Parklife | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 :|| x6
Oi!
Verse 1
||: E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 :||
Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as (Parklife).
And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as (Parklife).
John’s got brewer’s droop he gets intimidated by the dirty pigeons. They love a bit of him (Parklife).
Who’s that gut lord marching, you should cut down on your pork life mate, get some exercise.
Chorus 1
| E Bb5 B5 | B5 | E C5 B5 | B5 |
All the people. So many people.
| G D/F# | E D5 |
And they all go hand-in-hand.
| C G/B | A5 Bb5 | B5 | (B A G F#) |
Hand-in-hand through their Parklife. Know what I mean?
Instrumental 1
| E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 | E | E A E N.C |
Verse 2
I get up when I want, except on Wednesdays when I get rudely awakened by the dustmen (Parklife).
I put my trousers on, have a cup of tea, and I think about leaving the house (Parklife).
I feed the pigeons, I sometimes feed the sparrows too, it gives me a sense of enormous well-being (Parklife).
And then I’m happy for the rest of the day, safe in the knowledge there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it.
Chorus 2
All the people. So many people.
And they all go hand-in-hand.
Hand-in-hand through their, Parklife.
Chorus tag
||: E A E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 :||
Parklife (Parklife).
Parklife (Parklife).
Verse 3
||: E A E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 :||
It’s got nothing to do with your Vorsprung Durch Technik you know? Parklife (Parklife).
And it’s not about you joggers who go round and round and round and round Parklife (Parklife).
Chorus 3
All the people. So many people.
And they all go hand-in-hand.
Hand-in-hand through their Parklife.
Chorus 4
All the people. So many people.
And they all go hand-in-hand.
| C G/B | A5 Bb5 | B5 | (B A G F#) | E |
Hand-in-hand through their Parklife.
Parklife Chords: Learn the progressions
Blur‘s Parklife perfectly exemplifies how the quirky London-based Britpop outfit differed from Manchester’s Oasis and their Wonderwall.
The chords are seemingly simple until you start digging into it and realize there is much more to Parklife than one may first assume.
What stands out the most is how much they blend E Ionian, with E Aeolian. Usually, a modal interchange is just one chord, in Parklife’s chorus, it’s a constant blend!
The Dmaj7sus2 found in the main riff could be seen as having this strange name or perhaps as the chord that follows it, an “Asus2 moved up a string”. This was clearly written by moving fingers, not opening the theory book.
I’ve designed some TAB describing this by first showing you how to play it in the open position, then at fret 12. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: Parklife – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
For the chorus, as we go past Bb to B we signal the E minor blues scale. Coming the other way, C – B, we flirt with Aeolian again but there is never an Em chord, it’s always major, like this:
| E Bb5 B5 | B | E C5 B5 | B |
This blend of minor and major is what creates the tension and attitude of the progression, perfectly matching the band’s image.
After you studied the TAB, played with the original recording and got to terms with the chords and lyrics above, this simple chord chart is all you’ll need.
Parklife Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Parklife Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Parklife iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Parklife was Blur’s first big album!
Released in 1994, Parklife was Blur’s third album but the first that sold well and spread the news of the band beyond the borders of the U.K.
Selling over a million copies in the U.K., it did almost as well in Europe, enabling the band to start touring on a bigger scale.
Apart from the title track, another big single can be found on this album in Girls & Boys.
When they released their fourth album the following year and matched sales, Blur had positioned themselves right in between Radiohead (super credible) and outrageous party animals Oasis.
Parklife Chords | Related Pages
Parklife | Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this lesson, you’ll find a chord analysis and TAB of how Parklife was probably written and then developed.
||: E | E Dmaj7sus2 Asus2 :||
Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor chords by Arctic Monkees
- Mardy Bum chords by Arctic Monkees
- Song 2 chords by Blur
- Steady, As She Goes chords by The Raconteurs
- That’s Not My Name chords by The Ting Tings
Blur tunes
As an integral part of 90s Britpop, Blur was adored by the fans and press hailed as the more sophisticated alternative to Manchester’s Oasis.
The band is best known for the tunes Parklife, Girls & Boys, Country House, Song 2, Tender, as well as Coffee & TV.
Blur on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Parklife chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
