Chords + Lyrics | Hard To Handle
Intro
||: Bb (Bb D Eb F) | Bb (Eb Db Eb Db) :||
Verse 1
||: Bb7 | Bb7 (A7 Bb7 Eb6) :||
Baby, here I am, I’m a man on the scene.
I can give you what you want but you gotta go home with me.
I have got some good old lovin’, and I got some in store.
When I get through throwin’ it on you, you gotta come back for more.
Chorus 1
| F7 | F7 |
Boys and things will come by the dozen, but that ain’t nothin’ but drugstore lovin’.
| Bb7 N.C | N.C |
Pretty little thing let me light your chemical. Mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, yes around.
Instrumental 1
| Eb F | Ab Eb Bb |
Verse 2
Action speaks louder than words and I’m a man of a great experience.
I know you got you another man, but I can love you better than him.
Take my hand, don’t be afraid, I’m wanna prove every word I say.
I’m advertising love for free, so won’t you place your ads with me.
Chorus 2
Boys will come a dime by the dozen, but that ain’t nothing but ten cents love.
Pretty little thing let me light your chemicals. Mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, yes around.
Instrumental 2
||: Ab Eb Bb | Ab Eb Bb :||
Verse 3
Baby, here I am, I’m a man on the scene.
I can give you what you want but you gotta go home with me.
I have got some good old lovin’, and I got some more in store.
When I get through throwin’ it on you, you gotta come back for more.
Chorus 3
Boys will come a dime by the dozen, that ain’t nothin’ but drugstore love.
Pretty little thing, let me light your chemical. Mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, yes around.
Instrumental 3
||: Ab Eb Bb | Ab Eb Bb :||
Outro
||: Bb7 | Bb7 :||
Uh, give it to me. I got to have it.
Give it to me, good old lovin’. Some of that good old lovin.
I’m a big old man, mama. Well I’m too hard to handle.
Hard to Handle Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Hard to Handle. 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.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 443Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
In this lesson, we study both Otis Redding’s original chords and The Black Crowes’ cover version. Let’s start with the original.
Intro
The legendary intro moves up the major scale but down the minor pentatonic, instantly setting the soul feel of Hard to Handle. It also signals that the song is about to kick in!
Outlined quickly, the notes are:
||: Bb (Bb D Eb F) | Bb (Eb Db Eb Db) :||
Verse
The verse follows a pattern similar to Soul Man and Knock On Wood. Studying these songs will help you develop as a soul guitarist. Without using TAB, the chords can be described as:
||: Bb7 | Bb7 (A7 Bb7 Eb6) :||
Chorus
The chorus starts on the V chord, as in a traditional blues:
| F7 | F7 | Bb7 N.C | N.C |
Instrumental sections
The instrumental section follows the chorus, beginning on the IV chord before moving up to V. This section never repeats in Hard to Handle, and The Black Crowes’ version changes the chords here—often causing confusion in cover bands (see more further along in this lesson).
The correct chords, with Roman numerals, are:
| Eb (IV) F (V) | Ab (bVIIx) Eb (IV) Bb (I) |
That bVIIx also appears in Get Back by The Beatles—worth comparing!
In the second and third instrumental sections, we loop the last bar instead:
||: Ab Eb Bb | Ab Eb Bb :||
The outro is based around a static Bb7.
In the TAB further down this lesson, I’ve transcribed all sections, including how to play that outro horn part on guitar.
When you can play all sections, use this chord chart as a guide to play along with Otis.
Hard To Handle Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart as a PDF, or use the iReal Pro format to easily change the key within the app.
Hard To Handle | TAB
Let’s work through all the sections of the original recording before moving on to the rock cover version.
Intro
We move up the Bb major scale and down the minor pentatonic.
Verse
This part is fantastic. On the recording, there is more variation, but if you nail this and then stop looking at the TAB—allowing the part to flow naturally—you’ll be playing very close to what Steve Cropper does on the original.
Chorus
Just like the verse, the chorus has subtle rhythmic variations. Nailing these details really makes the part groove!
Instrumental
Following the chorus, we get the instrumental, or perhaps the chorus tag. There are two sections: here’s the first. You could add something on beat 1, but I prefer it this way.
The second instrumental section simply loops the second bar four times:
Outro
Just as I was putting the guitar down, the outro played, and I loved the horn line, so I had to transcribe it as well. If you don’t have a horn section in the band, I highly recommend playing this part towards the end.
Having practised all sections, try it with the backing tracks, using the chord chart as a guide.
You should learn both versions
Released in 1968 as the B-side to Amen, Hard to Handle came out just a year after Otis Redding’s unexpected passing. It was later included on his 1969 album The Immortal Otis Redding.
At the time, the song didn’t make much of a chart impact, but over the years it gained recognition through numerous cover versions. Most notably, The Black Crowes recorded it for their 1990 album Shake Your Money Maker, turning it into their biggest hit.
Since Hard to Handle is a cover band staple, it’s essential to know both versions. With differences in arrangement, lyrics, chords, and key, it’s worth studying each carefully. Use the chords and lyrics above and below to guide you.
