Oct202023

The Rolling Stones – Whole Wide World Chords on Piano & Ukulele

KeyKeyCapo

View

These are Whole Wide World chords by The Rolling Stones on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard.

[Intro]
C
Em C Em C

[Verse 1]
Em                       C
   The streets I used to walk on
Em                   C
  Are full of broken glass
Em                   C
  And everywhere I'm looking
        Em             C
There's memories of my past
Em           C
  The filthy flat in Fulham
Em                     C
  The smell of sex and gas
  Em          C
I never, ever really knew
      Em             C
Where I was sleeping next

[Chorus]
         G
When the whole wide
world's against you
           F#m
And you're standing in the rain
     Em
When all your friends
 have let you down
    C
And treat you with disdain
         G
When the whole wide
world's against you
           F#m
And that's got you on the run
        Em
And you think the party's over
         C
But it's only just,
             Em  C Em C
 only just begun

[Verse 2]
Em                   C
  Behind the bars of prison
Em                   C
  You never guess it now
           Em
They wanna break your balls
         C
in those slimy walls
        Em         C
And the guards are lardy louts
Em
  The cameras that
     C
are watching you
     Em           C
They see a sullen face
       Em
Get me out the door, can't
         C
keep me in no more
    Em                C
I'm breaking down the gates

[Chorus]
         G
When the whole wide
 world's against you
           F#m
And you're standing
in the rain
         Em
And your walls are
 one beside you
   C
To put you up again
         G
When the whole wide
world's against you
           F#m
And that's got you
 on the run
        Em
And you think the
party's over
         C
But it's only just,
             Em  C
 only just begun

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

[Instrument]
Em C
Em C Em C
Em C Em C
Em C Em C

[Bridge]
         G
When the dreary
streets of London
     F#m
They never promise much
  Em
A dead end job to nowhere
    C
And all your dreams
 are crushed

[Chorus]
         G
When the whole wide
world's against you
           F#m
And you're standing in the rain
     Em
When all your friends
 have let you down
    C
And treat you with disdain
        G
And you think the
party's over
         F#m
But it's only just begun
      Em
Let's raise a glass,
get up and dance
       C
'Cause life's just hit and,
                  Em  C
 hit and, hit and run

[Outro]
        Em C      Em
Hit and run, yeah
C                 Em C Em C
 The party's over
Em   C Em C
  Ayy
Em C                   Em
   World’s against you

How to play Whole Wide World: key, chords and progression

Whole Wide World by The Rolling Stones is in the key of E minor (one sharp: F♯). The song uses 4 chords: C, Em, G and F#m.

The progression the song keeps returning to is Em – C – G – F#m (i – VI – III – ii in E minor). Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Good to know: F#m is played as barre or movable shapes on guitar. Practise the change into it slowly; on piano and ukulele the same chords are easier.