Don’t Wait Too Long | Chords + Lyrics
Intro (0:00)
||: D G/B | E7 A7sus4 :||
Verse 1 (0:14)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
You can cry a million tears, you can wait a million years.
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D |
If you think that time will change your ways, don’t wait too long.
Verse 2 (0:32)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
When your morning turns to night, who’ll be loving you by candlelight?
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D |
If you think that time will change your ways, don’t wait too long.
Bridge 1 (0:49)
| G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7 | D |
Maybe I got a lot to learn, time can slip away.
| G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 | A7 |
Sometimes you got to lose it all, before you find your way.
Verse 3 (1:07)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
Take a chance, and play your part. Make romance, it might break your heart.
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D |
But if you think that time will change your ways, don’t wait too long.
Solo (1:24)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D |
Verse 4 (1:42)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
It may rain, it may shine, love will age like fine red wine.
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D |
But if you think that time will change your ways, don’t wait too long.
Bridge 2 (1:59)
| G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7 | D |
Maybe you and I got a lot to learn, don’t waste another day.
| G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7 |
Maybe you got to lose it all, before you find your way.
Verse 5 (2:17)
| D G/B | E7 A7sus4 | D G/B | E7 A7sus4 |
Take a chance, play your part. Make romance, it might break your heart.
| D G | F#7 Bm7 | E7 A7sus4 | D Bmb6 | E7 A7sus4 |
But if you think that time will change your ways, don’t wait too long.
Outro (2:37)
||: D G/B | E7 A7sus4 :||
Don’t wait, don’t wait. Getting older.
Don’t Wait Too Long’s chords and progressions
The intro sets us up by using the chords from the verse in D – G/B – E7 – A7sus4. That’s I – IV/3 – IIx – V.
The verse starts off as the intro before it applies a turnaround progression, like this:
D – G – F#7 – Bm7 – E7 – A7sus4 – D, using roman numerals: I – IV – IIIx – VI – IIx – V – I.
The bridge, like so many songs in this style, starts on chord IV, making us feel as if we have gone somewhere new. G – F#7 – Bm7 – E7 – A7.
Soloing over a Jazz/Blues
When you solo in this style it is essential to swap mode and arpeggio for every chord. To do this, you must think in chord numbers as you employ arpeggios and modal scales.
This means you could play Phrygian Dominant for chord IIIx and Aeolian for chord VIm7, for example.
The bridge section uses the cycle of 4th as it moves: IV- IIIx – VIm7 – IIx – V7sus4 – I. This is perfect to practice modal scales over.
| G (Lydian) | F#7 (Phrygian Dom) Bm7 (Aeolian) |
| E7 (Mixolydian) A7 (Mixolydian) | D (Ionian) |
If you don’t know all of your pentatonic scales, arpeggios, and modes in each shape, you will never be able to relax enough to play a jazz solo with a smile on your face.
When you do know, jazz is easy and you’ll end up playing around with melodies and chords like a footballer play around with his ball – constantly finding new ways.
Strumming in a swing style
Similar to Baby Won’t You Please Come Home, Madeleine Peyroux‘s Don’t Wait Too Long’s chords are played using jazz comping based on consistent downward strumming on the beat.
Against this straight beat, you apply back strums to indicate how much you’re swinging. A good trick is to apply the off beats more frequently, in between vocal lines.
Once you get the feel of the swing i.e. how far you stretch the up strum from the “on the beat” strum, start looking for variations and when to put them in.
Don’t Wait Too Long chords | Related pages
Don’t Wait Too Long – 8 guitar lessons
Don’t Wait Too Long by Madeleine Peyroux will soon be available as eight step-by-step guitar lessons.
Until then, TAB for what I play in the video is available.
Don’t Wait Too Long – 8 guitar lessons.
Advanced Acoustic Songs
These songs use big chord extensions and sometimes, unique and complex chords that incorporate open strings.
Study these in-depth and you will gain a complete understanding of the guitar fretboard, including how to build any scale, arpeggio, or chord.
Don’t Wait Too Long – 5 similar tunes
- 1234 chords
- All Of Me chords
- Baby Won’t You Please Come Home chords
- Blue Moon chords
- Dream A Little Dream chords
Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Often compared to Billie Holiday for her vocal similarities, Peyroux’s second solo album only had one original tune on it, Don’t Wait Too Long.