Mad World | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Em | A :||
Verse 1
||: Em | G | Dsus2 | A :||
All around me are familiar faces, worn-out places, worn-out faces.
Bright and early for their daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere.
Their tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression.
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow, no tomorrow, no tomorrow.
Chorus 1
||: Em | A :||
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad.
The dreams in which I’m dying, are the best I’ve ever had.
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take.
When people run in circles, It’s a very, very mad world, mad world.
Verse 2
Children waiting for the day they feel good, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday.
And I feel the way that every child should, sit and listen, sit and listen.
Went to school and I was very nervous, no one knew me, no one knew me.
Hello, teacher tell me what’s my lesson, look right through me, look right through me.
Chorus 2
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad.
The dreams in which I’m dying, are the best I’ve ever had.
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take.
When people run in circles, it’s a very, very mad world, mad world.
Outro
||: Em | A :||
Enlarging your world, mad world.
Mad World Chords: Learn the progressions
The chords for Mad World are simple yet effective. The intro, chorus, bridge, and outro all follow a II – V movement (Em – A), creating a distinct Dorian sound.
This II – V progression is usually associated with upbeat, danceable music—it’s #4 on my top 10 chord progression list—but in Mad World, it takes on a cold, eerie quality instead.
The verse introduces just two more chords, following this pattern:
| Em (II) | G (IV) | Dsus2 (I) | A (V) |
All chords are drawn from the key of D major, but rather than D acting as the home chord, Em takes that role—this is what makes Mad World Dorian rather than major.
Now, let’s take a look at a chord chart. Do you prefer this format, or do you find chords with lyrics more useful?
Mad World Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
I could have simplified this even further by removing the last line, where we sing Mad World and play the intro melody at the same time.
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: Mad World chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro, and you can access the file here: Mad World chord chart iReal Pro. Using the iRealPro app, you can change the key and even remove that last line of the chord chart if needed.
In the course, we dive deeper into Mad World by studying TAB and playing along with loops. Below is a video preview to help you get started.
Mad World TAB | Course Preview
Above, you can hear my version of Mad World played on an acoustic guitar, influenced by Gary Jules’s arrangement.
My rendition is so simple that, without the intro melody being high up the neck, this would be considered a beginner song.
Using the TAB provided below, try playing along with the video, and you’ll experience what it’s like to learn guitar with Spytunes.
In the course, members will explore an alternative way to play the verse and then proceed to learn the chorus and intro in the same manner, with TAB and play-along loops.
Since Mad World is easy to play, we’ll complete the study of the one-guitar arrangement in four lessons.
In the second half of the lesson series, we dive into playing Mad World’s chords all over the neck using the CAGED system.
This is a great skill, as it allows you to improvise your guitar parts and is crucial when writing your own guitar parts.
Lastly, we create two second guitar parts using a capo on frets 2 and 5. You should learn these so that you, me, and the singer can all play Mad World together.
You can preview all versions in the playlist at the top of the page, as well as hear both the Gary Jules and original Tears For Fears versions.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Mad World – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Mad World was a hit, twice!
First released in 1982 by Tears For Fears as a single for their forthcoming album The Hurting (1983), Mad World became a hit, reaching #3 in the U.K. and #2 in South Africa. The single sold 250,000 copies, and the album went on to sell 1 million copies.
Two decades later, a cover version by Gary Jules appeared on the Donnie Darko soundtrack, released as a single.
This version far outpaced the original, charting in 17 countries and even becoming the Christmas #1 in the U.K.
Gary Jules, who had already released the cover on his 2001 album Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets, found success with the track. Despite offers from major labels after the success of Donnie Darko, Gary chose to continue selling his album on CD Baby rather than sign a record deal, giving away all profits in exchange for promises of a bright future.
Perhaps the title of his album served as a fitting reminder!
Mad World Chords: Continue Learning
To learn to play Mad World, we break the song into smaller sections and practice with loops and TAB.
This is followed by playing in all areas of the neck using the CAGED system. Finally, we’ll design a 2nd guitar part so we can play the song together.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Mad World – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: