Can I Get A Witness | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
Verse 1
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
Ah listen everybody, especially you girls,
is it right to be left alone by the one you love is never home.
||: Ab Db | Gb Db :||
I love too hard, my friends sometimes say,
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
but I believe, I believe, that a woman should be loved that way.
| Bb Eb | Bb A | Ab Db | Gb Db |
But it hurts me so inside, to see how you treat me so unkind.
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
Somebody, somewhere, tell her it’s unfair – Can I get a witness?
Verse 2
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
(Can I get a witness) Can I get a witness? (Can I get a witness) Can I get a witness?
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab :||
(Can I get a witness) Somebody (Can I get a witness).
||: Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db :||
Is it right to be treated so bad, when you’ve given everything you had.
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab :||
Even tossin’ in my sleep, ’cause I haven’t seen my baby all week.
| Bb Eb | Bb A | Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db |
Now you chicks do agree, that this ain’t the way love’s supposed to be,
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab :|| Bb | Bb |
let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, (yeah, yeah, yeah) yeah (yeah, yeah, yeah).
Verse 3
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
Up early in the morning, with her on my mind,
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
took to find it out all night that I been cryin’.
||: Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db :||
But I believe, a woman’s a man’s best friend,
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
so I’m gonna stick by her, till the very end.
| Bb Eb | Bb A | Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db |
But she cause so much misery that I forget how love is supposed to be,
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab :|| Bb | Bb |
somebody, somewhere, tell her it ain’t fair – Can I get a witness?
Verse 4
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
Can I get a witness? (Can I get a witness) I want a witness. (Can I get a witness)
Witness, witness. (Can I get a witness) Witness, witness (Can I get a witness).
||: Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db :||
Everybody knows, especially you girls,
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
how love can be sad but half of love is twice as bad.
| Bb Eb | Bb A | Ab Db | Gb Db Dbsus4 Db |
Now all you chicks agree (oh-oh-oh-oh) that this ain’t the way it’s supposed to be.
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
Let me hear you, let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah.
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab :||
I want a witness, I want a witness, come on witness (Can I get a witness).
I want a witness (Can I get a witness), just a little bit louder.
(Can I get a witness), louder (Can I get a witness).
Can I Get A Witness Backing Track | Chord Analysis
Above is a live band backing track I recorded in the studio.
It’s used throughout the course—first for looping and breaking down each section, then for the full band performance further down this page. By the end of the lesson series, you’ll be able to improvise freely across the fretboard and play Can I Get a Witness live with the band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Can I Get a Witness is built on a variation of the classic blues progression in the key of Eb, but with added harmonic movement around each I, IV, and V chord. Rather than sticking rigidly to those three shapes, we weave in surrounding chords for a more vibrant, dynamic sound:
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :|| x4
||: Ab Db | Gb Db :||
||: Eb Ab | Db Ab :||
| Bb Eb | Bb A | Ab Db | Gb Db |
| Eb Ab | Db Ab | Eb Ab | Db Ab Absus4 Ab |
The I chord (Eb) alternates with IV (Ab) and bVIIx (Db). This approach repeats over the IV chord section. For the V chord, we move up a fourth, then descend chromatically to land back on IV.
Many of the Ab and Db chords include extensions—refer to the chord chart below or the chords + lyrics section above for details.
Can I Get A Witness Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
The chart may appear dense at first glance, but it’s essentially a blues progression with added movement around each core chord. The only additional section appears midway through verses 2 and 3, marked as Section B, which briefly revisits the V chord.
You can download the PDF here: Can I Get a Witness chord chart PDF
Or grab the iReal Pro version: Can I Get a Witness iReal Pro file
With iReal Pro, you can transpose the chart instantly to suit your vocalist. It’s also a great way to reformat the structure linearly if you prefer a top-to-bottom view.
Mastering these shapes takes more than memorising a chart—it requires muscle memory. That’s why, in the course, we practise the chord variations in all positions across the neck. This way, you’ll be able to flow through the changes without hesitation, making Can I Get a Witness endlessly fun to play.
To see how this all fits together, check out the performance and preview lesson below.
Can I Get A Witness TAB | Course Preview
The real strength of this lesson is learning how to play Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, and Bb all over the neck using CAGED shapes.
Instead of running repetitive drills, we learn each chord in context by playing Can I Get a Witness through different fretboard positions—always with a full band behind you.
We build the comping in three stages, starting with the lowest shapes. Here’s TAB Example 1:
Then we shift up and repeat the same process in new positions. After four more examples, you’ll have complete fretboard coverage.
This approach trains your hands and ears to react musically, allowing you to improvise and comp fluidly with the band.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Can I Get a Witness – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Marvin Gaye’s first hit!
Released in 1963, Can I Get a Witness was written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland and became Marvin Gaye’s first international success.
Legend has it that Marvin recorded the song in just one take, impressing Eddie Holland so much that he called him “the most versatile vocalist I ever worked with.” High praise, considering Holland’s work with so many Motown legends!
Following this breakthrough, Marvin’s next hit was How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (1964), which paved the way for duets like It Takes Two (1966) with Kim Weston and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (1967) with Tammi Terrell.
In just four years, Marvin Gaye had gone from session drummer to one of Motown’s biggest stars.
Can I Get A Witness Chords: Continue Learning
The chord changes of Can I Get A Witness are very fast, to play these comfortably, we must practice each section on a loop in every area of the neck.
Only by being this methodical can we play the complete song in an improvised way with the band in the final step.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Can I Get A Witness – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
