Intro: Am G C C Am G C C Verse 1: Am G C I was scared of dentists and the dark Am G C I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations Am G C Oh, all my friends are turning green Am G C You're the magician's assistant in their dreams Pre-chorus: Am G C A-ooh, ooh, ooh Am G C A-oh, ohoh, and they come unstuck Chorus: Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away Am G C To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man Am G C I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong Verse 2: Am G C There's this movie that I think you'll like Am G C This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City Am G C This cowboy's running from himself Am G C And she's been living on the highest shelf Pre-chorus: Am G C A-ooh, ooh, ooh Am G C A-oh, ohoh, and they come unstuck Chorus: Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away Am G C To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man Am G C I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong Interlude: C A|-----------------| E|-----0-------0---| C|-2h4-------0-----| g|-------0---------| (x4) Bridge: Am G I just wanna, I just wanna know C Fmaj7 If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay Am G I just gotta, I just gotta know C Fmaj7 I can't have it, I can't have it any other way Pre-chorus: (strum once and hold) Am G C I swear she's destined for the screen Am G C Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh Chorus: Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away Am G C To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man Am G C I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away Am G C To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man Am G C I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong Am G C Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away Am G C To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man Am G C I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong yeah, I got a lump Am G C In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong This arrangement is its contributor’s own interpretation, shared for private study, education and non-commercial use. The underlying song, lyrics and music remain the property of their copyright owners. To request removal, see Legal & Copyright.
5 ukulele chords used in "Riptide" by Vance Joy: A, Am, C, Fmaj7 and G
Heads up: I redid this whole arrangement (June 2026). The chart is now in Am, G and C, which so many of you suggested below over the years, and you were right: it plays much easier and sounds great. Want to match the recording exactly? Hit +1 on the transposer or put a capo on the 1st fret. Also new: the riff from the middle of the song is now included as a tab, so you can play the whole song start to finish.
It’s way easier if you just do Am G C for the whole song. It also suits sopranos better. Hope this helps 🙂
there’s a chord missing, the bridge doesn’t sound right. may I suggest:
I just wanna, I just wanna know – Am, G
if you’re gonna, if you’re gonna stay – C, F
I just gotta, I just gotta know – Am, G
I can’t have it, I can’t have it – C
any other way – F
you can use Am G and C, its kinda sounds better and its more easy to do
hi it’s -1 lol just use that
jeez.. the autoscroll keeps seizing up…
My way of doing this is Am – DDUDU, G – DDUDU, C – DDUDU
For all you people who can’t play the transition from Am to G without going slow, try F instead of G.
This was the first song I learned on the Ukulele. 🙂
does db and ab sound wrong to anyone else?
my cousin taught me this when I was just 9 yrs. I nailed it by doing it the simple way. strum pattern DD UDU and chords Am G & C. this way is easiest for beginners
🙁 they fixed the bug
-1 is what I use and for the verses i play DD UDU and then for the chorus i play DDU UDU and for the “i swear she’s destined for the screen” part i do single down strums
I I’m a beginner any pointers
Am, G, and C … DDUUDU
I want to play this for the talent show but I am to shy to sing:(
Any suggestions?
Hi Guys! Just one tip. If you want to play the original chords but your hands start hurting or you are just starting out, then grab a capo and put it on the first fret. Then, just play Am, G and C. I hope this helped!
I use Am G C the whole song with the island strum and some chucking
#PRACTICEMAKESPERFECT
AT FIRST ITS HARD FOR ME TO SWITCH CHORDS AT THE SAME TIME
but now its easy
-1 is the simplest with the three chords Am, G, C.
-1
If you are a beginner, I recommend to just play Am, G then C for the entire song! And the strumming pattern for this (what I prefer) is :
⬇️⬇️⬆️⬆️⬇️ And just repeat that so it is
⬇️⬇️⬆️⬆️⬇️⬆️⬇️⬇️⬆️⬆️⬇️⬆️⬇️
Enjoy!