Just the Two Of Us Chords | Grover Washington + Bill Withers Guitar Lesson

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Just the Two of Us | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :|| x4

Verse 1

Chorus 1

||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Em7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :||
Just the two of us, we can make it if we try. Just the two of us (just the two of us).
Just the two of us, building castles in the sky. Just the two of us, you and I.

Verse 2

We look for love, no time for tears wasted water’s all that is,
and it don’t make no flowers grow.
Good things might come to those who wait, not for those who wait too late,
we gotta go for all we know.

Chorus 2

Just the two of us, we can make it if we try. Just the two of us (just the two of us).
Just the two of us, building them castles in the sky. Just the two of us, you and I.

Instrumental 1

Chorus tag

||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 N.C | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 N.C :|| x4
||: (Just the two of us. We can make it, just the two of us) :|| x4
||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :|| x4
||: (Just the two of us. We can make it, just the two of us) :||

Solo

||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :|| x8

Instrumental 2

Verse 3

I hear the crystal raindrops fall on the window down the hall.
And it becomes the morning dew.
And darling when the morning comes and I see the morning sun.
I wanna be the one with you.

Chorus 4

Just the two of us, we can make it if we try, just the two of us, listen (just the two of us).
Just the two of us, building the castles we don’t hide. Just the two of us, you and I.
(Just the two of us) Yeah, just the two of us.
(we can make it, just the two of us) Let’s get it together baby, yeah.
(Just the two of us) Just the two of us (We can make it, just the two of us).

Outro

||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Em7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :||
||: (Just the two of us, we can make it, just the two of us) :||

Just the Two of Us Chords: Understanding the Modal Interchange and Chromatic Progressions

The chordal masterpiece Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. revolves around a modal interchange centred on Dbmaj7. This chord can be seen as either IV (Lydian) or I (Ionian).

The main progression, Dbmaj7 – C7 – Fm7, follows the same concept as I Shot the Sheriff—starting on IV and feeling at home when resolving to VI.

What makes this a modal interchange is the II – V turnaround, inserted every other time to reinforce Dbmaj7 as I, like this:

| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 |

The chorus introduces an additional chromatic movement with Em7, adding to the jazz-influenced harmony:

| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Em7 Ebm7 Ab7 |

The Instrumental Section

During the instrumental break, the song embraces a full jazz-inspired chromatic progression:

Using Roman numerals for this section wouldn’t be particularly helpful—it’s best understood as a chromatic descent that naturally cycles back to Dbmaj7.

Some might debate the exact chord names—should Bmaj7 be written as Cbmaj7? And is that final Gb6 actually Ebm/Gb?

While such discussions can be fascinating, focusing on the melody and overall feel of the song is far more useful.

Here’s a chord chart to help you explore Just the Two of Us further.

Just The Two Of Us Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro

I think that chart turned out really well. While it may appear more complex, we’re mainly dealing with two progressions. This is why I’ve provided the option to download it in iReal Pro — feel free to modify it as needed!

Just The Two Of Us Chords | Related Pages

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play Just The Two Of Us' chords, try these five tunes from the son book.