Chords + Lyrics | Lean on Me
Intro
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | Em Dm |
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | G C |
Hmm… hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm. Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm. Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm
Verse 1 (same as intro)
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | Em Dm Gsus4 |
Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow.
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | G C |
But if we are wise, we know that there’s, always tomorrow.
Chorus 1 (same as verse)
Lean on me, when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.
For it won’t be long, ’til I’m gonna need, somebody to lean on.
Verse 2
Please swallow your pride, if I have things, you need to borrow.
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | G C (G A) |
For no one can fill, those of your needs, that you won’t let show.
Bridge 1
| C N.C (G A) | C5 N.C (G A) | C5 N.C (G A) | C5 N.C (G A) |
You just call on me brother when you need a hand, we all need somebody to lean on.
| C5 N.C (G A) | C5 N.C (G A) | C5 N.C (E F F# G) | G C |
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand, we all need somebody to lean on.
Chorus 2
Lean on me, when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.
For it won’t be long, ’til I’m gonna need, somebody to lean on.
Bridge 2
You just call on me brother when you need a hand, we all need somebody to lean on.
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand, we all need somebody to lean on.
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
If there is a load, you have to bear, that you can’t carry.
I’m right up the road, I’ll share your load, if you just call me.
Outro
||: Dm C | Dm C :||
Call me, if you need a friend (Call me) Call me yeah a-ha.
(Call me) If you need a friend (Call me) If you ever need a friend.
(Call me) Call me. (Call me) Call me.
(Call me) Call me. (Call me) Call me.
(Call me) If you need a friend (Call me) Call me.
(Call me) Call me. (Call me) Call me.
(Call me) Call me. (Call me).
Lean on Me Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Lean on Me. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, strings, and vocals intact. There is also one version without keyboards.
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?
The simple yet compelling chord progression of Lean on Me by Bill Withers is in the key of C and follows a straightforward harmonic structure.
Verse + Chorus
We start by moving up the scale:
C (I) – Dm (II) – Em (III) – F (IV).
Then we move back down:
F (IV) – Em (III) – Dm (II) – C (I).
Instead of repeating this pattern, we then pause at Em and introduce a II – V progression:
C (I) – Dm (II) – Em (III) – Dm (II) – Gsus4 (V).
The second half of the progression mirrors the first, but with a twist as we resolve to a G:
C (I) – Dm (II) – Em (III) – G (V) – C (I).
These eight bars make up the chord progression for both the verse and chorus of Lean on Me. Here’s the full 8-bar chord progression:
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em | Em Dm Gsus4 |
| C Dm Em | F Em Dm | C Dm Em G | G C |
Bridge
The only other part is the bridge, which is mainly without chords, just a bass line leading to C, or perhaps even C5, like this:
||: C5 N.C (G A) :||
The final two bars of the bridge feature a longer bass line, ending at chord V before resolving to chord I, like this:
| C (I) N.C (E F F# G) | G (V) C (I) |
And that’s all there is to the chords of Lean on Me. Simplicity is the key, making it sound like a hymn or a traditional song—something that has been around forever. Well, it certainly will be!
As you play along with the backing tracks with keyboards, you’ll find that this is all done using A shapes on the guitar. Even though it sounds just right when playing along with Bill, it won’t work as a single acoustic guitar part.
To dive deeper into this, you’ll need the TAB, keep scrolling down this guitar lesson to find it.
Once you know exactly how to play the chords in Lean on Me (study that TAB!), a simple chord chart will be all you need to bring to the gig. Here’s one I’ve made for you.
Lean on Me Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Lean on Me chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Lean on Me iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Lean on Me | TAB
Here’s how to play what the piano does in Lean on Me, translated for guitar. Start by playing this part along with the entire tune (ignore the bridge for now and use the backing track with keyboards).
Make sure you stick with it for the whole song—not just a section—you need time to settle into the groove.
If you play on your own, you’ll quickly realise it doesn’t quite work to play like the keyboards. Instead, try this approach:
Some chords have changed, but that’s fine. The Dsus4 simply leads us from C to Em, and the D5 doesn’t need to be a full triad—just a passing sound to help the flow.
This is a great way to begin the tune, but you’ll need to increase intensity as you go. Here’s how:
As before, it’s important to build gradually. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need a fuller version to bring out the dynamics—try this:
This might sound the most exciting, but don’t jump in with it straight away. Build to it, then scale it back again.
Practise all three approaches so you can move away from the TAB and start improvising parts that naturally support a singer.
And finally, here’s the bridge.
Lean on Me Chords: Continue Learning
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