Chords + Lyrics | Not Fair
Intro
| Dm | Dm | F | F |
Verse 1
| Dm | Dm |
Oh, he treats me with respect, he says he loves me all the time.
| F | F |
He calls me fifteen times a day, he likes to make sure that I’m fine.
| Dm | Dm |
You know I’ve never met a man, who’s made me feel quite so secure.
| F | F N.C |
He’s not like all them other boys, they’re all so dumb and immature.
Bridge 1
| Dm | Dm |
There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way.
| F | F |
When we go up to bed you’re just no good, it’s such a shame.
| Dm | Dm |
I look into your eyes, I want to get to know you.
| F | F N.C |
And then you make this noise and it’s apparent it’s all over.
Chorus 1
| Gm | Bb |
It’s not fair, and I think you’re really mean.
| F | C |
I think you’re really mean, I think you’re really mean.
| Gm | Bb |
Oh, you’re supposed to care but you never make me scream.
| C | C |
You never make me scream.
Chorus 2
Oh, it’s not fair and it’s really not okay.
It’s really not okay, it’s really not okay.
Oh, you’re supposed to care, but all you do is take.
Yeah, all you do is take.
Verse 2 (first half no drums)
Oh, I lie here in the wet patch in the middle of the bed.
I’m feeling pretty damn hard done by, I spent ages giving head.
Then I remember all the nice things that you’ve ever said to me.
Maybe I’m just overreacting, maybe you’re the one for me.
Bridge 2
There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way.
When we go up to bed you’re just no good, it’s such a shame.
I look into your eyes, I want to get to know you.
And then you make this noise and it’s apparent it’s all over.
Chorus 3
It’s not fair, and I think you’re really mean.
I think you’re really mean, I think you’re really mean.
Oh, you’re supposed to care but you never make me scream.
You never make me scream.
Chorus 4
Oh, it’s not fair and it’s really not okay.
It’s really not okay, it’s really not okay.
Oh, you’re supposed to care, but all you do is take.
Yeah, all you do is take.
Solo
||: Dm | Dm | F | F :||
Bridge 3
||: N.C | N.C :||
There’s just one thing that’s getting in the way.
When we go up to bed you’re just no good, it’s such a shame.
I look into your eyes, I want to get to know you.
And then you make this noise and it’s apparent it’s all over.
Chorus 5
It’s not fair, and I think you’re really mean.
I think you’re really mean, I think you’re really mean.
Oh, you’re supposed to care but you never make me scream.
You never make me scream.
Chorus 6
Oh, it’s not fair and it’s really not okay.
It’s really not okay, it’s really not okay.
Oh, you’re supposed to care, but all you do is take.
| C | C | F |
Yeah, all you do is take.
Not Fair Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Not Fair. 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.
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?
Not Fair employs a simple structure for the verse and bridge, alternating between chords VI and I:
||: Dm (VI) | Dm | F (I) | F :||
The double chorus follows a II – IV – I – V progression, with a slight variation where the I chord is skipped every other time:
||: Gm (II) | Bb (IV) | F (I) | C (V) |
| Gm | Bb | C | C :||
While Not Fair is completely diatonic, the challenge doesn’t lie in the chords themselves, but rather the tempo and how to play them on one guitar—whether in a band or solo on an acoustic. A potential solution is to tune down a tone and play in the key of G. Alternatively, in your band, you could play Not Fair a tone up.
After considering how to approach this, I realised that we must first find a way to play this in standard tuning and original key, so I created some TAB for you to get going. Keep scrolling down this guitar lesson to find it.
Following this, we look at alternatives using a capo. Once you’ve worked through that, this chord chart will be all you need.
Not Fair Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: Not Fair chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s a link to the file: Not Fair iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can easily change the key to suit your needs.
As discussed in the TAB lesson, changing the key is a great option if you’re playing Not Fair on your own, without a band.
Not Fair | TAB
The question is: how does one play Not Fair on guitar as the only guitarist in the band? Let’s try it in the original key first, without using a capo or tuning down.
Those mutes on beat 2 are essential, but they don’t have to be played on the same strings. Since they’re just mutes, use whichever string pair feels most comfortable—go with what works best for you.
Once you get the hang of it (practice slowly on your own before playing along with the track), try the chorus as well.
Here’s the same approach we used for the verse, now adapted to the chorus chords:
Not Fair chord progression and melody
The genius of this arrangement lies in how the verse and bridge feel different over the same Dm – F chords, with the (double) chorus providing the release.
What’s clever is that Lily doesn’t deviate from this structure. After hearing the first chorus, you already know the whole song—and are ready to sing along!
Speaking of sing-along, these nursery rhyme–style choruses are easier to imagine than to write. If you want to try creating one yourself, focus on the intervals she sings over each chord. Here’s how it works in the first four bars:
Gm – Root and 9th
Bb – 5th and 3rd
F – Root and 6th
C – 5th and 4th
For more on this, check out my Nursery Rhyme Hit Writing lessons in the intermediate acoustic section for I’m Yours.
If writing hits isn’t your goal, you can still learn from this approach as an improviser. Target those specific notes for a melodic solo or improvisation. You can embellish, but you need target notes!
A final note—if you’re playing this on acoustic guitar, the chords F, Gm, and Bb won’t feel great under your fingers. Here are two possible solutions:
Solution 1 – Change the key to G
Since this transposes the song upward, you can’t use a capo to return to the original key—you’ll have to sing higher. Here are the chords in G:
Verse/Bridge
||: Em | Em | G | G :||
Chorus
||: Am | C | G | D |
| Am | C | D | D :||
This is clearly much easier to play. However, if you want to stay in the original key, this won’t help. So, here’s another solution:
Solution 2 – Change the key to C (Capo 5)
This is a great alternative if you want to lower the key from F. The further down the capo, the better it’ll sound on acoustic. These are the chords in C:
Verse/Bridge
||: Am | Am | C | C :||
Chorus
||: Dm | F | C | G |
| Dm | F | G | G :||
If you’re playing this solo on acoustic guitar, play the F from string 4, using the C on string 5 as the alternative bass note.
Not Fair Chords: Continue Learning
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