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Vance Joy - Riptide Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, G, C, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am] [G] [C] [Am] [G] [C]
[Am]I was scared of [G]dentists and the [C]dark
[Am]I was scared of [G]pretty girls and [C]starting conversations
Oh, [Am]all my [G]friends are turning [C]green
You’re the [Am]magician’s [G]assistant in their [C]dreams

[chorus]
[Am]Ooh, [G]ooh, [C]ooh
[Am]Ooh, [G]ooh, and they [C]come unstuck

[chorus]
[Am]Lady, [G]running down to the [C]riptide, taken away
To the [Am]dark side, [G]I wanna be your [C]left hand man
I [Am]love you [G]when you’re singing that [C]song, and I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the [C]words wrong

[verse 2]
[Am]There’s this movie [G]that I think you’ll [C]like
This [Am]guy decides to [G]quit his job and [C]heads to New York City
This [Am]cowboy’s [G]running from [C]himself
And [Am]she’s been living [G]on the highest [C]shelf

[chorus]
[Am]Ooh, [G]ooh, [C]ooh
[Am]Ooh, [G]ooh, and they [C]come unstuck

[chorus]
[Am]Lady, [G]running down to the [C]riptide, taken away
To the [Am]dark side, [G]I wanna be your [C]left hand man
I [Am]love you [G]when you’re singing that [C]song, and I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the [C]words wrong

[verse 3]
[Am]I just wanna, I just wanna [G]know
[C]If you’re gonna, if you’re gonna [F]stay
[Am]I just gotta, I just gotta [G]know
[C]I can’t have it, I can’t have it [F]any other way

[Closing]
I [Am]swear she’s [G]destined for the [C]screen
[Am]Closest thing to [G]Michelle Pfeiffer [C]that you’ve ever seen, oh

[chorus]
[Am]Lady, [G]running down to the [C]riptide, taken away
To the [Am]dark side, [G]I wanna be your [C]left hand man
I [Am]love you [G]when you’re singing that [C]song, and I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the [C]words wrong

[chorus]
[Am]Lady, [G]running down to the [C]riptide, taken away
To the [Am]dark side, [G]I wanna be your [C]left hand man
I [Am]love you [G]when you’re singing that [C]song, and I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the [C]words wrong

[chorus]
[Am]Lady, [G]running down to the [C]riptide, taken away
To the [Am]dark side, [G]I wanna be your [C]left hand man
I [Am]love you [G]when you’re singing that [C]song, and I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the words [C]wrong, I got a lump
In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the words [C]wrong

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistVance Joy
AlbumGod Loves You When You're Dancing
GenresAlternative, Indie
Year2013
KeyAm

How to play Riptide on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Vance Joy - Riptide on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Riptide uses these transitions most often: Am → G (39), G → C (39), and C → Am (36). 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 Am - G chord transition.

1. Am → G chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Am to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
Am to G

2. G → C chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from G to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
G to C

3. C → Am chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from C to Am;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
C to Am

4. C → F chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
C to F

5. F → Am chord transition

To move from F to Am;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

Riptide chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Riptide.

  • Riptide includes 118 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Riptide contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Riptide connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → G: 21%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.