Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Halsey - You should be sad - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, G, D, F#m Easy key C (capo 2)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm G D F#m
Bm
I wanna start this out and say
G
I gotta get it off my chest
D
Got no anger, got no malice
F#m
Just a little bit of regret
Bm
Know nobody else will tell you
G
So there's some things I gotta say
D
Gonna jot it down and then get it out
F#m
And then I'll be on my way
Bm G
No, you're not half the man you think that you are
D F#m
And you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, drugs, and cars
Bm G
I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you
D F#m
'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you
Bm G
Oh, I feel so sorry, I feel so sad
D F#m
I tried to help you, it just made you mad
Bm G
And I had no warning about who you are
D
I'm just glad I made it out without breaking down
F#m
And then ran so fucking far
Bm G
That you would never ever touch me again
D
Won't see your alligator tears
F#m
'Cause, no, I've had enough of them
Bm G D F#m
Bm
Let me start this off by saying
G
I really meant well from the start
D
Take a broken man right in my hands
F#m
And then put back all his parts
Bm G
But you're not half the man you think that you are
D F#m
And you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, girls, and cars
Bm G
I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you
D F#m
'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you
Bm
Oh, I feel so sorry (I feel so sorry)
G
I feel so sad (I feel so sad)
D
I tried to help you (I tried to help you)
F#m
It just made you mad
Bm
And I had no warning (I had no warning)
G
About who you are (About who you are)
D F#m
Just glad I made it out without breaking down
Bm
Oh, I feel so sorry (I feel so sorry)
G
I feel so sad (I feel so sad)
D
I tried to help you (I tried to help you)
F#m
It just made you mad
Bm
And I had no warning (I had no warning)
G
About who you are (About who you are)
D F#m
'Bout who you are
Bm G D F#m
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Bm G
'Cause you're not half the man you think that you are
D F#m
And you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, drugs, and cars
Bm G
I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you
D F#m
'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you
Bm G
I feel so sad
D
You should be sad
F#m
You should be
Bm
You should be sad
G
You should be
D
You should be
F#m
You should be
Bm G D F#m
Oohhh
End of song Play again?
Halsey - You should be sad Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Halsey – You should be sad: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on F#m. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the B minor side because it opens on Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from D 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 D or to Bm; 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 | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 22× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | 22× |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 22× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | — |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 22× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 22× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 22× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | 22× |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 22× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | — |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 4 different chords appear 88 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
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×22
- F#m Bm Diii → vi Bmv → inatural-minor cadence ×21
The move to watch is G → D, heard 22 times. From the Bm side it is VI → III; from the D side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — 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.
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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Bm, G, D, F#m carry the song: vi–IV–I–iii relative to D, i–VI–III–v relative to Bm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → D (IV → I in D, VI → III in Bm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on F#m, letting the D 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.
Halsey - You should be sad 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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