Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Script - Breakeven - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Bb, F, Gm, Eb, Cm7 Easy key G (capo 3)
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Eb Bb F Gm
Gm F Bb Cm7
Gm F Bb Cm7
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Gm F Bb Cm7
Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in
Gm F Bb Cm7
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Gm F Bb Cm7
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even
Gm F Bb Cm7
Her best days will be some of my worst
Gm F Bb Cm7
She finally met a man that's gonna put her 1st
Gm F Bb Cm7
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
Gm F Bb Cm7
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even, even, no
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you, and
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're OK, yeah
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces, yeah
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces
Gm F Bb Cm7
Gm F Bb Cm7
They say bad things happen for a reason
Gm F Bb Cm7
But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding
Gm F Bb Cm7
Cos she's moved on while I'm still grieving
Gm F Bb Cm7
And when a heart breaks no it don't break even (even, no)
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you, and
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're OK
Eb Bb F Gm Eb
I'm falling to pieces yeah
Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces yeah
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces (one still in love while the other one's leaving)
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces (cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)
Gm F Bb Cm7
Gm F
You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain
Bb Cm7
You took your suitcase, I took the blame
Gm F Bb
Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains, oh
Cm7
Cos you left me with no love, no love to my name
Gm F Bb Cm7
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Gm F Bb Cm7
Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in
Gm F Bb Cm7
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Gm F
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break
Bb
No, it don't break
Cm7 Eb
No, it don't break even, no
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you, and
Eb Bb F Gm
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're OK
Eb Bb F Gm Eb
I'm falling to pieces yeah
Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces yeah (Oh, I'm falling, I'm falling, yeah)
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces (one still in love while the other one's leaving)
Eb Bb F Gm
I'm falling to pieces (cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)
Eb Bb F Gm
Eb Bb F Gm
Oh, it don't break even, no, oh
Eb Bb F Gm
End of song Play again?
The Script - Breakeven Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Script – Breakeven: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Eb and ends on Gm. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G minor side because it comes to rest on Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | 41× |
| ii7 | Cm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G · Bb | 21× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | — |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | — |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | 21× |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | 41× |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | 41× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | 41× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | 41× |
| iv7 | Cm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G · Bb | 21× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | — |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | — |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | 21× |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | 41× |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 5 different chords appear 165 times in total; 5 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
- F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×21
- Eb Bb BbIV → Iplagal cadence GmVI → III ×20
- F Gm BbV → videceptive cadence GmVII → iAeolian arrival ×20
- Cm7 Gm Bbii7 → vi Gmiv7 → iminor plagal ×18
The move to watch is F → Bb, heard 21 times. From the Gm side it is VII → III; from the Bb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Eb; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Bb, F, Gm, Eb — I–V–vi–IV from the Bb side, III–VII–i–VI from the Gm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → Bb (V → I in Bb, VII → III in Gm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Gm, letting the Gm 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.
The Script - Breakeven 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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