From the film “Nine to Five”, 1980
Words and music by Dolly Parton
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin’
Out on the street, the traffic starts jumpin’
With folks like me on the job from nine to five
Chorus
Workin’ nine to five, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
Chorus
Nine to five, for service and devotion
You would think that I
Would deserve a fair promotion
Want to move ahead
But the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me
- They let you dream just to watch ’em shatter
You’re just a step on the boss-man’s ladder
But you got dreams he’ll never take away
You’re in the same boat with a lot of your friends
Waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in
And the tide’s gonna turn
And it’s all gonna roll your way
Chorus
Workin’ nine to five, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
Chorus
Nine to five, they’ve got you
Where they want you
There’s a better life
And you dream about it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his pocket
Chorus
Workin’ nine to five, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind
And you never get the credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
Chorus
Nine to five, they’ve got you
Where they want you
There’s a better life
And you dream about it, don’t you?
It’s a rich man’s game
No matter what they call it
And you spend your life
Putting money in his pocket