Chords + Lyrics | Why Don’t You Do Right
Intro
||: Cm7 Bb | Ab7 G7 :|| x4
Verse 1
| Cm7 N.C | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 N.C | Ab7 G7 |
You had plenty money, 1922, you let other women make a fool of you.
| Fm Bb | Ab7 G7 | Cm9 | Ab7 G7 |
Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm9 | Abmaj7 G |
Get out of here and get me some money too.
Verse 2
| Cm7 Bb Abmaj7 Fm | Abmaj7 G7 |
You’re sittin’ there and wonderin’ what it’s all about,
| Cm7 Bb Abmaj7 Fm | Abmaj7 G7 |
you ain’t got no money, they will put you out.
| Fm Bb | Ab7 G7 | Cm9 | Abmaj7 G |
Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm9 | (Eb D Eb E) |
Get out of here and get me some money too.
Solo
| Fm7 | Db7 C7 | Fm7 | Db7 C7 |
| Bbm | Db7 C7 | Fm7 | Db7 C7 |
| Bbm N.C C7 | Bbm N.C C7 | Fm Bb | (G Ab A Bb B) |
Verse 3
| Cm7 | Abmaj7 G | Cm7 | Abmaj7 G7 |
If you had prepared twenty years ago, you wouldn’t be a-wanderin’ from door to door.
| Fm | Abmaj7 G7 | Cm7 | Abmaj7 G |
Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm7 | Abmaj13 G |
Get out of here and get me some money too.
Outro
| Cm7 | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 | Abmaj13 G |
Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?
| Cm7 | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab7 G7 |
Like some other men do? Yeah, mm-hm.
End
| (C G Eb C) | (G A B C) Cmmaj7 | Cmmaj7 |
Why Don’t You Do Right Chords: Mastering the Jazz Blues Progression
Intro
The intro establishes the general idea with a descending jazz blues progression. Both the IV and III chords are dominant 7th chords, which looks like this in the key of Cm:
||: Cm (VI) Bb (V) | Ab7 (IV) G7 (IIIx) :||
Verses 1 + 2
The verse progression follows the same descending pattern (VI – V – IV – IIIx), but now starts with some stops instead of Bb, and later on plays an Abmaj7 instead of a dominant 7th chord. Here’s how it goes:
| Cm7 (VI) N.C | Ab7 (IV) G7 (IIIx) | Cm7 N.C | Ab7 G7 |
| Fm (II) Bb (V) | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab G |
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm7 | Ab G |
You can find the full arrangement with TAB here: Why Don’t You Do Right – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Verse 2 introduces new chords and removes the stops, including the Abmaj7:
| Cm7 (VI) Bb (V) Abmaj7 (IV) Fm (II)) | Abmaj7 (IV) G7 (IIIx) |
| Cm7 Bb Abmaj7 Fm | Abmaj7 G7 |
| Fm Bb | Abmaj7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab G |
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm7 | (Eb D Eb E) |
Solo
The solo modulates up a 4th to Fm. I play mainly the melody here (check the TAB!):
| Fm7 (VI) | Db7 (IV) C7 (IIIx) | Fm7 | Db7 C7 |
| Bbm (II) | Db7 C7 | Fm7 | Db7 C7 |
| Bbm N.C C7 | Bbm N.C C7 | Fm7 | (G Ab A Bb B) |
Verse 3
Verse 3 adds even more chord variations:
| Cm7 | Ab G | Cm7 | Abmaj7 G7 |
| Fm | Abmaj7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab G |
| Fm N.C G7 | Fm N.C G7 | Cm7 | Ab G |
Outro
Finally, the outro combines everything into a “best of” section:
| Cm7 | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab6 G |
| Cm7 | Ab7 G7 | Cm7 | Ab7 G7 | (C G Eb C) | (G A B C) Cmmaj7 | Cmmaj7 |
Here’s a chord chart I made for you, spanning over two pages.
Why Don’t You Do Right Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Why Don’t You Do Right chord chart PDF, page 1 and page 2.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Why Don’t You Do Right iReal Pro, page 1 and page 2.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key and also play along with the virtual band. This works pretty well when it’s a jazz tune.
Why Don’t You Do Right TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you’ll find the full TAB for what I play in the video lesson above. As a preview, here’s Verse 1.
The Secret to Getting Better: Why Don’t You Do Right as a Jazz Standard and Applying the Approach to All Songs
When learning jazz standards, it’s crucial to listen to multiple versions, such as those by Julie London and Peggy Lee.
The solo I recorded for Why Don’t You Do Right follows the melody but is modulated to Fm, a fourth up from Cm.
To master any jazz standard, you must learn both the melody and all the associated chords, as this is the foundation of jazz playing.
By observing the notes of the melody over the chords, you’ll quickly identify the most important intervals, helping you choose the right modes to use.
If you apply this method to every song you learn, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the music and how it relates to the guitar. It’s really that simple—the challenge lies in doing it, whether it’s a jazz standard or not!
Why Don’t You Do Right Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Why Don’t You Do Right? (Peggy Lee) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
