Belle and Sebastian - Expectations: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Expectations" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

F#                       Bm
Monday morning wake up knowing that
                  F#
you gotta go to school
                        Bm
Tell your mum what to expect,
                                F#
she says it's right out of the blue
                     Bm
Do you wanna work in Debenham's,
                           F#
because that's what they expect
                       Bm             G        D A G
Start in lingerie, and Doris is your supervisor

And the Head said that you always
Were a queer one from the start
For Careers, you say you want to be
Remembered for your art
Your obsessions get you known
Throughout the school for being strange
Making life-size models of
the Velvet Underground in clay

In the queue for lunch, they take the piss
You've got no appetite
And the rumour is you never go
With boys and you are tight
So they jab you with a fork
You drop the tray and go berserk
While you're cleaning up the mess
The teacher's looking up your skirt

Chorus:
A                G
Hey, you've been used,
D        A            G
Are you calm? Settle down
D        A                G
Write a song, I'll sing along
                         F#
Soon you will know that you are sane
           G
You're on top of the world again

Monday morning, wake up knowing
That you've got to go to school
Tell your mum what to expect
She says it's right out of the blue
Do you want to work at C&A's
'Cause that's what they expect
Move to Lingerie, and take a feel
Off Joe the storeman

Tell Veronica the secrets
Of the boy you never kissed
She's got everything to gain
'Cause she's a fat girl with a lisp
She sticks up for you when you get
Aggravation from the snobs
Because you can't afford a blazer, girl
You're always wearing clogs

At the interval, you lock yourself
Away inside a room
Head of English gets you, asks you
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Do you think you're better than the other kids?
Well, get outside"
You've got permission, but you've got to
Make the bastard think he's right

Chorus:
Hey, you’ve been used
Write a song, I’ll sing along
Are you calm? Settle down
Soon you will know that you are sane
You’re on top of the world again

Oh, you’re cool and you know
You’re a star and you’ll go far
Listen to me as a friend
Not just a boy who plays guitar
You’re on top of the world again


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

Bm

Guitar chord Bm

D

Guitar chord D

F#

Guitar chord F#

G

Guitar chord G

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Expectations" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Expectations" by Belle and Sebastian.

Belle and Sebastian Song List