MGMT - The Handshake: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "The Handshake" 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.

A                 G
I just shook the handshake
G                  D
I just sealed the deal
A                G
I'll try not to let them
                           D
Take everything they can steal
A              G
People always told me
G                  D
Don't forget your roots
A             G                               D
I know I can feel them underneath my leather boots

Chorus:
G      D/F#       Em        A
You toss all the mornings lost
         D             A      Bm
to the clouds and you watch it go
      G             D/F#        Em       A/C#
Your fair weather friends on a parachute binge
     D             A     Bm
get lost when the wind blows
     G                        A
The handshake's stuck on the tip of my tongue
    Bm
It tastes like death but it looks like fun

B
I was a loner
           Em      D#   G#m
I was just waiting by myself
      D
When you, warped temptress
                  F#            B
Rose to bring me happiness and wealth
       Em            D#           D
Black tears, black smile, black credit
            A
cards and shoes
A
You can call all the people you want
          E               F#
But it's you who's being used

Under your black eyes, honey,
right beneath your nose
A curse on all creation,
every single thing you know
White smoke, white light,
white marble on the floor
It would only take a few seconds
of darkness to figure out what's in store
Little girl

Chorus:
You convince yourself that you want it
But you don't know
You keep trying to wash the blood from your hands
But it won't go
We're gonna keep you on the run

Bm
We got the handshake under our tongue
We got the handshake under our tongue
We got the handshake under our tongue
We got the handshake under our tongue

We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake
We got the handshake


You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A

Guitar chord A

C#

Guitar chord C#

D

Guitar chord D

D#

Guitar chord D#

E

Guitar chord E

Em

Guitar chord Em

F#

Guitar chord F#

G

Guitar chord G

G#m

Guitar chord G#m

B

Guitar chord B

Bm

Guitar chord Bm

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 "The Handshake" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "The Handshake" by MGMT.