Don't Let Me Down (uke arrangement)
The Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down is a raw, slow-burning Lennon love song with a chorus you can bawl across a room. The 5/4 bars in the verse leave the listener hanging for the resolution of the second line, and then in comes that chorus — “Don’t Let Me Down”! I’ve transposed it down a step to Dm for ukulele ergonomics and included a fair approximation of Billy Preston’s Rhodes riff. Big thanks to UkeHoot’s Jonathan for the bass parts.
The Beatles only ever played this one in public once — on the rooftop of the Apple building in London on 30 January 1969, during what turned out to be their final live performance. UkeHoot’s own debut was a shade lower-key: the 2024 Beatles Marathon at Portobello Town Hall in November 2024, where it went down a storm. So we’re dusting it off for Routes & Rhythms — UkeHoot’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show.
The transcription below splits the parts so a roomful of ukes can cover the original between them: melody ukes carry the chords and the four riffs, and a bass (or a baritone an octave up) takes Macca’s bass line — set out separately for the chorus, verses, middle 8 and outro.
You can hear the original on Spotify: Don’t Let Me Down — The Beatles.
To find out more about UkeHoot and upcoming Fringe shows, head to ukehoot.net.
Don’t Let Me Down was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and released by The Beatles in 1969 as the B-side to Get Back (© 1969 Apple Records). The lyrics and the underlying composition remain the property of their copyright holders. The arrangement below is an unofficial fan transcription, shared for personal study and non-commercial performance — no claim of ownership is made over the song itself.
Chords & lyrics
[Intro (riff)]
(C)
[chorus]
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
[verse]
[5/4] (n/c) Nobody ever loved me like she
[4/4] (Dm7) does, ooh she does, yes she does (C)
[5/4] (n/c) And if somebody loved me like she
[4/4] (Dm7) do me, ooh she do me, yes she does (C)
[chorus]
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
[middle 8]
(n/c, bass only) I'm in love for the (C) first time, don't you know it's gonna
(G) last. It's a (G7) love that lasts (G) forever, it's a (G7) love that had no past (C)
(Csus4) (C)
[chorus]
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
[verse]
[5/4] (n/c) And from the first time that she really
[4/4] (Dm7) done me, ooh she done me, she done me good (C)
[5/4] (n/c) I guess nobody ever really
[4/4] (Dm7) done me, ooh she done me, she done me good (C)
[chorus]
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
[chorus (squeals and adlibs)]
Oooooooo, squeal (Dm7), and other weird noises (C)
keep on (Dm7), squealing (C)
[chorus]
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)
Don't let me down (Dm7), Don't let me down (C)Lead ukulele riffs
The four riffs that carry the song. Tempo is a slow 76 bpm — or count it in double time at 152 if that sits better under your strum.
[Riff 1: Intro]
C Dm
A-----3--3---3--------3----------------0--/5--3-5-3----3-5-3--5---------
E-3---3--3h5-3--3--1--0----------------1--/5--3-5-3----5-5-5--5---------
C-2h4-----------2-----0----------------2------------4-------------------
G---------------------0----------------2--------------------------------
[Riff 2: intro to verse]
C Dm7
A-------0--3--5--3-----0----------------
E-0--3--------5--3-----0--3----0---1----
C-------------------------4----0---2----
G---------------------------------------
No-bo-dy ev-er loved me like she does...
[Riff 3: verse]
Dm7 Dm7
A----12--10--7--5--3--5--3--0---
E----12--10--8--5--3--5--3--0---
C-------------------------4-----
G-------------------------------
[Riff 4: bridge]
C C G G7 G G7 C
A----3-2---3-0---3----3---3----------5-----8-5---7-----5--------------5----8-5---7----5----------3-
E------------------3-------------3-----7-----------8-----7-8-5-7--3-----7----------8----7-8-5-7--0-
C-0---------------------4---2-4------------------------------------------------------------------0-
G------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0-Bass tab
Macca’s bass line, split out by section. Each block loops under the chords above.
[Bass: chorus]
Dm7 C
G--------7------------------------------5---------------5--------
D------7------7-------5---------------5-------5-------5----------
A5---------------5--5------------3---------------3---------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------
[Bass: verses]
Dm7 C
G--------7---------------7---------------5---------------5-------
D------7-------7-------7---------------5-------5-------5---------
A5---------------5---------------3---------------3---------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------
[Bass: middle 8]
N/C C C G
G----------------5--4--5--2--0-----------------------------------
D------------------------------------------------5--4--5--2--0---
A3---3---3---3-------------------3---3---3-----------------------
E--------------------------------------------3-------------------
G G7 G G G7 C G
G------------------------------------------------5--4--5--2--0---
D----------------5--4--5--2--0-----------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------3-------------------
E3---3---3---3-------------------3---3---3-----------------------
[Bass: outro]
Dm7 C
G------7-7-7-7--------7-7-7-7--------5-5-5-5--------5-5-5-5---
D-----7-------7------7--------7-----5--------5-----5--------5-
A5--------------5---------------3--------------3--------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------Or slide the G-string notes up to the 12th and 10th frets on the D string — sounds great if you can reach it.
Download
The full chart, both tabs, and the section notes are in one PDF: Don’t Let Me Down (uke arrangement) — PDF.