Billy Joel - Running On Ice: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Running On Ice" on your guitar with our detailed chord guide and lyrics. 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.

Learn Running On Ice Guitar Chords and Lyrics by Billy Joel

This section will guide you through each part of the song, providing the guitar chords placed directly above the lyrics for easy playing. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, these elements will help you perform "Running On Ice" smoothly on your guitar.

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

Gsus2            A#maj7/G        Am7/G
There's a lot of tension in this town
            Fsus2/G      Gsus2
I know it's building up inside of
 A#maj7/G  Am7/G Gsus4
me
Gsus2             A#maj7/G         Am7/G
I've got all the symptoms and the side effects
   Fsus2/G     Gsus2 A#maj7/G  Am7/G Gsus4
Of city life anxiety
Gsus2           A#maj7/G         Am7/G    Fsus2/G
I could never understand why the urban attitude
        Gsus2 A#maj7/G Am7/G Gsus4
Is so superior
Gsus2         A#maj7/G       Am7/G
In a world of high rise ambition
              Fsus2/G       Gsus2 A#maj7/G  Am7/G
Most people's motives are ulterior

Chorus:
G7/B
Oh!
C                               F          C
Sometimes I feel as though I'm running on ice
F            C        G6  G
Paying the price too long
Am7                              A#         C
Kind of get the feeling that I'm running on ice
A#            C            Dsus
Where did my life go wrong?

I'm a cosmopolitan sophisticate
Of culture and intelligence
The culmination of technology
And civilized experience
But I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk
A modern man accumulates
I'm a statistic in a system
That a civil servant dominates, oh

Chorus:
And all that means is that I'm running on ice
Caught in a vise so strong
I'm slipping and sliding, 'cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong?

              Gm   D#maj7/G  D/G
You've got to run,   run,    run
Gm7 Gm7/F D#
Oh!
Cm7 F A#
Oh!
Gm   D#maj7/G  D/G
Run,  Run,     Run
Gm7 Gm7/F D#
Oh!
Cm7 F D
Oh!

As fast as I can climb
A new disaster every time I turn around
As soon as I get one fire put out
There's another building burning down
They say this highway's going my way
But I don't know where it's taking me
It's a bad waste, a sad case, a rat race
It's breaking me, oh

I get no traction 'cause I'm running on ice
It's taking me twice as long
I get a bad reaction 'cause I'm running on ice
Where did my life go wrong?

You've got to run, run, run, run, oh, oh-oh-oh
Run, run, run, run, run, run, oh, oh-oh-oh

Running on ice
Running on ice
Running, running on ice
Running on ice, running on ice
Slippin' and slidin', running on ice
Running on ice, slippin' and slidin'
Running on ice


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

A#

Guitar chord A#

A#maj7

Guitar chord A#maj7

Am7

Guitar chord Am7

B

Guitar chord B

C

Guitar chord C

Cm7

Guitar chord Cm7

D

Guitar chord D

D#

Guitar chord D#

D#maj7

Guitar chord D#maj7

F

Guitar chord F

Fsus2

Guitar chord Fsus2

G

Guitar chord G

G6

Guitar chord G6

G7

Guitar chord G7

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

Gm7

Guitar chord Gm7

Gsus2

Guitar chord Gsus2

Gsus4

Guitar chord Gsus4

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 "Running On Ice" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Running On Ice" by Billy Joel.

Billy Joel Song List