The Beatles - I’m Only Sleeping Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram
[Opening]
[Em]When I wake up early in the [Am]morning,
[G]Lift my [C]head [G]I’m still [B]yawning.
[Em]When I’m in the middle of a [Am]dream,
[G]Stay in [C]bed [G]float [C]upstream.
[G]Please don’t wake me [Am]no don’t shake me
[Bm]leave me where I [Am]am
I’m only [C]sleeping
[verse 2]
[Em]Everybody seems to think I’m [Am]lazy,
[G]I don’t [C]mind I [G]think they’re [B]crazy
[Em]Running everywhere at such a [Am]speed
[G]Till they [C]find [G]there’s no [C]need
[G]Please don’t spoil my [Am]day
I’m miles [Bm]away and after [Am]all
I’m only [C]sleeping [Em]
[chorus]
[D]Keeping an eye on the
[E]World going by my [Am]window,
[Dm]Taking my time
[verse 3]
[Em]Lying there and staring at the [Am]ceiling,
[G]Waiting [C]for a [G]sleepy [B]feeling
[verse 4]
[Em] [Am] [G] [C] [G] [C]
[G]Please don’t spoil my [Am]day
I’m miles [Bm]away and after [Am]all
I’m only [C][Em]sleeping
[chorus]
[D]Keeping an eye on the [E]world going by my [Am][Am]window,
[Dm]Taking my time
[Closing]
[Em]When I wake up early in the [Am]morning,
[G]Lift my [C]head [G]I’m still [B]yawning.
[Em]When I’m in the middle of a [Am]dream,
[G]Stay in [C]bed [G]float [C]upstream.
[G]Please don’t wake me [Am]no don’t shake me
[Bm]Leave me where I [Am]am
I’m only [C]sleeping
How to play I'm Only Sleeping on Guitar (Step-by-step)
The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping on guitar requires 9 chords and 13 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.
I'm Only Sleeping uses these transitions most often: C → G (12), G → C (12), and Am → G (8). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Em - Am chord transition.
1. Em → Am chord transition
To move from Em to Am;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
2. Am → G chord transition
To move from Am to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
3. G → C chord transition
To move from G to C;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
4. G → B chord transition
To move from G to B;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 4.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 4.
- Place pinky on B string fret 4.
5. B → Em chord transition
To move from B to Em;
- While playing B, first lift your index finger and pinky.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from G string fret 4 to D string fret 2.
6. Am → Bm chord transition
To move from Am to Bm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 4.
- Place pinky on G string fret 4.
7. Am → C chord transition
To move from Am to C;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
8. C → Em chord transition
To move from C to Em;
- While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
9. Em → D chord transition
To move from Em to D;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
- Place index finger on G string fret 2.
10. D → E chord transition
To move from D to E;
- Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
11. E → Am chord transition
To move from E to Am;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
12. Am → Dm chord transition
To move from Am to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
13. Dm → Em chord transition
To move from Dm to Em;
- While playing Dm, lift your index finger from E string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
I'm Only Sleeping chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I'm Only Sleeping.
- I'm Only Sleeping includes 77 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- I'm Only Sleeping contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how I'm Only Sleeping connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
- G → C: 25%
- G → Am: 13%
After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).- Am → G: 21%
- Am → C: 16%