Respect | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: C7 | F7 :||
Verse 1
||: G7 | F7 :||
(Oh) What you want, (Oh) Baby, I got it.
(Oh) What you need, (Oh) Do you know I got it?
(Oh) All I’m askin’, (Oh) Is for a little
Chorus 1
||: C7 | F7 :||
Respect when you come home (just a little bit). Hey baby (just a little bit).
When you get home (just a little bit). Mister (just a little bit).
Verse 2
||: G7 | F7 :||
I ain’t gonna do you wrong, while you’re gone.
Ain’t gonna do you wrong, (Oh) ‘Cause I don’t wanna.
(Oh) All I’m askin’, (Oh) Is for a little
Chorus 2
||: C7 | F7 :||
Respect when you come home (just a little bit). Baby (just a little bit)
When you get home (just a little bit). Yeah (just a little bit).
Verse 3
||: G7 | F7 :||
I’m about to give you, all of my money.
And all I’m askin’, in return honey.
Is to give me my propers, when you get home.
Chorus 3
||: C7 | F7 :||
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) Yeah baby.
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) When you get home.
(Just a little bit) Yeah (just a little bit).
Solo
| F#m | F#m | B7 | B7 |
| F#m | F#m | G7 | G7 |
Verse 4
||: G7 | F7 :||
Ooh, your kisses, (Oh) Sweeter than honey.
(Oh) And guess what? (Oh) So is my money.
(Oh) All I want you to do (oh) for me, is give it to me when you get home
Chorus 4
||: C7 | F7 :||
(Re, re, re ,re). Yeah baby
(Re, re, re ,re). Whip it to me
(Respect, just a little bit). When you get home, now (just a little bit).
Breakdown
| C Bb | F Bb |
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.
| C Bb5 | F |
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, take care TCB.
Outro
||: C7 | F7 :||
Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me).
A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me).
Whoa babe (just a little bit),
a little respect (just a little bit).
I get tired (just a little bit),
keep on tryin’ (just a little bit).
You’re runnin’ out of foolin’ (just a little bit),
and I ain’t lyin’ (just a little bit).
‘Spect (re, re, re, re),
when you come home (re, re, re, re).
Or you might walk in (respect, just a little bit),
and find out I’m gone (just a little bit).
You can learn how to play Respect by Aretha Franklin!
The most famous soul tune of them all, Respect by Aretha Franklin was released in 1967 and became her signature song. Two years earlier, Otis Redding had written and recorded it with Booker T. & the M.G.’s.
There are many differences between the two recordings, perhaps most notably the breakdown section (R-E-S-P-E-C-T) and the key change with that legendary Sax solo.
In the course, we work out many ways you can play the verse and chorus chords for Respect, it becomes a great exercise in mapping out the fretboard with dom7 chords.
You should always make this a habit when you play songs in this kind of style, the reason for this is that if you can play the chords anywhere, you can improvise your rhythm part, essential in this style of music.
Respect’s verse chords and TAB
Being in the key of C, the two verse chords are G7 and F7. In order to find a good part for the verse, we must explore the fretboard using different shapes and try different rhythms we find on the original recording
Using this as our foundation, we will find a part that makes sense.
In the course, there are six exercises for this, and that’s just the verse. Below you’ll see TAB for the first two.
Notice how the first moves down the neck, the second up. The second example also adds slides to all G7 chords.

Respect’s 8 guitar lessons in the course
The ultimate soul song to learn we find in Aretha Franklin’s Respect. To create our guitar part we find inspiration from the horns, BV’s, and of course the original guitar.
We practice these sections all over the neck so Respect can be played in a free and improvised way for many years to come. For the solo, we copy what the sax played, note for note. This is a serious challenge!
In total, there are 8 step-by-step lessons for Respect available. Here are links to each lesson in the course (members only):
- Step 1 – Bars & Beats
- Step 2 – Verse
- Step 3 – Chorus
- Step 4 – Chorus & verse
- Step 5 – Intro, breakdown & solo chords
- Step 6 – Solo
- Step 7 – The complete song with TAB
- Step 8 – Live band backing track
Respect chords | Related pages
Five similar tunes
- Crazy In Love chords
- Nutbush City Limits chords
- River Deep, Mountain High chords
- Shackles (Praise You) chords
- Think chords
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Considered by most critics and peers the greatest singer of all time.
Born in Detroit and looking for a record deal, Aretha seemed like the perfect match for Berry Gordy’s label Motown. However, Aretha’s father had other ideas.
Aretha Franklin on the web
Otis Redding
Dubbed the King Of Soul, Otis Redding was an American singer-songwriter who wrote some of the most famous songs of all time.
His career was tragically cut short only five years after his first studio album was released as he tragically died in a plane crash in 1967.
Otis Redding on the web
Motown & Soul
Learn all these Motown/Soul songs and you will have gained yourself a repertoire so you can jam or even join a working band.
Study these songs in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.