Once a (F)girl took my (Bb)love un til (C)I could n’t (Bb)give an y (F)more.
Then I (F)tried to pre (Bb)tend not to (C)see what I could n’t ig (F)nore.
Oh, (F)my girl (Bb)don’t love (C)me at all.
(F)My girl (Bb)don’t love (C)me at all.
(F)My girl (Bb)don’t love (C)me at all (Gm)an y (F)more, no no.
(C)My girl don’t love me.
This page shows “My Girl” by The Temptations in our color-coded kid songbook view — every note is colored by pitch (red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, blue G, purple A, pink B) and the lyrics sit directly under each note, so children can sing along while they play. The song is in the key of Bb at 108 BPM, a slightly more challenging arrangement — practice each phrase slowly first.
This arrangement is a great way to build confidence with the key of B♭, which means your left hand will get comfortable anchoring on B♭ and E♭ chord shapes early and often. At 108 BPM the tempo is relaxed, but the real challenge is keeping your rhythm steady and smooth — this song lives on a gentle, swinging groove, so resist the urge to rush through chord changes. Start hands-separate: get your left hand's bass pattern locked in first, since that walking bassline drives everything and any hesitation there will throw off your timing. Once that feels automatic, layer in the right-hand melody, paying close attention to the B♭-to-E♭ transition — most beginners stumble there because the hand has to shift position quickly while staying legato. Loop just that two-bar move at half speed until it feels easy, then bring it up to tempo. Light sustain pedal will help you connect those chord tones without blurring them together — lift and re-press on each chord change. This is the kind of song that quietly trains your ear for smooth voice leading between I and IV chords, a skill you'll use in hundreds of songs going forward.