This Is the Life (uke arrangement)
Amy Macdonald’s This Is the Life is the title track from her 2007 debut — a Scottish indie-folk anthem built on a single four-chord loop that never lets up. The whole song circles Am – F – C – Em, driven by a chugging “chuck” strum, a catchy melodic hook, and strings and additional instrumentation (slide guitar?) adding atmosphere. It was one of our favourite tracks from UkeHoot’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe shows, and it’s stayed in the set ever since — we still play it regularly around toon, and it always gets the crowd singing along.
This arrangement keeps things simple for a roomful of ukes: everyone holds the Am–F–C–Em loop on a chucking strum leaving room for fiddle or other instruments to riff over the melody. The tabs below pick out the little instrumental hooks — riff1 is the rolling intro/instrumental run, riff2 sits under the second verse, and riff3 answers it in the middle section. Transposed to Am from the original’s C#m, and it rattles along at about 190 bpm.
You can hear the original on Spotify: This Is the Life — Amy Macdonald. And find out more about UkeHoot at ukehoot.net.
This Is the Life was written by Amy Macdonald and released as the title track of her 2007 debut album This Is the Life (© 2007 Vertigo / Universal Music). The lyrics and the underlying composition remain the property of their copyright holders. The arrangement below is an unofficial fan transcription, shared for personal study and non-commercial performance — no claim of ownership is made over the song itself.
Chords & lyrics
[intro - chucking]
(Am) (F) (C) (Em) [stays this progression through the whole song]
Oh, the (Am) wind whistles down, the (F) cold dark street tonight
And the (C) people they were dancing (Em) to the music vibe
And the (Am) boys chase the girls with the curls in their hair
While the (F) shy tormented youth sit way over there
And the (C) songs they get louder, each one better than (Em) before [pause]
[Chorus]
And you're singing the (Am) songs, thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the (F) morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? (C) Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep (Em) tonight
And you're singing the (Am) songs, thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the (F) morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? (C) Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep (Em) tonight
Where you gonna sleep (Am) tonight
[instrumental: riff1]
(Am) (F) (C) (Em) [single strums, fiddle providing rhythm]
[verse]
So you're (Am) heading down the road in your taxi for four
And you're (F) waiting outside Jimmy's front door
But (C) nobody's in and nobody's home 'til (Em) four
[verse: riff2]
So you're (Am) sitting there with nothing to do
Talking (F) about Robert Riger and his motley crew
And (C) where you're gonna go and where you're gonna sleep (Em) tonight
[Chorus]
[instrumental: uke + fiddle]
(Am) (F) (C) (Em) [w/riff1]
(Am) (F) (C) (Em) [riff1 + riff3]
[Chorus] quiet, shuffle strum (with riff2 & fiddle)
[Chorus] verse 1 counterpoint singing (w/ riff2 & fiddle)
[Chorus] verse 2 counterpoint singing (w/ riff2, riff1 & fiddle)
[outro: strumming + fiddle]
(Am) (F) (C) (Em) (Am)Riff tabs
The instrumental hooks that the fiddle and a lead uke trade through the song.
[riff1]
A-0--2--3--0---0-2--3--0-0-0--0--2--3--0---0-2--3--3-3-3--
E---------------------------------------------------------
C---------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------------
A-3--5--7--3---3-5--7--5--3--2--
E-------------------------------
C-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
[riff2]
A---7-7--5-5-5---3-3-3--2-2-2--
E------------------------------
C-4----------------------------
G------------------------------
[riff3] (x2)
A-----------------------------
E------5----3-----------------
C----------------4-----0------
G-----------------------------Download
The full chart, lyrics, and tabs are in one PDF: This Is the Life (uke arrangement) — PDF.