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.
Instrumental (like intro)
| F# | F# (D# E F) |
Mmmmmm.
Verse 2
They let you dream just to watch them shatter,
you’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder but you got dreams he’ll never take away.
In the same boat with a lot of your friends,
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
Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
They just, use your mind and you never get the credit, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you, there’s a better life and you think about it, don’t you.
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
9 to 5, oh what a way to make a living, barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving.
They just, use your mind and they never give you credit, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
9 to 5, yeah, they got you where they want you, there’s a better life and you think about it, don’t you.
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 Verse and Chorus Progressions
Being in the awkward key of F#, we are dealing with the I, IV, and V chords for the verse, like this:
| F# (I) | B (IV) | F# (I) | C# |(V)
| F# | B | F# C# | F# N.C |
It’s so clever how that small modification in line two sets up the chorus, which moves like this:
||: B (IV) | B | F# (I) | F# |
| B (IV) | B | G#m (II) | C# (V) :||
Using similar chords but in a different order clearly separates the two sections. Having the chorus start on IV really makes it feel like it takes off.
Apart from these two sections, there’s only the intro and instrumental section, which remain on F# (I) with a chromatic ascending bass line (D#–E–F). This is where you hear Dolly on nails!
Here’s a chord chart.
9 To 5 Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
You can download my chord chart as a static PDF or in the iReal Pro format.
If there’s a female singer on the gig, the key will likely stay the same. However, with a male singer—or if you’re experimenting with a different version or style—you might need to change it. In this case, iReal Pro makes transposing quick and easy.
Notice how I describe the short instrumental section as a separate re-intro with chords and lyrics, but in the chord chart, I place it after the first chorus using a 1. bracket.
I did this intentionally to highlight that music theory and chord chart writing are descriptive rather than exact sciences—there’s more than one way to approach them.
With the iReal Pro format, the real advantage is that you can adjust the layout to what makes the most sense to you.
Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 – 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 its instant success—topping the charts and drawing audiences to the film—Dolly’s fame grew even bigger. Remarkably, she had already been releasing albums for 13 years before 9 to 5 in 1980.
Perhaps most famously, Dolly is credited not just as the singer but also for playing her nails! By rubbing them together, she imitated the typewriter sound that sets up the intro—an idea that inspired the song in the first place.
Country music bands tend to stick to their genre, with party bands rarely venturing into this style. However, 9 to 5 is an exception—everyone knows it, and so should you!
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