Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Iz - Easy Ukulele Chords
Intro
C G Am F C G Am F F F [C]Ooo-ooo [Em]Ooo-ooo [F]Ooo-ooo [C]Ooo-ooo
[F]Ooo-ooo [E7]Ooo-ooo [Am]Ooo-ooo [F]Ooo-ooo
Chorus
[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Way up [C]high
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dream of
[G]Once in a lulla-[Am]by [F]
Oh [C]somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Blue birds [C]fly
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dream of
[G]Dreams really do come [Am]true [F]
Verse 1
Some[C]day I'll wish upon a star
And [G]wake up where the clouds are far be- [Am]hind [F]me
Where [C]trouble melts like lemon drops
[G]High above the chimney tops
That's [Am]where you'll [F]find me.
Chorus
Oh [C]somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Blue birds [C]fly
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dare to
[G]Why oh why can’t [Am]I? [F]
Bridge
Well I see[C]trees of [Em]green and [F]red roses [C]too
[F]I'll watch them [C]bloom for [E7]me and for [Am]you
And I [F]think to myself [G]what a wonderful [Am]world [F]
Well I see [C]skies of [Em]blue and [F]clouds of [C]white
And the [F]brightness of [C]day, [E7]I like the [Am]dark
And I [F]think to myself [G]what a wonderful [C]world [F] [C]
The [G]colours of the rainbow so [C]pretty in the sky
Are [G]also on the faces of [C]people passing by
I see [F]friends shaking [C]hands, saying [F]"How do you [C]do?"
[F]They're really [C]saying, [Dm7]I love [G]you.
I hear [C]babies [Em]cry, [F]I watch them [C]grow
[F]They'll learn much [C]more, than [E7]we'll ever [Am]know
And I [F]think to myself, [G]what a wonderful [Am]world, [F]world
Verse 2
Some[C]day I'll wish upon a star
And [G]wake up where the clouds are far be- [Am]hind [F]me
Where [C]trouble melts like lemon drops
[G]High above the chimney tops
That's [Am]where you'll [F]find me.
Chorus
Oh [C]somewhere [Em]over the rainbow
[F]Blue birds [C]fly
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dare to
[G]Why oh why can’t [Am]I? [F]
Outro
[C]Ooo-ooo [Em]Ooo-ooo [F]Ooo-ooo [C]Ooo-ooo
[F]Ooo-ooo [E7]Ooo-ooo [Am]Ooo-a-eh [F]A-a-a-a-a-a [C]
➡️ Download a PDF of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Iz’
➡️ Get Your Free Ukulele Chord Charts
The Story Behind the Song
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has a surprisingly layered story that stretches from 1930s Hollywood to modern Hawaiian music culture.
The song was originally written for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Yip Harburg.
Decades later, the song took on an entirely new life through Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, often known as “IZ.” In 1988, he recorded a spontaneous medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World.” The recording was famously done late at night in a single take at a small Honolulu studio, with IZ simply singing and accompanying himself on ukulele.
What makes IZ’s version so powerful is that it doesn’t replace the original dream, it deepens it. The rainbow becomes not just a fantasy destination, but a quiet wish for peace in the world we already live in.