Chords + Lyrics | About Damn Time
Intro
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb Bb11 | (band)
Anyway…
Verse 1
| Bbm | Bbm | (guitar only)
It’s bad bitch o’clock, yeah, it’s thick-thirty.
| Bbm | Bbm Bb11 |
I’ve been through a lot but I’m still flirty (okay).
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | (band)
Is everybody back up in the buildin’? It’s been a minute, tell me how you’re healin’.
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb Bb11 |
‘Cause I’m about to get into my feelings. How you feelin’? How you feel right now?
Bridge 1
| Bmaj7 Bbm7 | Abm7 |
Oh, I’ve been so down and under pressure.
| Bmaj7 Bbm7 | Abm7 |
I’m way too fine to be this stressed, yeah.
| Bmaj7 Bbm7 | Abm7 | Gbmaj7 | N.C |
Oh, I’m not the girl I was or used to be. Uh, bitch, I might be better.
Chorus 1
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb |
Turn up the music, turn down the lights.
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb |
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright.
| Gbmaj7 | Ab Bb11 |
Okay (okay), alright, it’s about damn time (time).
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb |
Turn up the music, let’s celebrate (alright).
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb |
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be okay.
| Gbmaj7 | Ab Bb11 |
Okay (okay), alright, it’s about damn time.
Verse 2
| /Eb | /Eb | (bass only)
In a minute, I’ma need a sentimental man or woman to pump me up.
| /Eb | /Eb Bb11 |
Feeling fussy, walkin’ in my Balenci-ussy’s tryna bring out the fabulous.
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | (band)
‘Cause I give a fuck way too much I’ma need like two shots in my cup.
| Bbm/Eb | N.C Bbm/Eb Bb11 |
One to get up, one to get down. Mm, that’s how I feel right now.
Bridge 2
Oh, I’ve been so down and under pressure.
I’m way too fine to be this stressed, yeah.
Oh, I’m not the girl I was or used to be. Uh, bitch, I might be better.
Chorus 2
Turn up the music, turn down the lights.
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright.
Okay (okay), alright, it’s about damn time (time).
Turn up the music, let’s celebrate (alright).
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be okay.
Okay (okay), alright, it’s about damn time.
Middle 8 (bass only)
| N.C | N.C | N.C | N.C |
Bitch. Haha… ‘Cause, uh, you know what time it is, uh.
| /Eb | /Eb | (bass only)
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (uh-huh).
| Gbmaj7 | Gbmaj7 Ab |
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (woo).
| /Eb | /Eb |
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight.
| Gbmaj7 | Gbmaj7 Bb11 (band) |
Okay (okay), alright (alright), it’s about damn time.
Chorus 3
I’m comin’ out tonight, (let’s go) I’m comin’ out tonight (comin’ out tonight).
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (woo).
I’m comin’ out tonight, I’m comin’ out tonight (comin’ out tonight).
Okay (okay), alright, it’s about damn time
End
| Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb | Bbm/Eb |
Oh. Bitch. Yeah, yeah, It’s about damn time.
About Damn Time Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning About Damn Time. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Lizzo‘s biggest hit, About Damn Time, has some very clever chords and progressions.
For example, Ab and Bb11 are the same for a guitar player as we only play the upper part of the chord.
The same goes for Bbm and Gmaj7; it’s the bass that makes the chords feel different. Another tune that does this well is Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake.
Playing in this style is all about minimalism, consistency, and slotting in with everyone else. So when the chords say Bbm or Bbm/Eb, you as a guitarist just play Bbm but are aware that the bass plays Eb.
Another example of this minimalism is when the chords go from Bbm to Bb11. This looks like a minor to major movement, but it’s not; a Bb11 has a root, b7, 9, 11, there is no 3rd. Perhaps this is why some people prefer to call it an Ab/Bb.
When the chords are as big as this, what you really need is TAB, then use the chords as a reminder of what the TAB describes in detail. I’ve designed this TAB for you, find it further down this guitar lesson.
Coming back up from working on the TAB, I feel this chord chart will be helpful at a gig.
About Damn Time Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: About Damn Time chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro; here’s a link to that file: About Damn Time iReal Pro. Using this and the iReal Pro app, you can change the key.
About Damn Time | TAB
Let’s look at some TAB to understand how the chords work—starting with the verse:
It’s just a Bbm triad, even though the chord symbol says /Eb. Leave that Eb to the bass player.
For the Bb11, it’s simply an Ab triad. Again, let the bass handle the Bb. I could have described it as Ab/Bb—it’s the same thing.
Back to Bbm/Eb. Had it been a Bbm7/Eb, that too could be interpreted as an Eb11 chord.
There’s another guitar part playing muted strums, but I found it cleaner and more effective in a live band setting to leave those out rather than blend them in.
Here’s the bridge—this is slightly modified as well.
Start by sliding into the Bmaj7—don’t hit the top string until beat 2. Quickly switch to Bbm7. These two chords suggest we’re in the key of Gb or F#, since a major chord followed by a minor chord a semitone apart must be IV – III.
That would make Abm7 chord II, Gbmaj7 chord I, and Bb11 leads us into a chorus that feels like it’s in Eb Dorian.
So, we’re playing in two keys here: Eb Dorian and Gb major—a typical modal interchange used in Disco, Funk, and Jazz.
Here’s the chorus. Compare it to I Heard It Through The Grapevine—we’re hinting at a II – V from the Ionian key of Db, but Eb is home. It’s Dorian, and that’s always what makes us want to dance!
Notice the difference between the verse and chorus: I’m playing further up the shape. Gbmaj7 and Bbm7 are essentially the same here, and we don’t play the /Eb bass. I’ve just added a few extra rhythms.
Ab and Bb11 are also essentially the same shape.
This style is all about minimalism, consistency, and finding your place in the groove. Use the backing track to get it right.
Lizzo’s big single before it all fell apart
Following years of struggle (first single in 2013), Lizzo’s career started to take off with Juice, Truth Hurts, and Good As Hell, all from the album Cuz I Love You (2019).
Her body-positive approach synced perfectly with how the world changed during this time. With plus-sized models on magazine covers, she, in many ways, became a spokesperson for this new all-accepting movement.
Before her next album, Special (2022), she released About Damn Time, which felt fitting as a title; Lizzo had made it, and what a great message she had!
But then she had an idea to hire plus-sized models to be her dancers on tour, giving anyone a chance to bask in her glory.
Unfortunately, they turned on her, saying she was bullying them and doing all those things she’d been preaching against. In the end, they even sued Lizzo, and since we live in a world where you are guilty until proven innocent, Lizzo went from rise to fall almost overnight.
She’d been taken down by the people she was trying to lift up.
About Damn Time Chords: Continue Learning
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