Hard To Handle | Chords + Lyrics (The Black Crowes)
Intro
| N.C | N.C B riff | B riff | B riff | B riff |
Verse 1
||: B E/G# | B E/G# :||
Baby, here I am, I’m the man on the scene.
I can give you what you want but you gotta come home with me.
I’ve got some good old lovin’, and I got some more in store.
When I get through throwin’ it on you, you gotta come back for more.
Chorus 1
| F#5 | F#5 |
Boys and things that come by the dozen, that ain’t nothin’ but drugstore lovin’.
| B5 N.C | N.C |
Hey little thing, let me light your chemicals. ‘Cause, oh, mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, gets around.
Chorus tag 1
| D5 E5 | A5 E5 B5 |
Verse 2
Action speaks louder than words and I’m a man of great experience.
I know you got another man but I can love you better than him.
Take my hand, don’t be afraid, I’m gonna prove every word I say.
I’m advertising love for free, so you can place your ads with me.
Chorus 2
| F#5 | F#5 |
Boys will come along, a dime by the dozen, that ain’t nothing but ten cent lovin’.
| B5 N.C | N.C |
Hey little thing, let me light your chemicals. Oh, mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, gets around.
Chorus tag 2
||: A5 E5 B5 :|| x4
Yeah, hard to handle now. Oh, baby.
Verse 3
Baby, here I am, I’m the man on your scene.
I can give you what you want but you gotta come a home with me.
I have got some good old lovin’, and I got some more in store.
When I get through throwin’ it on you, you gotta come a-runnin’ back for more.
Chorus 3
Boys will run along, a dime by the dozen, that ain’t nothin’ but drugstore lovin’.
Hey little thing, let me light your chemicals. Oh, mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, gets around.
Chorus tag 3
Hard. Hard to handle now. Oh yeah, yeah, hey, yeah. Play it.
Solo
||: B E/G# :|| x8
Chorus 4
Boys will run along, a dime by the dozen, that ain’t nothing but ten cent lovin’.
Hey little babe, let me light your chemicals. Oh, mama, I’m sure hard to handle now, gets around.
Chorus tag 4
||: A5 E5 B5 :|| x4
Yeah. So hard to handle now. Oh, yeah.
Outro
||: B E/G# :|| x8
Baby, good lovin’. Baby. Baby.
Oh, good lovin’. I need good lovin’
I got to have it, oh yeah.
Chorus tag 5
||: A5 E5 B5 :|| x4
Yeah. Yeah. So hard to handle, now, yeah. Mm-mm.
Hard to Handle (Black Crowes) Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Hard to Handle (Black Crowes). I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
At first glance, it may seem that The Black Crowes simply raised the key from Bb to B and gave Hard to Handle more of a rock feel than the original soul version.
However, a closer look reveals a few other important changes—let’s take a look!
Intro
The intro starts with drums, whereas Otis Redding’s version begins with the riff. Using just chords, we can indicate it like I did for Otis’s version, either putting the notes in brackets a semitone up or just writing “riff,” like this:
| N.C | N.C B riff | B riff | B riff | B riff |
Verse
The verse is different. Instead of using three distinct chords, The Black Crowes add just one slash chord. E/G# can be slightly misleading, as that’s what the chord shape looks like on the guitar, while the bass simply plays B.
||: B (I) E/G# (IV/3) | B E/G# :||
Chorus
The chorus remains largely the same, though it’s played with power chords instead of dominant 7ths:
| F#5 | F#5 | B5 N.C | N.C |
Instrumental (chorus tag)
The biggest difference between the two versions appears in the first instrumental section, or what we might call a chorus tag:
| D5 (bIIIx) E5 (IV) | A5 (bVIIx) E5 (IV) B5 (I) |
Here, they play bIIIx – IV instead of IV – V. Whether intentional or accidental, it works beautifully.
The guitar parts in the Black Crowes’ version aren’t just a semitone up with occasional chord changes—they are fundamentally different, reflecting the rockier arrangement. I’ve transcribed both versions, find the Black Crowes TAB further down this guitar lesson.
Here’s a chord chart—make sure to learn both the original and this frequently referenced cover.
Hard To Handle (Black Crowes) Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
You can download my chord chart as a PDF, or use the iReal Pro format to change the key directly within the app.
Hard To Handle | TAB Preview (Black Crowes)
Intro
The Black Crowes’ version starts with drums, then plays the same intro as Otis, just a semitone up:
Verse
The verse is not merely a semitone up—they’ve rewritten it, keeping the concept of variation.
The E/G# chord is written this way to indicate the shape, though the bass player doesn’t actually go to G#.
Chorus
The chorus is straightforward. You may want to hold the F#5 depending on how much sustain your rock tone provides.
Chorus Tag
Here’s where it changes. In Otis’ version, it’s IV – V, then the riff. The Black Crowes play bIIIx – IV. It might have been an intentional choice—they certainly make it work. In the rock version, the rhythm hits the downbeat clearly.
The second time—and during the outro—we simply repeat the last bar, as in the original.
Hard To Handle Chords: Continue Learning
Step-by-step Guitar Courses
Master guitar by studying real tunes. Build your skills with video lessons, eBooks and practice routines that connect theory with the music you love!
Explore SpyTunes step-by-step Guitar Courses.
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
