How to Play “Riptide” on Ukulele for Beginners

“Riptide” is one of the best songs for beginners to learn on the ukulele. This Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy song has become a modern classic. Riptide is on the album Dream Your Life Away, released in 2015.

It’s easy to play and has a positive feel that makes it perfect for ukulele players. Plus, once you learn the strumming pattern, you can use it for other songs as well! Here’s everything you need to know to play “Riptide” on ukulele.

The first thing you need to know is the basic ukulele chords: G, C, Am, and F. If you’re not sure how to play these chords, don’t worry! There are plenty of resources online that can show you how. Once you have these chords down, you’re ready to start practicing “Riptide.” The original key of Riptide is Db major. The also plays in an alternate tuning. But for this beginner tutorial, we will play with regular tuning.

The best part about this song is that the strumming pattern is pretty simple. You can try strumming like this. U means strum up, D means strum down. Try U-D–DUD or D-D—-UDU . To see a video with d d udu, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRKNw4vY5jo

Once you’ve got the hang of the strumming pattern, try playing along with the song. If you need help with the chords, there are also plenty of resources online that can help you out. Happy strumming! 

Riptide Ukulele for Beginners PDF

Chords in Chordpro format

[Intro]

[Am] [G] [C] 

[Am] [G] [C] 

[Verse 1]

[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 frie[G]nds are turning [C]green

You’re the [Am]magician’s a[G]ssistant in their [C]dreams

[Pre-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 wo[C]rds 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 sh[C]elf

[Pre-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 wo[C]rds wrong

[Interlude]

[C] 

[Bridge]

[Am]I just wanna, I just wanna [G]know

[C]If you’re gonna, if you’re gonna st[F]ay

[Am]I just gotta, I just gotta know[G] 

[C]I can’t have it, I can’t have it [F]any other way

[Pre-chorus] (strum once and hold)

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 wo[C]rds wrong

[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 wo[C]rds wrong

[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 yeah, I got a lump

In my [Am]throat, ’cause [G]you’re gonna sing the words [C]wrong

Chords in position formatted

[Intro]

Am G C

Am G 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

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Am   G             C

Ooh, ooh, 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

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Am   G             C

Ooh, ooh, 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

[Bridge]

Am                         G

I just wanna, I just wanna know

C                                  F

If you’re gonna, if you’re gonna stay

Am                             G

I just gotta, I just gotta know

C                                F

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

 Conclusion

Now that you know how to play “Riptide” on ukulele, why not impress your friends by learning some of the other most popular songs? “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin are both great songs that use the same basic chords as “Riptide.” And once you’ve mastered those, you can move on to more advanced songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. With a little practice, you’ll be playing your favorite songs on ukulele in no time!