Our House | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: C | Gm | Dm | Fm (G Ab Bb) :||
Verse 1
| C | Gm |
Father wears his Sunday best.
| Dm | Fm |
Mother’s tired she needs a rest, the kids are playing up downstairs.
| C | Gm |
Sister’s sighing in her sleep.
| Dm | Fm |
Brother’s got a date to keep, he can’t hang around.
Chorus 1
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our
Verse 2
| C | Gm |
Our house it has a crowd.
| Dm | Fm |
There’s always something happening and it’s usually quite loud.
| C | Gm |
Our mum she’s so house-proud.
| Dm | Fm |
Nothing ever slows her down and a mess is not allowed.
Chorus 2
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our…
Chorus 3
| B F#m | C#m Em |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| B F#m | C#m Em |
Our house, in the middle of our… (Something tells you that you’ve got to get away from it)
Verse 3
| C | Gm |
Father gets up late for work.
| Dm | Fm |
Mother has to iron his shirt, then she sends the kids to school.
| C | Gm |
Sees them off with a small kiss.
| Dm | Fm (F#) |
She’s the one they’re going to miss, in lots of ways.
Breakdown
| G F#m | A Bm | G F#m | A Bm |
Solo
||: C | Gm | Dm | Fm (G Ab Bb) :||
Chorus 2
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our…
Middle 8
| C |
I remember way back then when everything was true and when
| Gm | Dm | Fm |
We would have such a very good time such a fine time, such a happy time.
| C |
And I remember how we’d play simply waste the day away
| Gm | Dm | Fm |
Then we’d say nothing would come between us, two dreamers.
Verse 4
| C | Gm |
Father wears his Sunday best.
| Dm | Fm |
Mother’s tired she needs a rest, the kids are playing up downstairs.
| C | Gm |
Sister’s sighing in her sleep
| Dm | Fm |
Brother’s got a date to keep, he can’t hang around
Outro chorus
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our…
| B F#m | C#m Em |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| B F#m | C#m Em |
Our house, in the middle of our…
| C Gm | Dm Fm |
Our house, was our castle and our keep
| C Gm | Dm Fm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, that was where we used to sleep
| D Am | Em Gm |
Our house, in the middle of our street
| B F#m | C#m Em | to fade
Our house, in the middle of our street.
Our House Chords: Learn the progressions
Our House by Madness has almost only four chords in it, the choice of these chords is truly unique, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Because they are not from just one key, describing them is going to be down to interpretation rather than absolute truth, here’s what I believe they are:
C – Gm – Dm is two things at the same time. The C chord is both chord I in C, but also chord V in F. Gm is II in F, Dm is VI in F.
The final chord, Fm, is Im in F, but really, IVm from the key of C.
So over these four chords, there is a modal interchange, C as I and V, and a variation Fm instead of F. To learn more about chord progressions like this, check my chord progression course.
The rest of Our House’s chords are basically the same, just in different keys, like this:
- Key of C/F: C – Gm – Dm – Fm
- Key of D/G: D – Am – Em – Gm
- Key of B/E: B – F#m – C#m – Em
These are all choruses, the verse is always in C/F, having a bar per chord, rather than sharing a bar.
One more chord progression does exist in Our House and that’s the breakdown before the solo, which goes like this:
| G F#m | A Bm | G F#m | A Bm |
The G and F#m has to be IV – III, making the A chord V, and Bm chord VI, so completely diatonic to the key of Bm.
As the saying goes, there’s a fine line between genius and, in this case, Madness!
Our House Chords | Related Pages
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
- I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ chords by Scissor Sisters
- It Must Be Love chord by Madness
- Parklife chords Blur
- Starman chords by David Bowie
- Town Called Malice chords by The Jam
Madness tunes
Madness was alongside The Specials, pioneers, and leaders of the two-tone movement in the U.K.
Their best-known tunes include One Step Beyond, My Girl, Baggy Trousers, It Must Be Love, House Of Fun, and Our House.
Madness on the web
Reggae & Ska
Originating from Jamaica as Reggae & Ska, these musical styles were largely made popular once records started to appear in the U.K.
Learn tunes from Bob Marley, Madness, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Afroman, 10cc, Men At Work, The Police, and many more.
Pop & Rock
Whenever a tune doesn’t fit into a specific genre, it tends to end up here, in the Pop & Rock section.
Learn tunes from Tom Petty, Eagles, Toto, Oasis, Elvis, Clapton, John Mayer, Kings Of Leon, R.E.M., Radiohead, Bruno Mars, and more.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Our House 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.
