You’ve Got A Friend | Chords + Lyrics (capo 1)

Intro

| G (Gadd9) | C | (Gsus4) G (Gadd9) G5 | F#m11 B7 |

Verse 1

| Em | B7/F# | Em B7/F# | G B7/F# Em Em/D |
When you’re down and troubled and you need some lovin’ care.
| Am7 | D7sus2 | G C/G Gadd9 | Gadd9 |
And nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right.
| F#m11 | B7 (B7sus4) | Em B7/F# | G B7/F# Em B7/F# |
Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there.
| Am7 | Bm7 | D7sus4 | D7sus4 |
To brighten up even your darkest night.

Chorus 1

| G | Gmaj7 | C | C |
You just call out my name and you know, wherever I am.
| (G6) G | Gadd4 | D7omit3 | D7sus4 |
I’ll come runnin’, to see you again.
| G | Gmaj7 | C | Em Em/D |
Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call.
| C G/B | D7sus4 |
And I’ll be there, you’ve got a friend.

Instrumental

| G (Gadd9) | C | (Gsus4) G (Gadd9) G5 | F#m11 Asus2 B7 |

Verse 2

| Em | B7/F# | Em B7/F# | G B7/F# Em Em/D |
If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds.
| Am7 | D7sus2 | G C/G Gadd9 | Gadd9 |
And that old north wind begins to blow.
| F#m11 | B7 (B7sus4) | Em B7/F# | G B7/F# Em B7/F# |
Keep your head together and call my name out loud.
| Am7 | Bm7 | D7sus4 | D7sus4 |
Soon you’ll hear me knockin’ at your door.

Chorus 2

| G | Gmaj7 | C | C |
You just call out my name and you know, wherever I am.
| (G6) G | Gadd4 | D7omit3 | D7sus4 |
I’ll come runnin’, to see you again.
| G | Gmaj7 | C | Em Em/D |
Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call.
| C G/B | D7sus4 |
And I’ll be there, you’ve got a friend.

Middle 8

| F | C | G | Gmaj7 |
Now, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend, when people can be so cold?
| C | F | Em | A7 |
They’ll hurt you, yes, and desert you, and take your soul if you let them.
| D7sus4 | D7 |
Oh, but don’t you let them.

Chorus 3

| G | Gmaj7 | C | C |
You just call out my name and you know, wherever I am.
| (G6) G | Gadd4 | D7omit3 | D7sus4 |
I’ll come runnin’, runnin’, yeah, yeah, to see you again.
| G | Gmaj7 | C | Em Em/D |
Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call.
| C G/B | D7sus4 |
And I’ll be there, yes, I will, you’ve got a friend.

Outro

||: G (Gadd9) | C :||
You’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know, ain’t it good to know.
Ain’t it good to know, you’ve got a friend
Oh, yeah, now, you’ve got a friend.
Yeah baby, you’ve got a friend,
| G (Gadd9) | C | G |
Oh, yeah, you’ve got a friend.

You’ve Got A Friend chords, progressions, and TAB

You’ve Got A Friend has some fantastic chord changes, well worth investigating in more depth.

We start off by pivoting between chord VI and IIIx, using the 5th in the bass for the IIIx, like this:

| Em | B7/F# | Em B7/F# |

It’s very clever to first do it for a bar each, then share a bar!

Next, we go to a quick movement of four chords in a bar, descending the bass line like this:

| G B7/F# Em Em/D |

This quick movement takes us to a II – V – I, like this:

| Am7 | D7sus2 | G C/G Gadd9 | Gadd9 |

The second half of the verse goes like this:

| F#m11 | B7 (B7sus4) | Em B7/F# | G B7/F# Em B7/F# |
| Am7 | Bm7 | D7sus4 | D7sus4 |

That F#m11 is a modified chord VII, avoiding both the 5th and b5, again, pretty clever stuff.

The rest of the verse is great variations on the previous theme, the quick chords are slightly different, and we also go to a Bm7, instead of a D7sus2.

Members get the TAB for all sections and a full chord analysis of Carol King’s version, this took me three days to work out before I was happy!

Here’s a link to the complete lesson: You’ve Got A Friend chord analysis and 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 – You can learn guitar!

There are many versions of You’ve Got A Friend!

The above are chords and lyrics for Carol King‘s version of You’ve Got A Friend, not James Taylor‘s.

The reason for this is that most singers who ask you to play this tune are thinking of Carole King so I’ve transcribed these piano chords and adapted them for the guitar, not copied James’s.

There’s also an amazing rendition by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack. All these versions are available in the playlist at the top of this page, do check them all out.

When Carole King recorded You’ve Got A Friend, she and James Taylor used the same band, I do believe this is the only time this has ever happened and the result was two hits of the same tune, in the same year, 1971.

You’ve Got A Friend chords | Related pages

Intermediate Acoustic

Most intermediate acoustic tunes can’t be played using just basic open-position chords. We have to move up the fretboard and play CAGED barre chords as well.

We incorporate bass lines, add licks, extend chords, and play vocal melodies. Most importantly, we invent second guitar parts and play these songs together.

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

• (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
• At Last
• Georgia On My Mind
• Lean On Me
• Make You Feel My Love

Carole King

Starting out as a songwriter, Carole King wrote some of the best tunes heard in the ’60s, culminating with her 2nd solo album Tapestry in 1971.

Her best tunes include Will You Love Me Tomorrow, The Loco-Motion, Pleasant Valley Sunday, You’ve Got A Friend, and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

Carole King on the web

• CaroleKing.com
• Discogs
• Facebook
• Wiki
• YouTube

James Taylor

James Taylor got his first break when he was signed by The Beatles record label Apple to release his debut album.

Tunes include Fire and Rain, Sweet Baby James, You’ve Got A Friend, and How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).

James Taylor on the web

• JamesTaylor.com
• Discogs
• Facebook
• Wiki
• YouTube

Ballads

The perfect first dance or an emotional piece for your next audition, this collection of ballads is great for working on your expression.

Learn tunes from Burt Bacharach, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Eva Cassidy, Ben Harper, Etta James, Chet Baker, Elvis, Norah Jones, and many more.

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.

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