Sia - Snowman - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Db, Bbm, F7, Gb, Ab, Ebm Easy key G (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Db       Ebm
  Don't cry snowman, not in front of me
Ab
Who'll catch your tears if you can't catch me?
  Db                            Bbm
Darling, if you can't catch me, darling

       Ebm
Don't cry snowman, don't leave me this way
  Ab
A puddle of water can't hold me close
  Db                         Bbm
Baby, can't hold me close, baby

  F7                    Bbm
I want you to know that I'm never leaving
      Ab                   Db
Cause I'm Mrs. Snow, 'till death we'll be freezing
     F7                  Bbm
Yeah you are my home, my home for all seasons
   Gb      Ab
So come on let's go
      Db                F7
Let's go below zero and hide from the sun
  Bbm                    Gb
I love you forever where we'll have some fun
     Db                           F7
Yes, let's hit the North Pole and live happily
       Bbm                         Gb
Please don't cry no tears now it's Christmas, baby

   Db          F7  Bbm  Gb
My snowman and me
   Db          F7  Bbm  Gb
My snowman and me
  Db
Baby

       Ebm
Don't cry snowman, don't you fear the sun
Ab
Who'll carry me without legs to run?
  Db                          Bbm
Honey, without legs to run, honey
       Ebm
Don't cry snowman, don't you shed a tear
Ab
Who'll hear my secrets if you don't have ears?
  Db                            Bbm
Baby, if you don't have ears, baby

  F7                    Bbm
I want you to know that I'm never leaving
      Ab                   Db
Cause I'm Mrs. Snow, 'till death we'll be freezing
     F7                  Bbm
Yeah you are my home, my home for all seasons
   Gb      Ab
So come on let's go
      Db                F7
Let's go below zero and hide from the sun
  Bbm                    Gb
I love you forever where we'll have some fun
     Db                           F7
Yes, let's hit the North Pole and live happily
       Bbm                         Gb
Please don't cry no tears now it's Christmas, baby

   Db          F7  Bbm  Gb
My snowman and me
   Db          F7  Bbm  Gb
My snowman and me
  Db
Baby

End of song Play again?

Sia - Snowman Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sia – Snowman: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Db and ends on Db. Its chords belong to both Db major and Bbm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Db major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = C (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Gb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

Bb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)
#7 = A (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 Db major side because it both starts and finishes on Db, Db is heard 17 times against 16 for Bbm and the major V chord points straight at Bbm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from Bb minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Db or to Bbm; 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.

Seen from Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	17×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	—
V7/vi	F7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	12×
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	10×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	8×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	16×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	16×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	17×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	—
V7	F7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C · Eb	12×
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	10×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	8×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 6 different chords appear 67 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bbm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Db, the same F7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bbm.

Chord movement

F7 Bbm DbV7/vi → visecondary resolution BbmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×12
Ab Db DbV → Iauthentic cadence BbmVII → III ×8
Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×8
Ebm Ab Dbii → Vii → V Bbmiv → VII ×4
Gb Ab DbIV → VIV → V BbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2

The move to watch is F7 → Bbm, heard 12 times. From the Db side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: F7 resolves a fourth up to Bbm); from the Bbm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F7, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When F7 comes, swap the scale's Ab for A: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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 Db major shapes

Capo 1 + C shapes
Capo 4 + A shapes
Capo 6 + G shapes

With Bb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Am shapes
Capo 6 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Db; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Db, Bbm, F7, Gb; read them as I–vi–V7/vi–IV in Db or III–i–V7–VI in Bbm. F7 is the interesting twist: in Db it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Bbm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F7 → Bbm (V7/vi → vi in Db, V7 → i in Bbm): secondary resolution — F7 resolves a fourth up to Bbm. Ending on Db, the song seals Db 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.