Stuck In The Middle With You | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| D D/A D7omit3/A D6omit3/A | D7omit3/A D6omit3/A |
| D5/A D D/A D7omit3/A D6omit3/A | D7omit3/A D6omit3/A |
||: D/A | D/A :||
Verse 1
| D (D/A) | D (D/A) |
Well, I don’t know why I came here tonight.
| D (D/A) | D (D/A) |
I’ve got the feeling that something ain’t right.
| G | G |
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
| D (D/A) | D (D/A) |
and I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs.
| A | C G |
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
| D5 (D5/A) | D5 (D5/A) |
here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Verse 2
Yes, I’m stuck in the middle with you.
And I’m wondering what it is I should do.
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
losing control, yeah I’m all over the place.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Bridge 1
| G | G | D Dsus2 D5 | D Dsus2 D5 G |
When you started off with nothing and you’re proud that you’re a self-made man.
| G | G |
And your friends they all come crawling, slap you on the back, and say:
| D | D | A | A |
Please, please.
Instrumental 1
||: D (D/A) | D (D/A) :||
Verse 3
Trying to make some sense of it all.
But I can see it makes no sense at all.
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor?
‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Solo
| D (D/A) | D (D/A) | D (D/A) | D (D/A) |
| G | G | D (D/A) | D (D/A) |
| A | C G | D5 (D5/A) | D5 (D5/A) |
Bridge 2
When you started off with nothing and you’re proud that you’re a self-made man.
And your friends they all come crawling, slap you on the back, and say:
Please, please.
Instrumental 2
||: D (D/A) | D (D/A) :||
Verse 4
Well, I don’t know why I came here tonight.
I’ve got the feeling that something ain’t right
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
and I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Outro
||: D (D/A) | D (D/A) :||
Yes, I’m stuck in the middle with you.
Stuck in the middle with you.
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Stuck In The Middle With You Chords: How to Play the 12-Bar Blues with a bVIIx Twist
The intro features a guitar riff with slash chords panned to the right. Whenever I play this in new bands, other members look confused, as it’s often overlooked.
Here are the chords for the rarely played intro, which may not make much sense without the TAB. However, after seeing the TAB, they should be clearer!
||: D D/A D7omit3/A (D6omit3/A) | D7omit3/A (D6omit3/A) :||
Here’s a link to the TAB for that intro: Stuck In The Middle With You – Guitar Lesson with TAB. Once you can play it, try looking at the chords and remembering them.
As the band comes in, the main guitar strums a different rhythm from the intro guitar, now simply playing a D chord. To thicken the sound, it’s better to play a D/A.
When the bass plays a D, the chords with lyrics above may be misleading, as they’re meant for acoustic guitar only.
When Stuck In The Middle With You’s verse chords kick in, we almost follow a blues progression, with one odd chord in the mix—the bVIIx chord (also known as the backdoor dominant), which appears in the turnaround.
Compare this with Take Me To The River’s chords.
Here’s the full verse progression, which also returns for the solo:
| D/A (I) | D/A | D/A | D/A |
| G (IV) | G | D/A | D/A |
| A (V) | C (bVIIx) G | D5/A | D5/A |
I like ending with a D5/A so that when the verse repeats, we get the full triad, which wakes the listener up.
As you can see, this is a 12-bar blues, with one difference: after the V chord (A), we go to a C chord, which is the bVIIx.
There’s also a bridge that starts on the IV chord, as most bridges do!
| G | G | D Dsus2 D5 | D Dsus2 D5 G |
| G | G | D | D | A | A |
The extensions over the D chord come from the slide part. There’s TAB for this section as well if you follow the link above.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB, this simple chord chart will be all you need. Here’s one I made for you.
Stuck In The Middle With You Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
If you haven’t practised with the TAB and fully grasped the intro and the chord lick in the bridge, the chord chart above might seem a bit unusual.
However, if you’ve practised and understand the intervals, it will be straightforward to follow.
Should you wish to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Stuck In The Middle With You chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, and here’s a link to that file: Stuck In The Middle With You chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key to suit your needs.
The secret behind Stuck In The Middle With You’s success
What makes Stealers Wheel’s Stuck in the Middle With You such a timeless hit?
I attribute its success to two main factors: the intriguing lyrics and an unexpected chord.
DHM (Deep Hidden Meaning). Nile Rodgers suggests that all great songs carry a deeper, often hidden meaning. In this track, the lyrics might seem obscure at first, but once you decode them, it feels like you’re in on a secret. The DHM here is: A stoned artist sleeping on the floor, friends coming around begging for money, and the paranoia that comes with newfound fame as people suddenly want to be your friend.
Familiarity with a twist. The song follows a 12-bar blues structure with a bridge that starts on chord IV—familiar and comforting. The twist? The bVIIx chord, which brings an unexpected yet captivating shift.
There’s also a strong case to be made that the song’s popularity is due to its embrace in popular culture. Beyond appearing in major films, it has also remained a staple for bar bands performing Stuck in the Middle With You every Saturday night for decades.
Stuck In The Middle With You Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Stuck In The Middle With You (Stealers Wheel) Guitar Lesson with TAB,