Chords + Lyrics | Car Wash
Intro
||: N.C | N.C :||
||: D7 | D7 :|| x12
| D7 | N.C |
Ooh ooh
Verse 1
||: (C#7) D7 | (C#7) D7 :||
You might not ever get rich,
but let me tell ya it’s better than diggin’ a ditch.
There ain’t no tellin’ who you might meet,
a movie star or maybe even an Indian chief.
Chorus 1
||: (C#7) D7 | (C#7) D7 :||
Working at the car wash. Workin’ at the car wash, girl
Come on and sing it with me (car wash). Sing it with the feelin’ y’all.
| (C#7) D7 | D7 N.C |
(Car wash, yeah).
Verse 2
Ooh. Come, some of the work gets kinda hard,
this ain’t no place to be if you planned on bein’ a star.
Let me tell you it’s always cool,
and the boss don’t mind sometimes if you, act the fool.
Chorus 2
At the car wash, whoa whoa whoa whoa.
Talkin’ about the car wash, girl.
Come on, ya’all, and sing it for me (car wash). Ooh ooh ooh.
(Car wash, girl).
Verse 3
(Work and work) well, those cars never seem to stop coming.
(Work and work) keep those rags and machines humming.
(Work and work) my fingers to the bone.
(Work) Keep on, I can’t wait ’til it’s time to go home.
Middle 8
| G D/F# Em7 | Em7 | G D/F# Em7 | Em7 |
(Hey get your car washed today) fill up and you don’t have to pay.
| G D/F# Em7 | Em7 | G A |
Come on and give us a play (do the wash, right away).
Chorus 3
(At the car wash) talkin’ ’bout the car wash.
(Car wash, girl) come on, y’all, let’s sing it with me.
(Car wash) sing it with feelin’, y’all.
(Car wash, girl) Whoa whoa whoa whoa.
Chorus 4
(Car wash) those cars never seem to stop comin’. What’d I say?
(Car wash, girl) keep those rags and machines hummin’.
(Car wash) let me tell you, it’s always cool.
(Car wash, girl) and the boss don’t mind sometimes if you act the fool.
At the car wash. Working at the car wash, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Car wash) talkin’ ’bout the car wash yeah. Aw!
Breakdown
||: N.C (D B C C#) :|| x16
Chorus 5
||: (C#7)D7 (D B C C#) | (C#7) D7 (D B C C#) :|| x8
||: Car wash. Car wash, girl :||
Outro
||: N.C (D B C C#) | N.C (D B C C#) :||
||: D7 (D B C C#) | D7 (D C B A) :|| to fade
Car Wash Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Car Wash. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The chord progression in Car Wash follows the static I pattern, which appears as #6 in my Top 10 Chord Progressions. As discussed there, this type of groove often centres around a dominant 7th chord.
To keep things interesting, the static D7 is approached by sliding in from C#7. Combine this with a few tasty licks, and you can keep this groove rolling all night long.
There is one additional chord progression, though it only appears once. It starts on G (chord IV), then moves down via D/F# to Em7. This sequence is repeated three times before resolving to IV – V (G – A).
This creates a modal interchange, where the I chord is Mixolydian but the rest of the progression follows an Ionian pattern.
Here’s a chord chart I’ve prepared for you.
Car Wash Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Even though this tune revolves mainly around a static chord, there are subtle differences to consider—particularly in the middle 8/bridge, where the harmony finally moves somewhere.
If you’d like to download my chart, here’s the PDF: Car Wash chord chart PDF.
If you prefer the iReal Pro format, here’s a link to that file: Car Wash iReal Pro.
Car Wash | TAB
Most of the tricks in this tune appear during the intro, so spend plenty of time here and the rest will be easier.
We start with a wah-wah part that remains consistent throughout, just beginning without the muted strum:
After a while, another guitar enters on top of this. You can loop the first part and play over it, or switch to this picked part. On the original, a third guitar plays a stab—this can be combined with the picked part live:
Next, when the band comes in, the slides start, answered by a picked guitar. You can combine these two parts like this:
Once these feel natural, feel free to experiment with variations on the licks.
Verse (and chorus)
The verse is similar to what you’ve already played, with more repetition and new licks:
For the chorus, use what you’ve learned to find a part you like—similar but not necessarily identical. You might remove scratch strums for clarity.
Bridge/Middle 8
This section introduces some movement by shifting down the neck, here simplified by leaving the second bar of Em out to focus on different way of getting to it.
It is marked Em7 throughout, even though you often play Em. The strings and keys maintain Em7 consistently. The Em7 resolving to G is a nice touch—experiment with other shapes if you like.
Outro
During the outro, the band breaks down to just bass. You can double the bass part and then return to chords to create some playful tension:
The connection to Motown
Car Wash is easily Rose Royce’s biggest hit—a feel-good disco/funk classic from 1976. Written and produced by ex-Motown genius Norman Whitfield for the film of the same name, it was crafted to launch the band’s career.
Norman had signed Rose Royce to his own label, Whitfield Records, after leaving Motown. The song became a huge success, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and Canada, and cementing its place as a staple in every disco band’s repertoire.
In 2004, Christina Aguilera released her version of the tune, with help from Missy Elliott.
Car Wash Chords: Continue Learning
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