Soul Man | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| G | F | Bb | C D |
Verse 1
||: G G7 G | G G7 G :||
Coming to you, on a dusty road, good loving, I got a truckload.
And when you get it, you got something. Don’t worry, ’cause I’m coming.
Chorus 1
| G7 | F | G7 | G7 |
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man
| G | F | G | C D |
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man, and that ain’t all.
Verse 2
Got what I got, the hard way, and I make it better, each and every day.
So, honey, no don’t you fret, ’cause you ain’t seen-a, nothing yet.
Chorus 2
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man
Verse 3
I was brought up, on a side street, yes mam! I learned how to love, before I could eat.
I was educated, at Woodstock, when I start loving, oh I can’t stop.
Chorus 3
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man
I’m a soul man. I’m a soul man
Middle 8
| Eb | Bb |
Look, grab the rope and I’ll pull you in.
| C | D7 |
Give you hope and be your only boyfriend.
| Eb11 |
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah!)
Instrumental
| Ab | Gb | B | Db Eb |
Outro
||: Ab Ab7 Ab :||
I’m talking about a soul man,
I’m a soul man, and you’re a soul man.
Soul man (oh lord), soul man.
(I’m a) soul man, (and you are) soul man.
(And you’re a) soul man.
Soul Man Chords: Learn the Changes and Key Modulations
We begin with D shapes for the intro, skipping the 2nd string as we outline the chords, like this:
| G (I) | F (bVIIx) | Bb (bIIIx) | C (IV) D (V) |
After venturing outside the key of G with the bVIIx and bIIIx chords, the verse settles on a static G chord, which offers a welcome relief.
To be more precise, we could notate this static G chord progression like this:
||: G G7 G | G G7 G :||
Alternatively, for an even more accurate representation of Soul Man’s verse, we could write it as:
||: G Gb7 G7 G C6/G G :||
This version will make more sense once you’ve checked the TAB (further down this page).
The chorus chords are similar to the intro but with slight variations, like this:
| G7 (I) | F (bVIIx) | G7 | G7 |
| G | F | G | C (IV) D (V) |
For the middle 8, we move to a new key (Ab), starting on the V chord. Many bands struggle here if they haven’t rehearsed or prepared communal chord charts:
| Eb (IV) | Bb (IIx) | C (IIIx) | D7 (IV) | Eb11 (V) |
It’s that final Eb11 chord that many bands miss.
This leads into a re–intro, but in the new key, like this:
| Ab (I) | Gb (bVIIx) | B (bIIIx) | Db (IV) Eb (V) |
Then comes the brilliant move of playing both the chorus and verse chords simultaneously—while the band plays the chorus, the guitar sticks with the verse riff.
Here’s a chord chart I created for you.
Soul Man Backing Track | Chord Chart
(PDF + iReal Pro)
The chart above turned out great, with clear spacing between each section. Even though there are many chords in the verse, they will help remind you of the chord riff (more on this below).
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Soul Man chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro. Here’s the link to that file: Soul Man chord chart iRealPro.
You can change the key using the iRealPro app, which may be a good idea since the Blues Brothers’ version is in the keys of E and F.
Lastly, if you’re playing the Blues Brothers version, remember the re-intro repeats!
Below, you’ll find a video of me playing the full tune, along with more details about the verse riff in the course preview.
Soul Man TAB | Course Preview
Soul Man is a rare example of a song where you should stick to a one-bar chord riff for a long time, almost as if you’re playing funk, not soul.
Interestingly, when musicians other than Steve Cropper have played it with Sam & Dave, they’ve altered this one-bar rhythm guitar riff, which remains a complete mystery to me.
Here’s the TAB for the original part.
The Blues Brothers version is in a different key, so it has been slightly altered. It looks like this:
Here’s another version with Sam & Dave, showing how Steve plays it live in the keys of Ab and A.
In another gig where Steve isn’t part of the band, this is what the new guitarist played.
Lastly, here’s what Steve Cropper plays when left to his own devices.
In the course, we will work through the remaining sections of the tune. You’ll get loops to practise along with and TAB for everything.
When the song changes key towards the end—from G to Ab—you’ll get a great workout learning how to see all those chords across the neck. It’s not easy, and you’ll need to practise.
If you end up performing this song live, you might follow the Blues Brothers version, which is in the keys of E and F.
Now, you must transpose everything you know—another challenge where knowing your D-shaped chords for the intro and key change is essential!
In the course, I’ll give you plenty of material to work with to master the D shape. I’ll show you several ways to play each section of this legendary tune, so you can perform it with confidence, not stress.
With many options at your disposal, you can design your own favourite way to play Soul Man when performing it with the live band backing track in the final step.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Soul Man – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Soul Man: A Timeless Classic Reborn
Soul Man is a song first made famous by Sam & Dave in 1967. Written by Isaac Hayes and backed by the legendary Booker T. & the M.G.’s, this track is a true classic.
In 1980, the song reached a new audience when it was featured in the unforgettable film The Blues Brothers. Amazingly, much of the band that played on the original recording also performed in the movie.
It wasn’t by chance that The Blues Brothers chose Soul Man—the duo was famously modelled on Sam & Dave, who, despite their stage chemistry, famously hated each other offstage.
Jake and Elwood didn’t share the same animosity. On the contrary, they were brothers, both on stage and in spirit. If you’ve seen the movie, you know they were also on a mission—from God.
Soul Man Chords: Continue Learning
Soul Man is a great example of how sticking to a one-bar riff for an extended time can be the right approach—especially in the verse.
However, once we reach the chorus and middle eight, things become much more intricate. Can you put it all together in step 8?
Start learning with the full lesson series: Soul Man – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: