(G)Tum ble out of bed and stum ble to the kitch en; (C)pour my self a cup of am bi tion, and (G)yawn, and stretch, and try to come to life.
(G)Jump in the show er, and the blood starts pump ing; (C)out on the street, the traf fic starts jump ing, with folks like me on the (D)job from nine na to your (G)five.
Work ing (C)nine to five, what a way to make a liv ing; bare ly get ting by, it’s all tak ing and no giv ing.
They just use your mind, and they nev er give you cred it; it’s e (A7)nough to drive you man is (D7)cra zy, if you let it.
(C)Nine to five, what for ser vice and de vo tion; you would think that I would de serve a fair pro mo tion.
Want to move a head, but the boss won’t seem to let me.
it’s I (A7)swear some times that man is (D7)cra zy, if you let it.
out to get me.
(C)nine to five, what a way to make a liv ing; bare ly get ting by, it’s all tak ing and no giv ing.
They just use your mind, and you nev er get the cred it; it’s e (A7)nough to drive you put ting (D7)cra zy, if you let it.
(C)Nine to five, what they’ve got you where they want you; there’s a bet ter life, and you dream a bout it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game, and no mat ter what they call it; and you (A7)spend your life you put ting (D7)mon ey in his let it.
pock et.
This page shows “Nine To Five” by Dolly Parton in our color-coded kid songbook view — every note is colored by pitch (red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, blue G, purple A, pink B) and the lyrics sit directly under each note, so children can sing along while they play. The song is in the key of G at 208 BPM, a comfortable easy-level arrangement perfect for first-time learners.
This arrangement is a great way to build your confidence with a steady left-hand pedal bass — your left hand will mostly anchor on G, giving you a rock-solid foundation while your right hand handles the melody. At 208 BPM it moves quickly, but the note values are forgiving, so it feels brisk rather than frantic. Your five chords are all friendly shapes in the key of G, but watch the switch to A7 — that's the one that sneaks up on students because it briefly pulls outside the home key, so isolate any bars around that change and loop them slowly until the fingering feels automatic. I'd suggest starting hands-separate at around half tempo, locking in that left-hand pedal groove first, then layering the right hand on top. Once both hands feel comfortable, nudge the tempo up in small increments rather than jumping straight to full speed. The trickiest stumbling point is rushing through the D7-to-G resolution — give that transition its full rhythmic weight and the whole piece will sound more polished. This is really the song that'll lock in your ability to keep a relaxed, steady bass pattern while your right hand plays independently above it — a skill you'll use in dozens of songs after this one.