Aug62022

Ben Rector with Thomas Rhett – What Makes A Man Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

KeyKeyCapo

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[Intro]
One, two, (three), four
G Cmaj7 Em D
G C Em

[Verse]
         G    C  G
Well my father, he'll never
                 G    C
see his name in lights
 G
Worked hard at a desk
                G  C
his whole damn life
                  G
Didn't chase his dream
Gave himself so me and
                       C   D
my sisters would be alright
 G                 C  Em
Sometimes I wonder,  they'll
       D             G  C  Em
say of me when I am gone
         D               G      C
When my daughters livin' on yeah
                  Em
Will she care if strangers
                    D
thought that I was famous
             G               C  Em
Or just that I was never home?

[Chorus]
       D                 Em
Is it the things you've done,
            C
the places that you've been?
G       D           Em
 Chasin' down some dream
               C
 you'vе been imaginin'?
        D        Em
Or is it making peace with who
     C                 G
you are and whеre you stand?
     Em    D   C   Am
I'm trying to find
                G C
What makes a man
     Em
Woah oh
      D         G C Em
What makes a man

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[Verse]
        G     C     Em
If I'm honest, I'm plagued by the
          D              G C
fear that I am not enough   yeah
Em         D                G C
So I work hard to measure up
            Em
I've run a million miles,
           D
climbed a mountain high
          G           C      Em
Felt the same when I was done

[Chorus]
       D                 Em
Is it the things you've done,
            C
the places that you've been?
G       D           Em
 Chasin' down some dream
               C
 you'vе been imaginin'?
        D        Em
Or is it making peace with who
     C                 G
you are and whеre you stand?
     Em    D   C   Am
I'm trying to find
                G C
What makes a man

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Bridge]
       Em  D
Is it power?
       G
Is it fame?
       C
Is it money?
       Em
Is it just a game?
       G    C          Em  D
Is it always  wanting more?
             G
Or is it in finding peace
    C                 Em
in what you had all along?

[Chorus]
      D               Em
Is it  things you've done,
            C
the places that you've been?
       D           G
Chasin' down some dream
              C
you'vе been imaginin'?
        D        Em
Or is it making peace with who
     C                 G
you are and whеre you stand?
     Em    D   C   Am
I'm trying to find
What makes a man

[Outro]
          Em  D      C  Am
I've been trying to find
What makes a man
          Em  D      C  Am
I've been trying to find
                G C Em
What makes a man
      D         G
What makes a ma-an
           C            Em
I've been trying to find
      D         G
What makes a man

How to play What Makes A Man: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for What Makes A Man by Ben Rector with Thomas Rhett on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

What Makes A Man by Ben Rector with Thomas Rhett is written in G major (one sharp: F♯) and moves through 6 chords: G, Cmaj7, Em, D, C and Am.

Listen for G – C – Em – D (I – IV – vi – V in G major), a pop progression that moves to the vi before resolving through V: the song comes back to it again and again. In solfa, that is doh – fah – lah – soh. Once these 4 changes are comfortable, most of the song is done.

Beginner-friendly: on guitar every chord is an open shape, which makes this a good song to learn early on.