Chords + Lyrics | Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
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) | B9 (Fm7b5) F#7 |
Verse 1
| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) |
You act like you don’t wanna listen, when I’m talking to you.
| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
You think you outta do baby, anything you wanna do.
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
You must be crazy baby, you 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’m paying the bills woman, I’m paying the cost to be the boss.
Verse 2
||: B9 N.C | B9 N.C :|| x3
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.
| B9 N.C | B9 |
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
| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5 Fm7b5) | E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5 A#m7b5) |
| B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5 Fm7b5) | B9 |
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5 A#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5 Fm7b5) | B9 |
| F#7 (Cm7b5) F#7 | E7 (A#m7b5) E7 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5 Fm7b5) | F#7 |
Verse 3
||: B9 N.C | B9 N.C :||
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.
| B9 N.C | B9 |
‘Cause if you don’t like the way doing, just pick up your things and walk.
| E9 (A#m7b5 G#m7b5) | E9 | B9 (Fm7b5 D#m7b5) | B9 |
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.
Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chords: Sliding min7b5 Substitutes and Chord Extensions
B.B. King 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 with a dominant 9th sound, start on the 3rd of the chord and apply a min7b5 shape. The Am and Dm shapes work best for this technique.
To take it up a notch, slide up a tone and then back down again — this hints at the 13 extension.
The main progression is laid out in the intro like this:
| 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) | B9 (Fm7b5) F#7 |
The sliding min7b5 chords appear in every bar, but to keep things simple, I’ve only written “9” the second time.
The main variation occurs in verses 2 and 3. Here, we stay on the B9 chord using stops for eight bars before moving to chord IV, continuing with the usual sliding min7b5 substitutes.
||: B9 N.C | B9 N.C :|| x3
| B9 N.C | 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) | N.C | B9 |
For the solo, we use the same concept as in the intro and verse 1, although the rhythm changes and we move between the sliding min7b5 substitutions in a slightly different way.
To explain all these chords properly, I need to show you TAB. Here’s the link: Paying The Cost To Be The Boss – Guitar Lesson with TAB. You’ll be pleased to know that in the course we also cover the solos.
If you’re getting a bit tired of reading all these min7b5 extensions in brackets, don’t worry — this is handled far more efficiently in the chord chart:
Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
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.
Paying The Cost To Be The Boss TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we begin by studying the brilliant rhythm guitar parts played throughout Paying the Cost to Be the Boss by B.B. King.
This rhythm part is based on substituting the I, IV and V chords with a min7b5 shape starting on the 3rd. From there, the shape slides up a tone and then back down again, creating that distinctive dominant 9th and 13th flavour.
Following this, we break down B.B.’s signature licks and phrasing concepts.
Here’s a preview of what this looks like in TAB for the first four bars of the intro and verse 1.
B.B. King’s Bending and Vibrato: Mastering Key Techniques
B.B. King, alongside Albert King, is renowned for two crucial techniques in guitar playing: string bending and vibrato.
B.B. was among the first to fully explore the expressive potential of these techniques, refining them into a distinctive style that became a hallmark of his playing.
Bending and vibrato are now fundamental to the electric guitar’s vocabulary, and it’s almost impossible to imagine the instrument without them. However, before the 1950s, vibrato was rarely used, and string bending was often limited to quarter-tone inflections at most.
One of his signature songs, Paying the Cost to Be the Boss, offers a great opportunity to focus on mastering both techniques. To refine it, immerse yourself in B.B.’s original recordings and practise playing along with them.
As you play, listen closely to his stylistic traits. Notice what you like about it and what could be improved in your own execution. This is the key to mastering the technique — attention to detail, careful mimicry and persistent practise.
B.B.’s vibrato remains one of the finest in the business, so why not start by learning directly from the master?
In the course, we first study the rhythm guitar, then examine solos from the original recording to see exactly how he executes them. Finally, we analyse the intervals he uses so we can apply these ideas confidently in our own improvisations.
Paying The Cost To Be The Boss Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Paying The Cost To Be The Boss (B.B. King) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
