Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, Dm, E7, E, Fm6, F7, G7, G#dim7 Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am Dm Am E7
Woah, woah
Am Dm Am E7
Woah, woah
Am Dm
I'm a ghost
Am E7
Livin' in a ghost town
Am Dm
I'm a ghost
Am E7
Livin' in a ghost town
Am Dm
You can come look for me
Am E7
But I can't be found
Am Dm
You can search for me
Am E7
I had to go underground
Am Dm
Life was so beautiful
Am E7
Then we all got locked down
Am Dm
Feel like a ghost
Am E7
Living in a ghost town, yeah
Am
Once this place was hummin'
Dm
And the air was full of drummin'
Am
The sound of cymbals crashin'
Dm
Glasses were all smashin'
Am
Trumpets were all screamin'
Dm
Saxophones were blarin'
Am E7
Nobody was carin' if it's day or not
Am Dm
Woah, woah
Am E7
Woah, woah
Am Dm
I'm a ghost
Am E7
Livin' in a ghost town
Am Dm
I'm goin' nowhere
Am E7
Shut up all alone
Am Dm
So much time to lose
Am E7
Just starin' at my phone
Fm6 Am
Every night I am dreamin' that you'll come and creep in my bed
Fm6 E7 F7 G7 G#dim7
Please let this be over, not stuck in a world without eeeeeeeeeend, my friend
Am Dm
Woah, woah
Am E
Woah, woah
Am Dm
Woah, woah
Am E7
Woah, woah
Am
Preachers were all preachin'
Dm
Charities beseechin'
Am
Politicians dealin'
Dm
Thieves were happy stealin'
Am
Widows were all weepin'
Dm
There's no beds for us to sleep in
Am
Always had the feelin'
E7
It will all come tumblin' down
Am Dm
I'm a ghost
Am E
Livin' in a ghost town
Am Dm
You can look for me
Am E
But I can't be found
Am
Woah
Dm Am E7
We're all livin' in a ghost town (Woah)
Am Dm Am E7
Oh, livin' in a ghost town (Woah)
Am Dm
We were so beautiful (Woah)
Am E7
I was your man about town (Woah)
Am Dm
Livin' in this ghost town (Woah)
Am E7
Ain't havin' any fun (Woah)
Am Dm
If I wanna party (Woah)
Am E7
It's a party of one (Woah)
Am Dm
Woah, woah
Am E7
Woah, woah
End of song Play again?
The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Rolling Stones – Living In A Ghost Town: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on E7. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it opens on Am, Am is heard 53 times while C never appears and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | — |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 28× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V7/vi | E7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 22× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 3× |
| iv6 | Fm6 | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | F · Ab · C · D | 2× |
| IV7 | F7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
| V7 | G7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D · F | 1× |
| vii°7/vi | G#dim7 | Secondary leading-tone chord vii°7/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | G# · B · D · F | 1× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 53× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 53× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | — |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 28× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V7 | E7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B · D | 22× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | 3× |
| vi6 | Fm6 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C · D | 2× |
| VI7 | F7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C · Eb | 1× |
| VII7 | G7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D · F | 1× |
| #vii°7 | G#dim7 | Leading-tone chord (harmonic minor)harmonic minor | G# · B · D · F | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 8 different chords appear 111 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E7 / E / G#dim7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. Fm6 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×28
- E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×19
- E Am CV/vi → vi AmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
- F7 G7 CIV7 → V7IV → V AmVI7 → VII7VI → VII ×1
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 28 times. From the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the C side it reads ii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E7, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On Fm6, follow the chord's notes (F · Ab · C · D) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Am; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Am, Dm, E7, E; read them as vi–ii–V7/vi–V/vi in C or i–iv–V7–V in Am. E7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on E7, the song seals C as home.
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.
The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town 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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