Feb212022

Frank Turner – The Work Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

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[Verse]
C
I'm sorry about the
                F
argument at the weekend
              Am
I should have listened to what
you said in the first place
           G
And that I should have
been your friend
      C
But I finally tidied up the
                F
garage like you asked me
           Am
I put some laundry on
Both our clothes this time
             G
and not just mine

[Chorus]
C            F                   G
'Cause we've both been doing our best
Am                           C
Skirting 'round the edges of perfect
F               G
Darling, I know this
         Am                 G
It's the work that makes it worth it
                            F
It's the work that makes it worth it

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[Verse]
          C
I've been brushing up on your
                    F
family tree for the party
              Am
I'll get your cousins, your half
cousins and your step cousins
    G
The right way around this time
      C
But I promise to remember to
                     F
bring you tea in the morning
             Am
To heed your warnings about
                            G
when I'm about to cross the line

[Chorus]
C            F                   G
'Cause we've both been doing our best
Am                           C
Skirting 'round the edges of perfect
F               G
Darling, I know this
         Am                 G
It's the work that makes it worth it
                            F
It's the work that makes it worth it

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Bridge]
Am
'Cause I did my fair share
       F
of the rock'n'roll
                  C
Three minutes and Fifteen
                   Em
seconds version of love
       Am                  F
But me I always needed the B sides
                 C        Em
And not just the best of
      Am
I saw fireworks aplenty
       F
when I met you
              C
But now we've worked to
                  Em
build this into a fire
        Am                   F
I don't want to burn out any more
          C
I want to visit the coast
in Kent with you
     G
On a weekday afternoon
                F
when we're both retired

[Chorus]
C            F                   G
'Cause we've both been doing our best
Am                           C
Skirting 'round the edges of perfect
F               G
Darling, I know this
         Am                 G
It's the work that makes it worth it
         C                  F
It's the work that makes it worth it
                            C
It's the work that makes it worth it
                            F
It's the work that makes it worth it
                            Am
It's the work that makes it worth it
                       G
The work won't make it perfect
                           F
But the work will make it worth it

How to play The Work: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for The Work by Frank Turner on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

The Work by Frank Turner is written in C major (no sharps or flats) and moves through 5 chords: C, F, Am, G and Em.

The backbone of the song is C – F – G – Am (I – IV – V – vi in C major). In solfa, that is doh – fah – soh – lah. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Beginner-friendly: on guitar almost every chord is an open shape, which makes this a good song to learn early on.