Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Tones And I - Bad Child - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords F#m, D, E, C#m Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
F#m
My family always said I was the bad child
D
Throwin' me away into the bad pile
E
All my life been puttin' on a fake smile
C#m
Sittin' on my own, feel like I'm exiled
F#m
Feelin' like I always do the wrong things
D
Tellin' all their friends that I'm the rad kid
E
Now I'm on my own, I lost my magic
C#m
Dealin' with your bullshit now I'm ooover it
F#m
And you took a part of me
D
Left me with the memories oh
We were never a family
E
Now you're standin' in front of my door or or
C#m
Like none of this happened at all all all all
F#m
I guess I'm always gonna be the bad child
D
I guess I'm always gonna be the mad child
E
'Cause you will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
F#m
And to every single person here that doubts me
D
Tellin' me that they could live without me
E
'Cause they will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
F#m D
I've never really been the one to reach out
E
Actin' like my life was squeaky clean now
C#m
Like everythin' I do is just a letdown
F#m
Feelin' like I always do the wrong things
D
Tellin' all their friends that I'm the rad kid
E
Now I'm on my own, I lost my magic
C#m
Dealin' with your bullshit now I'm ooover it
F#m
And you took a part of me
D
Left me with the memories oh
We were never a family
E
Now you're standin' in front of my door or or
C#m
Like none of this happened at all all all all
F#m
I guess I'm always gonna be the bad child
D
I guess I'm always gonna be the mad child
E
'Cause you will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
F#m
And to every single person here that doubts me
D
Tellin' me that they could live without me
E
'Cause they will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
F#m
They say I've lost my mind
They say I'll never find it
D
I think they're kinda right
In fact I kinda like it
E
They say I've lost my mind
They say I'll never find it
C#m
I think they kinda right
F#m
I guess I'm always gonna be the bad child
D
I guess I'm always gonna be the mad child
E
'Cause you will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
F#m
And to every single person here that doubts me
D
Tellin' me that they could live without me
E
'Cause they will never understand my weird mind
C#m
My weird mi i i ind
End of song Play again?
Tones And I - Bad Child Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Tones And I – Bad Child: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F#m and ends on C#m. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F# minor side because it opens on F#m and F#m is heard 13 times while A never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from A major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | — |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | 13× |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 13× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 13× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | 13× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | 13× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | — |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | 13× |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 13× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 13× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 52 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- D E AIV → VIV → V F#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×13
- C#m F#m Aiii → vi F#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×12
The move to watch is D → E, heard 13 times. From the F#m side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the A side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening F#m lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are F#m, D, E, C#m; read them as vi–IV–V–iii in A or i–VI–VII–v in F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → E (IV → V in A, VI → VII in F#m): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. It closes on C#m, letting the A side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Tones And I - Bad Child Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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