Riptide | Chords + Lyrics (capo 1)
Intro
||: Am G | C :||
Verse 1
||: Am G | C :||
I was scared of dentists and the dark.
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations.
Oh, all my friends are turning green.
You’re the magician’s assistant in their dream.
Bridge 1
| Am G | C |
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh.
| Am G | C (hold) |
Ah-oh-oh, and they come unstuck.
Chorus 1
||: Am G | C :||
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Verse 2
There’s this movie that I think you’ll like.
This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City.
This cowboy’s running from himself.
And she’s been living on the highest shelf.
Bridge 2
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh.
Ah-oh-oh, and they come unstuck.
Chorus 2
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Instrumental
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 |
Middle 8
||: Am | G | C | F/C :||
I just wanna, I just wanna know, If you’re gonna, if you’re gonna stay.
I just gotta, I just gotta know, I can’t have it, I can’t have it any other way.
Breakdown
||: Am (hold) G (hold) | C (hold) :||
I swear she’s destined for the screen.
Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you’ve ever seen, oh.
Chorus 3
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Chorus 4
Oh, Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Chorus 5
Oh, Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong, yeah.
I got a lump in my throat, ‘cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Riptide | Chords + Lyrics (capo 6)
Intro
||: Em D5/A | G :||
Verse 1
||: Em D5/A | G :||
I was scared of dentists and the dark.
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations.
Oh, all my friends are turning green.
You’re the magician’s assistant in their dream.
Bridge 1
| Em D5/A | G |
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh.
| Em D5/A | G (hold) |
Ah-oh-oh, and they come unstuck.
Chorus 1
||: Em D5/A | G :||
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Verse 2
There’s this movie that I think you’ll like.
This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City.
This cowboy’s running from himself.
And she’s been living on the highest shelf.
Bridge 2
Ah-ooh-ooh-ooh.
Ah-oh-oh, and they come unstuck.
Chorus 2
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Instrumental
| Gadd9 | Gadd9 |
Middle 8
||: Em | D5/A | G | C/G :||
I just wanna, I just wanna know, If you’re gonna, if you’re gonna stay.
I just gotta, I just gotta know, I can’t have it, I can’t have it any other way.
Breakdown
||: Em (hold) D5/A (hold) | G (hold) :||
I swear she’s destined for the screen.
Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you’ve ever seen, oh.
Chorus 3
Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Chorus 4
Oh, Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Chorus 5
Oh, Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you’re singing that song and I got a lump in my throat,
’cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong, yeah.
I got a lump in my throat, ‘cause you’re gonna sing the words wrong.
Riptide Chords: Master the Ambiguous Progressions with Capo Variations
Riptide is played with a capo. You can place it on fret 1 and think of the chords as if in Am, or place the capo on fret 6 and treat the song as if it’s in Em.
If you’re playing the song with two people, it’s best to choose one capo position each to avoid clashing.
As you can see above, the chords are slightly different depending on the capo position: D5/A when the capo is on fret 6, but a G when the capo is on fret 1. This technique is something Tom Petty and Mike Campbell are masters of, so be sure to check out their music.
In the beginner acoustic guitar course, we often use this capo trick to play songs together. It’s a great way to learn more about guitar without having to learn a completely new song. Exploring the song in more depth like this is much more beneficial than simply moving on to the next one.
An example of a song in my later courses that uses this capo trick is Cannonball by Damien Rice, which employ capo positions on both fret 1 and fret 6 too.
The beauty of using the capo is its flexibility; you can easily change the key. If the singer wants to sing higher, simply move up from fret 1, still thinking in Am. If they want to sing lower, move to Em and lower the capo from fret 6.
In the keys of Am or Em, written as Roman numerals, the chords are VI – V – I.
Riptide – Key of Am/C – Capo 1
||: Am (VI) G (V) | C (I) :||
Riptide – Key of Em/G – Capo 6
||: Em (VI) D5/A (V) | G (I) :||
The clever part is that the progression could have been II – I – IV, like this:
Riptide – Key of G – Capo 1
||: Am (II) G (I) | C (IV) :||
Riptide – Key of D – Capo 6
||: Em (II) D5/A (I) | G (V) :||
This uncertainty of the key gives the progression its tension. As you dive deeper into music theory, you’ll learn that this is called modes, and Riptide could be in either Aeolian (chord VI) or Dorian (chord II).
It isn’t until the middle 8 that we get one more chord, which gives us an answer to the question—or does it?
To learn more about the mode used in the song, as well as the TAB for playing Riptide’s chords in both Am and Em, check out the lesson with TAB: Riptide – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, a simple chord chart will be all you need. Here’s one I’ve created for you.
Riptide Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
In this chord chart (since there are so few chords), I managed to fit in both the keys of Am and Em (capo 1 and 6).
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Riptide chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Riptide chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Riptide Stayed in the Charts Longer Than Lady Gaga!
For an impressive 120 weeks, Riptide managed to stay on the Australian charts, setting a new record, surpassing Lady Gaga’s Poker Face (106 weeks).
Between 2013 and 2017, the song charted in the top 10 in 15 countries, accumulating combined sales and streaming figures well over 15 million.
Not bad for a tune that was partially uploaded to Facebook by a guy doing open mic nights!
At one point, Vance Joy considered shelving his musical career, but after the Facebook post, he was encouraged by his friends and family to continue. He went into the studio to finish recording the song.
With some additional production by local producer John Castle, Riptide was released on both the EP God Loves You When You’re Dancing (2013) and the album Dream Your Life Away (2014).
Once radio picked it up as a single, Vance Joy had a worldwide hit on his hands.
Riptide Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Riptide (Vance Joy) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: