If you want to play Lean on Me by Bil Withers on the piano, you can learn the chord progressions by reading the steps below and watching the video tutorial that accompanies them. 

Withers recorded and released Lean on Me in 1972.  The song was to become his only number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.    A cover version by Club Nouveau also reached number one in 1987.  The song has also been covered by Tina Turner, Tom Jones and Al Green.http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2989 

In order to learn this song, you will need access to a piano or other keyboard instrument and some time to practice.  This is a song that appeals to beginners because one way to play the chords is to move up and down the scale without changing finger positions.

The chords you need to play Lean on Me are D major, G major, A major, F# minor and E minor.

The first line of the song, "Sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow," is accompanied by the chords D, G, D, F#m and Em.

The second line, "But, if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow," is accompanied by D, G, D, A, D.  

Every verse repeats this same chord progression, while the melody line is sung in higher and lower variants.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_GjMDVh1E 

The chord progression used in the chorus is simpler than the one used in the verses.  Remain on a sustained D major chord for the entire first line of the chorus, "So just call on me brother, when you need a hand."

At the second line of the chorus, "We all need somebody to lean on," start on D major, then change to A major at the word "lean" and back to D major on the work "on."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_GjMDVh1E 

Lindsey suggests playing the bass line in octaves.  For the verses, the octave progression in the left hand should be played as follows.

The first line of the song, "Sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow," is accompanied by a bass line that moves up and down the first four notes of the D major scale.  The pattern is as follows:

D D E F# G 

G F# E D 

D E F# F# E

The base line for the second line, "But, if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow,"

is:

D D E F# G

G F# E D 

D E F# A D

Practice staying on the basic chords with your right hand over the rising and falling bass line played with your left hand.

For the chorus, there is a repeated riff you can play as single notes with your left hand.  The notes are  G, A, D, played the first time at the words "You just call," and again at "when you."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_GjMDVh1E