Sia - The Greatest - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Ab, Eb, Bb, Cm Easy key G

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Capo 0

Cm     Ab                              Eb     Bb
 Uh oh, running out of breath, but I oh, I, I got stamina
Cm      Ab                           Eb          Bb
 Uh oh, running now, I close my eyes well, oh, I got stamina
Cm            Ab                           Eb      Bb
 And uh oh, I see another mountain to climb but I, I got stamina
Cm            Ab                          Eb          Bb
 And uh oh, I need another love to be mine Cause I, I got stamina

Ab               Eb            Bb             Cm
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
Ab               Eb            Bb             Ab
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
 
      Cm           Ab               Eb   Bb
I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive
      Cm           Ab               Eb             Bb
I'm free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive
 
Cm            Ab                         Eb      Bb
 Well, uh oh, running out of breath, but I oh, I, I got stamina
Cm      Ab                          Eb          Bb
 Uh oh, running now, I close my eyes But, oh, I got stamina
Cm                Ab                   Eb      Bb
 And oh yeah, running to the waves below But I, I got stamina
Cm                Ab                        Eb               Bb
 And oh yeah, I'm running and I'm just enough And uh oh, I got stamina

Ab               Eb            Bb             Cm
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
Ab               Eb            Bb             Ab
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
 
      Cm           Ab               Eb   Bb
I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive
      Cm           Ab               Eb             Bb
I'm free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive
 
Cm      Ab            Eb       Bb
 Oh oh, I got stamina oh oh, I got stamina
Cm      Ab            Eb       Bb
 Oh oh, I got stamina oh oh, I got stamina
 
Cm            Ab
Hey, I am the truth
                  Eb                        Bb
Hey, I am the wisdom of the fallen; I'm the youth
                  Cm                          Ab
Hey, I am the greatest, hey, this is the proof
            Eb                   Bb
Hey, I work hard, pray hard, pay dues, hey
        Cm                         Ab
I transform with pressure, I'm hands-on with effort
       Eb                  Bb
I fell twice before, my bounce back was special
         Cm                        Ab
Letdowns will get you, and the critics will test you
        Eb                 Bb
But the strong will survive, another scar may bless you, ah

Ab               Eb            Bb             Cm
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
Ab               Eb            Bb             Ab
Don't give up, I won't give up don't give up, no no no
 
      Cm           Ab               Eb   Bb
I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive
      Cm           Ab               Eb             Bb
I'm free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive
         Cm        Ab        Eb   Bb
The greatest, the greatest alive

Ab  Eb  Bb  Cm

End of song Play again?

Sia - The Greatest Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sia – The Greatest: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C minor side because it both starts and finishes on Cm and Eb is heard 33 times against 30 for Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	33×
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	—
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	36×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	33×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	30×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	30×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	33×
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	—
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	36×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	33×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 4 different chords appear 132 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

Ab Eb EbIV → Iplagal cadence CmVI → III ×33
Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×26
Ab Cm EbIV → vi CmVI → iVI → i ×3

The move to watch is Ab → Eb, heard 33 times. From the Cm side it is VI → III; from the Eb 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

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Cm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Ab, Eb, Bb, Cm carry the song: IV–I–V–vi relative to Eb, VI–III–VII–i relative to Cm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Ab → Eb (IV → I in Eb, VI → III in Cm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Cm, the song seals Cm 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.