Piano Diana Blog: How To Play: It Ain't Necessarily So

Love the music from Porgy and Bess! How about you?

It Ain't Necessarily So

Words by Ira Gershwin
Lyrics by George Gershwin

© 1935 by Gershwin Publishing Corporation

Chords and Lyrics

Key of Bb

4/4 Time Signature

Moderato scherzoso

(Happily with humor)

Verse 1

Gm        C          Gm  C

It ain't necessarily so
   Gm          C      Gm

It ain't necessarily so
    C7             Db7       C7         Db7

De things dat yo' liable to read in de Bible

   A7          D7    Gm
It ain't necessarily so

/ Gm C7 / Eb7 D11 /

Verse 2

Gm              C           Gm
Li'l David was small but oh my
      Gm        C           Gm

Li'l David was small but oh my
   C7            Db7       C7          Db7

He fought big Goliath who lay down and dieth
      A7        D7           Gm

Li'l David was small but oh my

Gm Gm7 / Eb7 / F#m Eb7 / Ab Eb7 / Bdim Ab / D7 Em7 /

Fm6 D7 / Gm / D

Gm          C           Gm  C

Oh Jonah he lived in de whale
   Gm        C           Gm

Oh Jonah he lived in de whale
    C7          Db7           C7    Db7

For he made his home in dat fish's abdomen
A7          D7           Gm

Oh Jonah he lived in de whale

Li'l Moses was found in a stream
Li'l Moses was found in a stream
He floated on water 'til ole Pharaoh's daughter
She fished him she says from that stream

Gm G7 / Eb7 Db / F#m Eb7 / Ab Eb7 /

Bdim Ab / D7 Em7 / Fm6 D7 / Gm / D

Gm          C        Gm  C

It ain't necessarily so
    Gm       C       Gm

It ain't necessarily so
     C7          Db7         C7        Db7

Dey tell all you chillun de debble's a villain
     A7          D7    Gm

But 'taint necessarily so

   Eb7      Ab
To get into Hebben don' snap for a sebben

      Am7         D7      G6
Live clean, don' have no fault
G7  C7                F            F6

Oh I takes de gospel whenever it's pos'ble
    A7su   A7-5     D7+5

But wid a grain of salt


    Gm           C            Gm   C
Methus'lah lived nine hundred years
    Gm            C            Gm

Methus'lah lived nine hundred years

     C7            Db7         C7       Db7
But who calls dat livin' when no gal'll give in
   A7             D7          Gm  C  F#7  Eb7

To no man what's nine hundred years

    Cm6                     G  D7

I'm preachin' dis sermon to show
   C            B7

It ain't nessa, ain't nessa

Em           Cm6 
Ain't nessa, ain't nessa

    G          D9    G
It ain't necessarily so

Learn Chords in the Song

L.H. / R.H.

A7 = AGC#/GBb
A7sus = EA/DGA
A7-5 = AEb/C#GA
Ab = AbEbC/Eb
Am7 = AEC/GAD

C = CC/GCE
C7 = CBbE/GBb and C/BbCE
Cm6 = AA/EbGB

D7 = DF#C/D and D/DF#CD and F#AC/D
Db = FDbAb/Eb
Db7 = DbCbF/GBb
D7+5 = DF/CF#Bb
D9 = A#/EG#E, B/FAE, C/FA#E

Eb7 = EbDbG/EbGb
Em7 = E/DGD
Em = CC/BEG

F#m = F#DbA/Gb
Fm6 = FG#C/D
F = F/FD
F6 = F/GE
F#7 = F#/A#EG

Gm = G/DGBbD and G/BbDG and GDBb/GBbDb
G6 = GDB/EGD
G7 = DB/FD
G = DD/DGB and D/GBE and GDB/ADG

Have fun with the song!

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