Ed Sheeran - Bad Habits - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, G, A, Dmaj7, D, Em, D/F#, Em/G … Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

Bm  Dmaj7  G  A
Bm  Dmaj7  G  A

Bm  Dmaj7
G  A 
Bm  Dmaj7
G  A 

Bm
Every time you come around
Dmaj7                      G    A
    You know I can’t say   no
Bm
Every time the sun goes down
Dmaj7                 G      A
    I let you take control
Bm
I can feel the paradise
Dmaj7                 G        A
    Before my world implodes
       Bm        Dmaj7
And tonight had something wonderful

                       Bm
My bad habits lead to late
                D
Nights ending alone
       D/F#             G
Conversations with a stranger

I barely know
           A               Bm
Swearing this will be the last
                 D
But it probably won’t
          D/F#            Em
I’ve got nothing left to lose
            G
Or use, or do

        A              Bm
My bad habits lead to wide eyes
             Dmaj7
Stare into space
                       G
And I know I lose control

Of the things that I say
       A             Bm
I was looking for a way out
               Dmaj7
Now I can’t escape
                        Em
Nothing happens after two
                  G
It’s true, it’s true

        A              Bm  Dmaj7  G
My bad habits lead to you
        A              Bm  Dmaj7  Em
My bad habits lead to you
G        A               Bm
  My bad habits lead to you

Bm
Every pure intention ends
Dmaj7                     G       A
    When the good times   start
 Bm
Falling over everything
Dmaj7
    To reach the first
      Em/G       A
Times      spark
  Bm
Started under neon lights
Dmaj7              G       A
    Then it all got dark
  Bm     D          D/F#   Em
I only know how to go too far

                       Bm
My bad habits lead to late
                D
Nights ending alone
       D/F#             G  
Conversations with a stranger

I barely know
           A               Bm
Swearing this will be the last
                 D
But it probably won’t
          D/F#            Em
I’ve got nothing left to lose
            G
Or use, or do

        A              Bm
My bad habits lead to wide eyes
             Dmaj7
Stare into space
                       G
And I know I lose control

Of the things that I say
       A             Bm
I was looking for a way out
               Dmaj7
Now I can’t escape
                        Em
Nothing happens after two
                  G
It’s true, it’s true

        A              Bm  Dmaj7  G
My bad habits lead to you
        A              Bm
My bad habits lead to you

 Bm          D    D/F#  G    A
We took the long way   round
     Bm             D   D/F#  Em7
And burned til the fun ran    out

    G         A              Bm
Now   my bad habits lead to late
                D
Nights ending alone
                        G  
Conversations with a stranger

I barely know
           A               Bm
Swearing this will be the last
                 D
But it probably won’t
                          Em
I’ve got nothing left to lose
            G
Or use, or do

                       Bm
My bad habits lead to wide eyes
             Dmaj7
Stare into space
                       G
And I know I lose control

Of the things that I say
       A             Bm
I was looking for a way out
               Dmaj7
Now I can’t escape
                        Em
Nothing happens after two
                  G
It’s true, it’s true

        A              Bm  Dmaj7  G
My bad habits lead to you
        A              Bm  Dmaj7  Em
My bad habits lead to you
G         A
  My bad habits lead to you

End of song Play again?

Ed Sheeran - Bad Habits Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between D major and B minor because it opens on Bm and D is heard 38 times against 33 for Bm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
Imaj7	Dmaj7	Tonic — home	D · F# · A · C#	22×
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	9×
I	D/F#	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	7×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	9×
ii	Em/G	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	1×
ii7	Em7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B · D	1×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	28×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	28×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	33×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	33×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
IIImaj7	Dmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A · C#	22×
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	9×
III	D/F#	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	7×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	9×
iv	Em/G	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	1×
iv7	Em7	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B · D	1×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	28×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	28×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 9 different chords appear 138 times in total; 9 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

A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×27
G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×27
Em Bm Dii → vi Bmiv → iminor plagal ×1
Em/G A Dii → Vii → V Bmiv → VII ×1
G Bm DIV → vi BmVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is A → Bm, heard 27 times. From the D side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected D, lands on Bm); from the Bm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 A, land on A, C#, E — 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

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Bm, G, A, Dmaj7 — vi–IV–V–Imaj7 from the D side, i–VI–VII–IIImaj7 from the Bm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → Bm (V → vi in D, VII → i in Bm): deceptive cadence — expected D, lands on Bm. The final chord is A; the ear comes to rest in D.

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.