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Maroon 5 - What Lovers Do Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, D, G
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

[Opening]
[C] [Em] [D] [G] [G] [C]
[C]Say say say, hey hey [Em]now [D]baby, [G]oh mama, don’t play [G]now [C]baby
[C]Say say say, hey hey [Em]now [D]baby, said [G]let’s get one thing straight [G]now [C]baby

[chorus]
Tell me, tell me if you [C]love me or not, love me or not, [Em]love me or [D]not?
I’ll bet the house on you, am I [G]lucky or not, lucky or not, lucky or [C]not?
You gotta tell me if you [C]love me or not, love me or not, [Em]love me or [D]not?
Been wishing for you, am I [G]lucky or not, lucky or not, lucky or [C]not?

[chorus]
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)

[verse 2]
[C]Say say say, hey hey now [Em]baby[D]
[G]You gonna make me hit you with that lay down, baby [C](ohhh)
(Ooh) [C]Say say say, hey hey now [Em]baby[D]
[G]You know what I need, not the game now baby [C](oh ohhh)

[chorus]
Tell me, tell me if you [C]love me or not, love me or not, [Em]love me or [D]not?
I’ll bet the house on you, am I [G]lucky or not, lucky or not, lucky or [C]not?
You gotta tell me if you [C]love me or not, love me or not, [Em]love me or [D]not?
Been wishing for you, am I [G]lucky or not, lucky or not, lucky or [C]not?

[chorus]
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)

[verse 3]
[C](Hey [Em]yeah) [D]What lovers do ([G]oh ohh)[C]
What lovers do ([C]hmm na na [Em]na, [D]hey yeah)
What lovers do ([G]oh, hmm [C]na na na, oh, ohh)

[Closing]
[C]Aren’t we too grown for games? [D]Aren’t we too grown to play around?
[G]Young enough to chase, [C]but old enough to know better
[C]Are we too grown for [Em]changing? [D]Are we too grown to mess around?
[G]Ooh and I can’t wait forever [G]baby, [C]both of us should know better

[chorus]
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh, tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)

[chorus]
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh, tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh, tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh, tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)
[C]Ooooh, oooh, [Em]been wishing [D]for you
Ooh, [G]ooh, tryna’ do what [C]lovers do (ooh)

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistMaroon 5
AlbumRed Pill Blues
GenresPop
Year2017
KeyC

How to play What Lovers Do on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Maroon 5 - What Lovers Do on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

What Lovers Do uses these transitions most often: D → G (22), G → C (22), and C → Em (21). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from C to Em;

  1. While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
C to Em

2. Em → D chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Em to D;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
Em to D

3. D → G chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from D to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
D to G

4. G → C chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from G to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
G to C

5. C → D chord transition

To move from C to D;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

What Lovers Do chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in What Lovers Do.

  • What Lovers Do includes 87 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • What Lovers Do contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how What Lovers Do connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → D: 11%
    • C → Em: 8%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.