we move to chord IV – I – IV – II – V. B – F# – B – G#m – C#.
Using similar chords but in a different order, clearly separates the two sections.
Apart from these two sections we only have the intro and instrumental sections which is just a static F# (chord I) with a chromatic ascending bass line (D# E F). This is where you hear Dolly on nails!
Dolly Parton’s 9 To 5 is her signature song
9 To 5 is a song by country superstar Dolly Parton, written for the film of the same name starring Jane Fonda and Dolly herself.
After an instant success, topping the charts and having everyone and their dog see the film, Dolly’s fame grew even bigger than it already was, she had been releasing albums for an astonishing 13 years before 9 To 5 in 1980.
Perhaps most famously, Dolly is credited on the recording as a singer and playing her nails! Rubbing her nails together, she imitated the typewriter sound that set up the intro. This was actually what gave Dolly the idea for the song in the first place.
Country music tends to have cover bands playing only country songs, rarely does your average party band venture into this style. However, everyone knows 9 to 5, and therefore, so should you!
9 To 5 Chords | Related Pages
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Dolly Parton tunes
With 44 top-ten country albums and 110 chartered singles, Dolly Parton is the most famous country singer in the world.
Hits include I Will Always Love You, Jolene, 9 To 5, and almost 4 decades after her first release, Creepin’ In with Norah Jones.
Dolly Parton on the web
Country & Folk
In the primarily acoustic genres of Country & Folk, you must acquire what matters the most: A repertoire. Nothing else will give you the gig.
Learn tunes by Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, America, Don McLean, and many more.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about 9 To 5 chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
