Wonderful World | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| B | G#m |
Verse 1
||: B | G#m | E | F# :||
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a Science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 1
| B | E | B | E |
But I do know that I love you, and I know that if you love me, too.
| F# | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 2
Don’t know much about Geography, don’t know much Trigonometry.
Don’t know much about Algebra, don’t know what a slide rule is for.
Bridge 2
But I do know one and one is two, and if this one could be with you.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Middle 8
| F# | B | F# | B |
Now, I don’t claim to be an A student but I’m trying to be.
| C#7 | B |
For maybe by being an A student, baby.
| C#7 | F#7 |
I can win your love for me
Verse 3
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a Science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 3
But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me, too.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 4
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (History). Hmm-mm-mm (Biology).
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (Science book). Hmm-mm-mm (French I took).
Outro
| B | E | B | E |
Yeah, but I do know that I love you, And I know that if you love me, too.
| F# | B F# B | B |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Wonderful World | Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)
Intro
| A | F#m |
Verse 1
||: A | F#m | D | E :||
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a Science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 1
| A | D | A | D |
But I do know that I love you, and I know that if you love me, too.
| E | A |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 2
Don’t know much about Geography, don’t know much Trigonometry.
Don’t know much about Algebra, don’t know what a slide rule is for.
Bridge 2
But I do know one and one is two, and if this one could be with you.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Middle 8
| E | A | E | A |
Now, I don’t claim to be an A student but I’m trying to be.
| B7 | A |
For maybe by being an A student, baby.
| B7 | E7 |
I can win your love for me
Verse 3
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a Science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 3
But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me, too.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 4
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (History). Hmm-mm-mm (Biology).
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (Science book). Hmm-mm-mm (French I took).
Outro
| A | D | A | D |
Yeah, but I do know that I love you, And I know that if you love me, too.
| E | A E A | A |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Wonderful World | Chords + Lyrics (capo 4)
Intro
| G | Em |
Verse 1
||: G | Em | C | D :||
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 1
| G | C | G | C |
But I do know that I love you, and I know that if you love me, too.
| D | G |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 2
Don’t know much about Geography, don’t know much Trigonometry.
Don’t know much about Algebra, don’t know what a slide rule is for.
Bridge 2
But I do know one and one is two, and if this one could be with you.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Middle 8
| D | G | D | G |
Now, I don’t claim to be an A student but I’m trying to be.
| A7 | G |
For maybe by being an A student, baby.
| A7 | D7 |
I can win your love for me
Verse 3
Don’t know much about History, don’t know much Biology.
Don’t know much about a Science book, don’t know much about the French I took.
Bridge 3
But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me, too.
What a wonderful world this would be.
Verse 4
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (History). Hmm-mm-mm (Biology).
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (Science book). Hmm-mm-mm (French I took).
Outro
| G | C | G | C |
Yeah, but I do know that I love you, And I know that if you love me, too.
| D | G D G | G |
What a wonderful world this would be.
Wonderful World Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Wonderful World. I’ve used stem separation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Wonderful World features a classic chord progression, making it an excellent example when referencing the I – VI – IV – V changes, also known as the Stand By Me changes.
It’s worth practicing this progression in all keys, but for Wonderful World (without a capo), it’s in the key of B, like this:
||: B (I) | G#m (VI) | E (IV) | F# (V) :||
There are two more sections in Wonderful World:
Bridge
The bridge moves between chords I and IV, then transitions to V – I, like this:
| B (I) | E (IV) | B | E |
| F# (V) | B |
Middle 8
The middle 8 is the most adventurous section, moving between V – I, before stepping outside the key with the IIx chord (C#), like this:
| F# (V) | B (I) | F# | B |
| C#7 (IIx) | B |
| C#7 | F#7 |
For those who prefer playing in other keys, there are TAB examples for the keys of A and G, as well as the original key of B. You can find these further down this guitar lesson.
Once you’ve completed the TAB, you’ll only need this simple chord chart to play the Wonderful World.
Wonderful World Card Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Wonderful World chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Wonderful World iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which is a great plan as discussed above.
Wonderful World | TAB
Let’s look at how to play Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World in the key of B. Assuming we’re in a band setting, here’s an idea for how to play the verse:
Perhaps playing this with a bass player and keyboards will clash, so here’s an idea to avoid that scenario: remove the initial bass note, don’t play two strings at the same time, and snap off the note early on beat 2.
Here’s the verse in the key of A — now you need to put a capo on fret 2. We’re back to playing a lot; perhaps this is best if you’re on your own.
Here’s a version that is less cluttered. Maybe this sounds better — try it to find out.
Let’s remove even more — you’ll need a bass player for this to work. It’s an important step to take when playing guitar: give the responsibility to the bass and add to what they do, rather than hold on to the groove yourself.
Finally, let’s place that capo on fret 4 and play as if there’s no one to help us.
There’s nothing stopping you from playing all these ideas. Combine them in an improvised way, or play barre chords instead of using a capo — can you work it out? If you put the backing tracks on repeat, you can!
Wonderful World Chords: Continue Learning
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