Chords + Lyrics | Just the Two of Us
Intro
||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 :|| x4
Verse 1
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 |
I see the crystal raindrops fall and the beauty of it all,
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 |
is when the sun comes shining through.
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 |
To make those rainbows in my mind when I think of you sometime,
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 |
and I wanna spend some time with you.
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
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Amaj7 Ab7sus4 | Dbmaj7 Gb6 |
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Amaj7 Ab7sus4 | Dbmaj7 Gb6 | 2/4 Gb6 | 4/4
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
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Amaj7 Ab7sus4 | Dbmaj7 Gb6 |
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Amaj7 Ab7sus4 | Dbmaj7 Gb6 | 2/4 Gb6 | 4/4
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 |
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 Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Just the Two of Us. I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, sax, 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 447Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
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 |
Chorus
The chorus introduces an additional chromatic movement with Em7, adding to the jazz-influenced harmony:
| Dbmaj7 C7 | Fm7 Em7 Ebm7 Ab7 |
Instrumental
During the instrumental break, the song leans fully into a jazz-inspired chromatic progression:
||: Dbmaj7 C7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Amaj7 Ab7sus4 | Dbmaj7 Gb6 :||
Using Roman numerals for this section isn’t particularly helpful—it’s best understood as a chromatic descent that naturally cycles back to Dbmaj7.
Some players may debate the exact chord names. Shouldn’t Bmaj7 really be written as Cbmaj7? And is that final Gb6 actually Ebm/Gb?
While those discussions can be interesting, focusing on the melody and overall feel of the song is far more useful.
What really matters here is working out a rhythm part that functions well in a band setting, and learning to play that iconic sax melody. I’ve prepared TAB to guide you through this process—find it further down this lesson.
Once you’ve done that, stepping into soloing over Just the Two of Us chords becomes far less intimidating. Use the chord chart below to continue exploring the tune in more depth.
If you play along with the original recording, you’ll need to either pitch the track down by 1% (I use Serato for this), or tune your guitar up to 444 Hz, my free tuner can help you with that.
Just The Two Of Us Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
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 | TAB
This isn’t easy, but if we take it section by section and stay patient, it’s absolutely possible to play this timeless tune.
Let’s start with a few ideas for the verse. Here’s a busier part that feels great when practising on your own. Begin by learning this.
Next, try playing this along with the record or in a band. You’ll probably find it’s a bit too busy, so let’s take a different approach by arpeggiating the chords.
This feels better, but perhaps we can play even less. How about this?
I suggest learning all three ideas, then letting go of them to see what happens naturally.
Chorus
The chorus actually has a part we can simply learn. It goes like this:
A jazz musician would never be completely satisfied memorising a single part, so let’s find another option.
Again, learn both ideas, then see what happens naturally when you take the tune to a gig with just a chord chart, not TAB.
There was a time when I believed seeing the intervals was the only way forward. Now I understand that we first need to get the TAB under our fingers—only then does the bigger picture really come into focus.
Instrumental
The sax melody is perfect for the instrumental section and is well worth learning. Before that, though, let’s work out how to play the chords. Try this:
Here’s the sax melody. Notice that it’s played twice, the second time an octave lower.
Once you can play the melody and the chords, try it with the chord chart and backing tracks above.
When all of this feels comfortable, it’s time to solo. My top tip is to use F Aeolian and Conspirian scales, mixed with Db Lydian.
Grover Washington Jr., Bill Withers, and the Art of Restraint
Just the Two of Us represents more than a hit record. It captures a moment when jazz musicians could still shape popular culture, when subtlety could succeed on a grand scale, and when collaboration across genres felt natural rather than forced.
Grover Washington Jr. may have been the architect of the sound, but his openness to working with Bill Withers turned a strong instrumental idea into a piece of musical history that continues to resonate.
Washington occupies a unique place in modern music history, standing at the crossroads of jazz, soul, and R&B at a time when those worlds were beginning to overlap more freely. A pioneering figure in what would later be called smooth jazz, he was already an established saxophonist by the late 1970s, though not yet a household name. That changed with his signature song, Just the Two of Us.
Released in 1980 on the album Winelight, Just the Two of Us was something of a happy accident. The track was originally conceived as an instrumental, in keeping with Washington’s usual approach. With most of the album already complete, producer Ralph MacDonald suggested that adding a vocal might broaden its appeal. Bill Withers was brought in to write and sing the lyrics, transforming the piece into something timeless and universally relatable. The result was a sophisticated blend of jazz harmony, R&B groove, and pop accessibility—an unusually delicate balance that few artists managed so effortlessly then or since.
The tune became a massive success, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning a Grammy Award in 1982. For Washington, it cemented his status as a crossover artist who could bring jazz into the mainstream without diluting its emotional depth. For Withers, it added another classic to an already remarkable catalogue that included Ain’t No Sunshine and Lean on Me.
Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers did not share a long-standing personal friendship before the song, but they were clearly kindred spirits. Both were committed to honesty, restraint, and emotional clarity in their music. Withers admired Washington’s musical sensitivity, while Washington understood the power of Withers’ plainspoken lyricism and understated delivery. Their collaboration worked precisely because neither artist overplayed their role—each left space for the other to shine.
Just The Two Of Us Chords: Continue Learning
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