Chords + Lyrics | Higher Ground
Intro
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :|| x6
Verse 1
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
People, keep on learnin’.
Soldiers, keep on warnin’.
| F7 Ab Bb | F7 G7 | Ab7 |Db9 |
World, keep on turnin’. ‘Cause it won’t be too long.
Instrumental 1
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Verse 2
Powers keep on lyin’.
While your people keep on dyin’.
World, keep on turnin’. ‘Cause it won’t be too long.
Instrumental 2
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Bridge 1
||: Ab7 | Eb7 :||
I’m so darn glad He let me try it again.
‘Cause my last time on earth, I lived a whole world of sin.
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then.
| F7 | Bb7 |
Gonna keep on tryin’, ’til I reach the highest ground.
Instrumental 3
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Verse 3
Teachers, keep on teachin’.
Preachers, keep on preachin’.
World, keep on turnin’.
‘Cause it won’t be too long.
Instrumental 4
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Oh no.
Verse 4
Lovers, keep on lovin’.
Believers, keep on believin’.
Sleepers, just stop sleepin’.
‘Cause it won’t be too long.
Instrumental 5
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Oh no.
Bridge 2
I’m so darn glad He let me try it again.
‘Cause my last time on earth, I lived a whole world of sin.
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then.
Gonna keep on tryin’, ’til I reach my highest ground.
Outro
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
Whoo. ‘Til I reach the highest ground, oh no.
No one’s gonna bring me down, oh no.
‘Til I reach the highest ground, mm, hm, mm, hm.
Don’t you let nobody bring you down. Yes you know that.
God is gonna show you highest ground.
He’s the only friend you’ll have around.
‘Cause the rest of the world will bring you down.
Higher Ground Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Higher Ground. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
There’s also one version which has been slowed down to make it easier to practise.
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?
The chords for Higher Ground won’t fully make sense if you approach them strictly from a diatonic theory perspective.
You have to understand that Stevie is operating on a different level — you could say his harmony has reached a higher ground… What he does is blend traditional harmony with blues language and jazzy substitutions, which, in practical terms, means: anything goes!
Main Riff
Here’s the main riff using just the chords:
||: Eb7(omit3) Gb6 Ab7 | Eb7sus4 Gb6 Ab7 :||
In the key of Eb, this loosely outlines I – bIII – IV, approached with a blues feel using dominant 7 and 6 chords.
The biggest misconception is the I chord — it’s neither clearly major nor minor. Instead, it functions without a 3rd or as a sus4. To create movement, alternate between these shapes.
Next, the harmony shifts up a tone, briefly suggesting the key of F. The G7 acts as a IIx, while Db9 functions as a bVIIx — also known as a backdoor dominant in Eb, like this:
| F7 Ab Bb | F7 G7 | Ab7 | Db7 |
To properly capture the feel of the main riff, turnaround, and other sections, you’ll need the TAB, find it further down this guitar lesson.
Bridge
The bridge works like moving to chord IV in a blues, then returning to chord I — a classic funk move often heard in James Brown’s band when he calls, “Take it to the bridge!”
This leads into F7 again before landing on Bb7, the one chord that clearly aligns with the key of Eb as a traditional V chord.
||: Ab7 | Eb7sus4 :|| | F7 | Bb7 |
Final Thoughts
If we compare this to the diatonic chords in Eb (Ebmaj7 – Fm7 – Gm7 – Abmaj7 – Bb7 – Cm7 – Dm7b5), it’s clear that Higher Ground doesn’t follow conventional harmony at all — only Bb7 appears as expected.
It’s far more accurate to think of the tune as an unconventional blues in Eb, with a temporary modulation up a tone.
Once you can play it (study the TAB!), a simple chord chart becomes a great reference point — helping you lock everything in when playing with your band.
Higher Ground Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Higher Ground chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Higher Ground iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Higher Ground | TAB
Here’s what the main riff looks like using TAB.
Verse
For the verse, we sometimes leave out that final lick. Here’s how this works:
Turnaround
The turnaround moves the pattern up to F7 – Ab – Bb. The only difference is that there are no dominant 7 or 6 chords here. Next, we move from F7 to G7 instead. The section is then finished with Ab7 – Db9.
Bridge
There’s also a bridge starting on chord IV, looping between Ab7 and Eb7sus4. This ends with F7 – Bb7, taking us back to the main riff. You could play it like this:
Notice how I’m adding some open strings here rather than muted notes. Experiment with both approaches, and try creating your own variations based on these TAB ideas.
With the TAB above, plus the chords, lyrics, chord chart, and backing tracks, practise this one thoroughly before suggesting it to your band — it’s not an easy tune!
One of Stevie Wonder’s best albums
From one of Stevie Wonder‘s best albums, Innervisions, we find Higher Ground, a tune he wrote and recorded (all instruments) in just three hours.
It may take you longer to learn Higher Ground than it took Stevie to write and record, it certainly did for me!
Released in 1973, it hit the #1 spot in the U.S. When Red Hot Chili Peppers released a cover version in 1989, it was named 2nd best cover of all time by Total Guitar (Jimi Hendrix‘s version of All Along The Watchtower was #1).
Other notable tunes on Innervisions are Too High, Living For The City, Golden Lady, All In Love Is Fair, Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing, and He’s Misstra Know-It-All – what an incredible album!
Clearly, Stevie Wonder is a musical genius. The best way to learn from him is to study as many of his songs as possible, aiming to get the chords as right as you can.
Higher Ground Chords: Continue Learning
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