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).
Respect’s chords and progressions
The ultimate soul song to learn we find in Aretha Franklin’s Respect.
To create our guitar part, in the course, we find inspiration from the horns, BV’s, and of course, the original guitar part.
We practice all 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!
Being in the key of C, the two verse chords are simply G7 and F7 (V – IV). The chorus is just C7 and F7 (I – IV).
To find a good part for these sections, we must explore the fretboard using different shapes and try different rhythms that we find in the original recording
Using this as our foundation, we will find a part that makes sense. In the course, there are six verse exercises for this, you can see these in the preview lesson following the song in the first video above.
Notice how the first example moves down the neck, and the second up. The second example also adds slides to all G7 chords.
In the course, we do this with the chorus chords as well, 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 being that if you can play the chords anywhere, you can improvise your rhythm part, essential in this style of music.
Here’s a link to the complete lesson series (members only): Respect 8 step-by-step guitar lessons with TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Respect is the world’s most famous Soul tune!
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 in a different key.
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.
The more you learn about how to play Respect, the more enjoyable it will be to play it. As a professional working guitarist, this is most likely the first tune you’ll get asked to play if there is a female singer on a Soul gig.
In my experience, 9 times out of 10, they’ll ask it to be in the key of Bb as well. I would recommend you learn how to play it fluently in this key too, but to begin with, you could use the Digitech drop pedal.
Respect chords | Related pages
Intermediate Electric
The intermediate electric tunes will help you with learning the CAGED system all over the fretboard, both for chords and pentatonic scales.
Learn these Motown/Soul classics, and you’ll not just improve dramatically but also gain yourself a repertoire.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin – The Queen of Soul, is 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 tunes 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
You can learn how to play these Motown & Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes 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.
