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Play The Way It Is on your own piano
Plug in your piano by USB or Bluetooth. The song waits for you until you hit the right notes. Slow it down, loop any bars, play one hand at a time.
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The Way It Is — Visual Piano Sheet Music
About “The Way It Is”
"The Way It Is" in visual bar notation — see every note as a colored bar on the staff. Easier to read than traditional sheet music. Scrolls automatically as you play. Key of G, 90 BPM.
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Lyrics
(Em)Stand in’ in line, mark in’ time, to (C)wait in’ who for got the wel fare dime
’cause it they can’t buy a (C)job.
do.” I The (Am)man in the silk suit (Em)hur ries by.
As he (C)catch es the poor old la dies’ eyes, you real ly think just for fun he says, you “Get a job.” He said: Son,
That’s just the way it is.
Some things will nev er change.
That’s just the way it is.
Ah, but don’t you be (Am)lieve them.
Said, (Em)“Hey, lit tle boy, you can’t go to (C)give in’ who where got the oth ers go
’cause it you don’t look like (C)far.
do.” ’Cause The (Am)“Hey, old the man, an (Em)how can you stand to (C)think it sees that way?
hir in’ time you real ly think is the line on the you made the rules?” He said: Son,
That’s just the way it is.
Some things will nev er change.
That’s just the way it is.
Ah, but don’t you be (Am)lieve them.
Said,
Well, they
(C)That’s just the way it is.
Practice tip
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
Questions about this song (8)
- Why does "The Way It Is" show as colored bars instead of notation?
- Bar Notation replaces traditional noteheads with colored horizontal bars on a simplified staff — each bar's vertical position is the pitch and its length is the duration. Much easier to read than classic sheet music while still showing the full arrangement of "The Way It Is".
- What key is "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & The Range played in?
- The Way It Is is arranged in the key of G on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "The Way It Is"?
- The arrangement plays at 90 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "The Way It Is" easy to play on piano?
- Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "The Way It Is"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "The Way It Is"?
- "The Way It Is" was originally performed by Bruce Hornsby & The Range. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- Is this real sheet music for "The Way It Is"?
- It's a simplified visual notation using colored bars instead of traditional notes. Each bar's vertical position shows the pitch and its length shows duration — much easier to read for beginners while still showing the complete arrangement of "The Way It Is".
- Can I see all the notes in "The Way It Is"?
- Yes! The Bar Sheet shows every note in the arrangement as a colored bar. The sheet scrolls automatically during playback, or you can scroll manually to study any section. The song is in the key of G at 90 BPM.
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