Chords + Lyrics | If I Ain’t Got You
Intro
| 6/8 Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | G (G Am7 G/B) |
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | G C/G |
Verse 1
| G | Em7 | Am7 | D7sus2 C/G |
Some people live for the fortune. Some people live just for the fame.
| G | G#dim7 | Am7 | D7 |
Some people live for the power, yeah. Some people live just to play the game.
Bridge 1
| Gmaj7 Am7 | Bm7 Am7 | Gmaj7 Am7 | Bm7 Cmaj7 Bm7 Am7 |
Some people think that the physical things, define what’s within.
| Gmaj7 Am7 | Bm7 Am7 | Gmaj7 Am7 | Bm7 |
And I’ve been there before, that life’s a bore, so full of the superficial.
Chorus 1
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 |
Some people want it all, but I don’t want nothing at all.
| Am7 | Gmaj7 |
If it ain’t you, baby. If I ain’t got you, baby.
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 |
Some people want diamond rings, some just want everything.
| Am7 | Gmaj7 C/G |
But everything means nothing. If I ain’t got you, yeah.
Verse 2
Some people search for a fountain, promises forever young.
Some people need three dozen roses and that’s the only way to prove you love them.
Bridge 1
Hand me the world on a silver platter and what good would it be.
With no one to share, with no one who truly cares for me.
Chorus 2
Some people want it all but I don’t want nothing at all.
If it ain’t you, baby. If I ain’t got you, baby.
Some people want diamond rings, some just want everything.
| Am7 | Gmaj7 |
But everything means nothing, if I ain’t got you, you, you.
Chorus 3
Some people want it all but I don’t want nothing at all.
If it ain’t you, baby. If I ain’t got you, baby.
Some people want diamond rings, some just want everything.
But everything means nothing. If I ain’t got you, yeah.
End
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | G (G Am7 G/B) |
If I ain’t got you with me baby, oh, ooh.
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | Gmaj7 |
Said nothing in this whole wide world don’t mean a thing if I ain’t got you with me, baby.
If I Ain’t Got You Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning If I Ain’t Got You. 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.
In the second backing track there is no piano – leaving you to play more guitar!
There is also a third backing track where the vocals are removed but the chords remain, so you can solo—more on this later.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
The simplicity of If I Ain’t Got You‘s chords is what makes it work so well.
As a listener, you feel as if you know exactly what’s going to happen next. This is what makes a hit: it feels familiar, yet you want to hear it again!
Let’s work through the chords to see if they can give us a clue as to why this is the case.
Intro
The intro chords are the same ones used in the chorus, but during the intro, they’re played as fast triplet arpeggios—very clever. Here are the chords:
| 6/8 Cmaj7 (IV) | Bm7 (III) | Am7 (II) | G (I) (G Am7 G/B) |
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | G C/G |
As you can see, we start on chord IV, then move down to chord I like this: IV – III – II – I. Then it quickly ascends again, I – II – III, only to repeat. It couldn’t be simpler!
This is, of course, played on the piano, but we can play it on the guitar as well. You’ll need your fingers and some TAB to see it in detail, keep scrolling to find the TAB.
Verse
The verse starts on chord I, and it’s just like the intro/chorus—simple and predictable:
| G (I) | Em7 (VI) | Am7 (II) | D7sus2 (V) C/G |
| G | G#dim7 (#Idim7) | Am7 | D7 |
What we have here is a I – VI – II – V progression, one of the most common chord progressions around. The C/G is just a passing chord, adding a Gospel influence.
On the second line, we change from chord VI (Em7) to G#dim7. Again, this is very standard stuff. Notice the subtle variation of D7sus2 the first time, and D7 the second time (check the TAB!).
It’s the simplicity of this jazz/blues/gospel language that makes it so accessible, and therefore, a hit.
Most artists would have tried harder to prove themselves, but Alicia Keys understands how to use the basics well. She talks about this in the second video of the playlist at teh top of this page.
Bridge
The bridge moves in a similar way to Lean On Me—do compare these two tunes!
||: Gmaj7 (I) Am7 (II) | Bm7 (III) Am7 | Gmaj7 Am7 |
| 1. Bm7 (Cmaj7 Bm7 Am7) :|| 2. Bm7 |
Chorus
The chorus follows the same progression as the intro, just without the 16th-note triplet arpeggios (check the TAB!). Here are the chords:
| Cmaj7 (IV) | Bm7 (III) | Am7 (II) | Gmaj7 (I) |
| Cmaj7 | Bm7 | Am7 | Gmaj7 C/G |
Outro
The outro mirrors the intro.
