Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Dm, C, Bb, A7 Easy key Ab
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
Dm
Skin head, dead head
C
Everybody gone bad
Dm
Situation, aggravation
C
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shock dead
Everybody's gone mad
Bb
All I wanna say is that
C Dm
They don't really care about us
Bb
All I wanna say is that
C Dm
They don't really care about us
Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Do me, Sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, strike me
Don't you black or white me
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
Dm C
Tell me what has become of my life
Dm C
I have a wife and two children who love me
Dm C Dm C
I am the victim of police brutality, now
Dm C
I'm tired of bein' the victim of hate
Dm C
You're rapin' me of my pride
Oh, for God's sake
Dm C Dm
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy
C
Set me free
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
trepidation, speculation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
black man, black mail
Throw your brother in jail
Bb
All I wanna say is that
C Dm
They don't really care about us
Bb
All I wanna say is that
C Dm
They don't really care about us
Dm C
Tell me what has become of my rights
Dm C
Am I invisible because you ignore me
Dm C Dm C
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
Dm C
I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame
Dm C
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name
Dm C Dm A7
I can't believe this is the land from which I came
Bb C
You know I do really hate to say it
Dm
The government don't wanna see
Bb
But if Roosevelt was livin'
A7 Dm A7
He wouldn't let this be, no, no
Dm
Skin head, dead head
C
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
Bb C Dm
Some things in life they just don't wanna see
Bb
But if Martin Luther was livin'
A7 Dm A7
He wouldn't let this be
Dm
Skin head, dead head
C
Everybody gone bad
Situation, segregation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Kick me, strike me
Don't you wrong or right me
Bb
All I wanna say is that
C C
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don't really care about us
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – They Don't Care About Us: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on C. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Eb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = D (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 Eb minor side because the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 | Gb | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| ii | Abm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| bIII7 | A7 | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | A · C# · E · G | 5× |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| III | Bb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · D · F | 9× |
| IV | Cb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #IV | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 27× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| bvi | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 28× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| #IV7 | A7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | A · C# · E · G | 5× |
| v | Bbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V | Bb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F | 9× |
| VI | Cb | Submediant — warm colour | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #VI | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 27× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #vii | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 28× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 4 different chords appear 69 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. A7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- A7 Dm GbbIII7 → bvisecondary resolution Ebm#IV7 → #vii ×4
The move to watch is A7 → Dm, heard 4 times. From the Ebm side it is #IV7 → #vii; from the Gb side it reads bIII7 → bvi (secondary resolution: A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
- When Bb comes, swap the scale's Db for D: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On A7, follow the chord's notes (A · C# · E · G) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 Gb major shapes
- Capo 2 + E shapes
- Capo 4 + D shapes
- Capo 6 + C shapes
With Eb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Dm shapes
- Capo 6 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Dm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Dm, C, Bb, A7 carry the song: bvi–#IV–III–bIII7 relative to Gb, #vii–#VI–V–#IV7 relative to Ebm. Bb is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (III), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A7 → Dm (bIII7 → bvi in Gb, #IV7 → #vii in Ebm): secondary resolution — A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm. Ending on C, the song seals Gb 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.
Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us 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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