Sep182021

Frank Turner – Havent Been Doing So Well Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated January 8, 2026

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[Intro]
A  A Bm   A G  Dsus2 G  Dsus2 [x2]

[Verse 1]
       A
It's a day with a 'Y' in
   A   Bm
it so obviously I'm over it
A   G
I'm sick and tired of
        Dsus2  G
being sick and tired
   Dsus2 A
And I've tried not to worry
   A     Bm
And I've tried being sorry
    A     G
For being born in the
             Dsus2  G
wrong place and wrong time

[Pre-Chorus]
                Em         D
'Cause I've been messed up,
      G             A
stressed out, talking to
myself again
Em         D
Locked up, left out,
G            A
terrified of everything
Em        D          G
Wound up, found out, waiting
                        A
around for something to give

[Chorus 1]
               Bm          G
Don't you ever wake up and suspect
              D
That you were simply never
           A
cut out to be
            Bm           G
The kind of person they expect
    D                      A
Thе person you intended to bе?
      Em          D
And I keep it all in with
   G     A
my idiot grin
        Em       D
And I'm doing my best but
       G             A
there's very little left
    Em         D
So cut me some slack if
  G          A       G
I crawl back into my shell
                           A
I haven't been doing so well
A Bm  A G  Dsus2 G
                   Dsus2   A
I haven't been doing so well
A Bm  A G  Dsus2 G

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[Verse 2]
Dsus2  A              A      Bm
I got a brand new name for an old,
old friend
     A     G      Dsus2 G
The doctor said it's anxiety
  Dsus2 A
And it makes a lot of sense
       A    Bm
'Cause I've been so tense
A    G                     Dsus2  G
Some days I find it difficult to see

[Pre-Chorus 2]
                 Em
'Cause I've been hemmed in,
D
penned down,
G             A
struggling to find myself
Em        D
Caved in, cut down,
G              A
scared of everybody else
Em          D
Dragged in, dragged down,
G                         A
searching for a reason to live

[Chorus 2]
               Bm          G
Don't you ever wake up and suspect
               D
That you were simply
                 A
never cut out to be
            Bm           G
The kind of person they expect
    D                      A
The person you intended to be?
      Em         D
And I keep it all in with
   G     A
my idiot grin
        Em       D
And I'm doing my best but
        G           A
there's very little left
   Em          D
So cut me some slack if
  G          A       G
I crawl back into my shell
                        Bm   G  D  A
I haven't been doing so well
             Bm   G   D   A
Couldn't you tell?

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

[Verse 3]
            Em             D
And if self-loathing was a sport
         G      A
I'd be Muhammad Ali
             Em
'Cause I can sting like a
D             G           A
butterfly and sink like a bee
               Em       D
But they don't hand out medals
   G             A
to monsters like me
   G
Oh well
                        Dsus2
I haven't been doing so well
Dsus2/G G6/E

[Bridge]
G                        Dsus2
Maybe I can do with some help
Dsus2/G G6/E
G                       Dsus2
I haven't been doing so well
Dsus2/G G6/E
G                        Dsus2
Maybe I can do with some help
Dsus2/G G6/E  G

[Chorus 3]
                   Bm
'Cause every day I wake
       G
up and suspect
           D                       A
That I was simply never cut out to be
            Bm          G
The kind of person they expect
    D                    A
The person I intended to be
           Em      D
'Cause I'm not Joe Strummer,
    G        A
not Muhammad Ali
      Em            D
Not a teacher, not a builder
       G           A
Just uncomfortable me
    Em          D
And maybe, just maybe,
       G                A
I'll admit that I could use
         G
a little help
                        Bm
I haven't been doing so well

How to play Havent Been Doing So Well: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Havent Been Doing So WellFrank Turner by Frank Turner on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Havent Been Doing So Well by Frank Turner sits in B minor (two sharps: F♯, C♯), and you need 8 chords to play it: A, Bm, G, Dsus2, Em, D, Dsus2/G and G6/E.

Listen for Em – D – G – A (iv – III – VI – VII in B minor): the song comes back to it again and again. Once these 4 changes are comfortable, most of the song is done.

Good to know: Bm and G6/E are played as barre or movable shapes on guitar. Practise the change into them slowly; on piano and ukulele the same chords are easier.