Taylor Swift - How Did It End - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords D, A, E, Bm, A/C#, Gbm Easy key Eb (capo 2)

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Capo 0

D  Bm  A/C#  A

D    Bm     A/C#  A

D              Bm
  We hereby conduct
                 A/C#
This post mortem
                   A
He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsmen
D                   Bm
  Our maladies were such
                       A/C#
We could not cure them
                           A
And so a touch that was my birth right became foreign

D               A
  Come one come all
     E
It's happ'nin' again
    D   A      E
The empathetic hunger descends
D               A
  We'll tell no one
      E
'Cept all of our friends
D            A
We must know
E              D
How did it end
     Bm    A/C#   A

D                      Bm                  A/C#
 We were blind to unforeseen circumstances
                   A                                 D
We learn the right steps to diffеrent dances 
                   Bm                  A/C#
And fell victim to intеrlopers glances
                 A                             D
Lost the game of chance, what are the chances
                                       Bm
Soon they'll go home to their husbands
                                         A/C#
Smug 'cause they know they can trust him
                              A
Then feverishly calling their cousins 

D             A     E         D
 Guess who we ran into at the shops
           A       E            D
Walking in circles like she was lost
           A
Didn't you hear
     E             D
They called it all off
                  A
One gasp and then
E
How did it end

Bm  E  Gbm  D
Bm  E  Gbm  D

Bm                        E
   Say it once again with feeling
                     Gbm
How the death rattle breathing
                         D
Silenced as the soul was leaving
                     Bm
The deflation of our dreaming
                      E
Leaving me bereft and reeling
                     Gbm
My beloved ghost and me
             D
Sitting in a tree
        D  A
D y i n g

     E             D  A
It's happening again
E             D  A
How did it end
  E            D            A
I can't pretend like I understand
E
How did it end

D               A
  Come one come all
     E
It's happening again
D         A      E            D
  The empathetic hunger descends
              A
We'll tell no one
       E          D
Except all of our friends
                  A
But I still don't know
E              D
How did it end

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Taylor Swift - How Did It End Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Taylor Swift – How Did It End: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

F major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
#7 = C# (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 D minor side because the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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 F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	—
bii	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	4×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	24×
V/vi	A/C#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	8×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	—
#iv	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	12×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	—
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	—
VI	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	29×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
V/iii	E	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	20×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	—
I	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	29×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
V/v	E	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	20×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	—
#iii	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	4×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	—
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	24×
V	A/C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	8×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	—
#vi	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	12×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	—

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 6 different chords appear 97 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A / A/C# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. E acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A/C# comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 F major shapes

Capo 1 + E shapes
Capo 3 + D shapes
Capo 5 + C shapes

With D minor shapes

No capo — open Dm shapes
Capo 5 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is D, A, E, Bm — VI–V/vi–V/iii–#iv from the F side, I–V–V/v–#vi from the Dm side. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on D, letting the F 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.