If I Ain’t Got You‘s chords are a masterclass in writing an accessible Gospel Jazz/Blues tune in 6/8.
Aside from Alicia Keys, I can only think of Al Green and Bill Withers who could pull this off. Most artists and bands tend to overplay, losing the simplicity that makes a song a hit.
Once you’ve listened to this incredible tune on repeat and studied all the TAB, a simple chord chart is all you’ll need for the gig—here’s one I made for you.
If I Ain’t Got You Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: If I Ain’t Got You chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: If I Ain’t Got You iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
If I Ain’t Got You | TAB (Acoustic)
Let’s go through all sections of If I Ain’t Got You using TAB. Here’s the intro:
You need to play this with your fingers. Then, in the last bar, as you hold that G, find the pick and play the rest of the tune (until the outro) using a pick.
These chords are the same as the chorus, by the way—a very clever songwriting trick!
Verse (Acoustic)
Here’s the verse. The chords are I – VI – II – V, then I – I#dim7 – II – V, like this:
Notice how incredibly empty the verse is compared to the intro. Start by playing exactly as written—you can improvise “in the style of” later.
Bridge (Acoustic)
Here’s the bridge:
Now we go up the scale and then back, like this: I – II – III – II. There’s a quick three-chord run at the end the second time we play it, using IV – III – II.
I’ve developed the part on the second line. Start by playing exactly as written, then modify it if you wish.
Chorus (Acoustic)
Here’s the chorus:
This is similar rhythmically to the bridge—we’re blending 8th and 16th notes.
Make sure you can play all TAB as written, then stop staring at it and play what feels natural, perhaps reading the chords with lyrics and chord chart.
Alternatively, you could play along with my backing tracks above even though this is mainly intended for the electric.
If I Ain’t Got You | TAB (Electric)
Let’s now learn all this for the electric in a band that has keyboards. We now need to add to this, not copy what’s on the original as that is too sparse. There’s also horn parts so let’s just take some more room in a smaller setup.
Here’s an idea for the intro:
Play the 7th, or the 3rd for each chord. Hit the note early, before the bar starts, with the volume off, then gradually move it in so it sounds like a swell. Use a delay pedal for best result.
Verse (Electric)
For the verse, we keep the concept of one note per bar, but now we rake, slide, or pull-off into each chord.
Notice how the first one is two strings, not three as with the acoustic.
For the G#dim7, we move up to Bdim7 as these are the same notes!
Bridge (Electric)
For the bridge, I’ve got two ideas. The first idea, we play on strings 2 and 3, hotting the 3rd and 5th.
I feel that sounded really great, so I tried going for the 7th and 3rd instead (just like we had for the intro) and to me, this is even better!
Chorus (Electric)
The chorus, we only play one chord per bar, using four strings so it sounds bigger than what we have do so far.
When you can play all this TAB, try it using the backing track above where I’ve removed the chords so you can hear yourself clearly.
Alternatively, start working on how to solo using If I Ain’t Got You’s chords as a backing track!
If I Ain’t Got You | Solo
Now then, let’s solo!
Try these concepts using the backing track above which has had the vocals removed, the chords are still there:
- Play the vocal melody from memory
- Arpeggios, don’t overplay, focus on long notes following the chords
- E Conspirian as a blanket scale
- Modally, switch for each chord, focus on key notes like 3rds, 7th, and unique note for each mode.
The Perfect Follow-Up to Fallin’
Alicia Keys’ debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001), was a phenomenal success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide.
Much of that success was driven by the lead single Fallin’, which made her a household name. The song reached the top 10 in twenty countries and sold 3 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Following up such an immense hit required something equally powerful—enter If I Ain’t Got You.
Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), performed exceptionally well in the U.S., selling 5 million copies, while the single If I Ain’t Got You surpassed that with 6 million.
These two songs, Fallin’ and If I Ain’t Got You, were the defining hits of her first two albums, and were enough to establish her as one of the top American soul singers of the millennium.
She continued the trend of delivering at least one massive hit per album: As I Am (2007) had No One, The Element of Freedom (2009) brought the anthemic Empire State of Mind, and Girl on Fire (2012) became another signature song.
Ultimately, it’s the hits that create an artist’s legacy. A great artist isn’t just defined by their body of work but by the quality of the songs that stand the test of time. Alicia Keys has proven that a handful of timeless songs is all it takes to cement a lasting impact on music history.
If I Ain’t Got You Chords: Continue Learning
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