Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chords | B.B. King Guitar Lesson

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Paying The Cost To Be The Boss | Chords + Lyrics

Intro

| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) |
| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
| F#9 (Cm7b5 A#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | F#7 |

Verse 1

Verse 2

||: B7 N.C | B7 N.C :||
I’ll drink if I wanna, and play a little poker too.
Don’t you say nothing to me, as long as I’m taking care of you.
As long as I’m working, baby, and paying all the bills.
I don’t want no mouth from you, about the way I’m supposed to live.
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
You must be crazy woman, just gotta be out of your mind.
| F#9 (Cm7b5 A#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | F#7 |
As long as I foot the bill, I’m paying the cost to be the boss.

Solo (as intro)

Verse 3

Now that you’ve got me, you act like you ashamed.
You don’t act like my woman, you’re just using my name.
I tell you I’m gonna handle all the money, and I don’t want no back talk.
‘Cause if you don’t like what I’m doing, just pick up your things and walk.
You gotta be crazy baby, oh you must be out of your mind.
| F#9 (Cm7b5 A#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | N.C | B9 |
As long as I’m paying the bills, I’m paying the cost to be the boss.

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Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chords: Sliding Min7b5 Substitutes and Chord Extensions

B.B. must have heard Papa Ain’t Salty before creating the rhythm guitar part for this track—it’s filled with those signature sliding min7b5 substitutes!

Let’s break this down, especially if you’re not familiar with that T-Bone Walker tune.

To substitute a dominant 7th chord for a dominant 9th sound, start on the 3rd of the chord and apply a min7b5 chord. The Am– and Dm-shaped chords work best for this technique.

To take it up a notch, slide up a tone and then slide back down again—this hints at extensions like the 13th and the b5.

The basic progression is laid out during the intro like this:

The sliding min7b5 chords appear in every bar, but to keep it simple, I’ve only included “9” the second time.

The main variation occurs during verses 2 and 3. Here, we stay on the B chord for eight bars before moving to chord IV, continuing with the usual sliding min7b5 substitutes.

||: B7 N.C | B7 N.C :|| x4
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
| F#9 (Cm7b5 A#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | N.C | B9 |

If you’re like me and getting a bit tired of reading all these min7b5 extensions in brackets, you’ll be happy to know this is all handled more efficiently in the chord chart.

Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro

Download my chord chart as a static PDF, alternatively, if you wnat to put all those min7b5 extensions in, have it as the iReal Pro file and start altering the layout.

B.B. King’s Vibrato: Mastering a Key Technique

B.B. King, alongside Albert King, is renowned for two crucial techniques in guitar playing: string bending and vibrato.

B.B. was the first to truly explore the potential of these techniques, transforming them into a refined and distinctive style that became a hallmark of his playing.

Bending and vibrato are now fundamental to the electric guitar’s vocabulary, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine the instrument without them.

However, before the 1950s, vibrato was rarely used, and string bending was often limited to quarter-note intervals at most.

One of B.B. King’s signature songs, Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, offers a great opportunity to focus on mastering vibrato. To perfect it, immerse yourself in B.B. King’s original recordings and practice playing along with them.

As you play, carefully listen to his vibrato. Notice what you like about it and what you feel could be improved. This is the key to mastering the technique—attention to detail, mimicry, and persistent practice.

B.B. King’s vibrato is one of the best in the business, so why not start by learning from the master himself?

Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chords | Related Pages

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play Paying The Cost To Be The Boss chords, try these five tunes from the songbook.