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)
Taylor Swift - Exile (feat. Bon Iver) - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Dm, Bb, F/C, Dm4/A, C, Dm/C, F, C4 Easy key Ab
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
F/C Dm4/A F/C Dm4/A
F/C Dm4/A
F/C
I can see you standin', honey
Dm4/A
With his arms around your body
F/C Dm4/A
Laughin' but the joke's not funny at all
F/C
And it took you five whole minutes
Dm4/A
To pack us up and leave me with it
F/C Dm4/A
Holdin' all this love out here in the hall
Bb C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
Dm/C
And I didn't like the ending
Bb C Dm
You're not my homeland anymore
Dm/C Bb
So what am I defendin' now
C
You were my town
Dm Dm/C
Now I'm in exile seein' you out
Bb C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
F/C Dm4/A F/C Dm
Hoo, hoo ooh
F/C
I can see you starin', honey
Dm4/A
Like he's just your understudy
F/C Dm4/A
Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me
F/C
Second, third, and hundredth chances
Dm4/A
Balancin' on breaking branches
F/C Dm4/A
Those eyes add insult to injury
Bb C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
Dm/C
And I didn't like the ending
Bb C Dm
I'm not your problem anymore
Dm/C Bb
So who am I offending now
C
You were my crown
Dm Dm/C
Now I'm in exile seein' you out
Bb C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
Dm/C F
So I'm leavin' out the side door
Dm
So step right out
C4
There is no amount
Bb
Of cryin' I can do for you
F
All this time
Dm
We always walked a very thin line
C4
You didn't even hear me out
Bb
You never gave a warning sign
F
All this time
Dm
I never learned to read your mind
C4
I couldn't turn things around
Bb
'Cause you never gave a warning sign
F Dm C4
So many signs so many signs
Bb
C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
Dm/C
And I didn't like the ending
Bb C Dm
You're not my homeland anymore
Dm/C Bb
So what am I defendin' now
C
You were my town
Dm Dm/C
Now I'm in exile seein' you out
Bb C Dm
I think I've seen this film before
F
So I'm leaving out the side door
Dm
So step right out
C4
There is no amount
Bb
Of cryin' I can do for you
F
All this time
Dm
We always walked a very thin line
C4
You didn't even hear me out
Bb
You never gave a warning sign
F
All this time
Dm
I never learned to read your mind
C4
I couldn't turn things around
Bb
'Cause you never gave a warning sign
F
All this time
Dm
I never learned to read your mind
C4
I couldn't turn things around
Bb
'Cause you never gave a warning sign
F Dm C4 Bb
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - Exile (feat. Bon Iver) Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – Exile (feat. Bon Iver): key and chord analysis
The song opens on F/C and ends on Bb. 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 | — |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| III | Bb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · D · F | 20× |
| IV | Cb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #IV | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 12× |
| #IV | C4 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 9× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| bvi | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 22× |
| bvi | Dm4/A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 12× |
| bvi | Dm/C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 10× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/iii | F/C | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 13× |
| V/iii | F | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 9× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/v | F/C | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 13× |
| V/v | F | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 9× |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| 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 | 20× |
| VI | Cb | Submediant — warm colour | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #VI | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 12× |
| #VI | C4 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 9× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #vii | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 22× |
| #vii | Dm4/A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 12× |
| #vii | Dm/C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 10× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 8 different chords appear 107 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. F/C, F act as secondary dominants, 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
- 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 Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F/C, land on F, A, C — 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.
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
Starting on F/C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Dm, Bb, F/C, Dm4/A carry the song: bvi–III–V/iii–bvi relative to Gb, #vii–V–V/v–#vii 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. The final chord is Bb; the ear comes to rest in Gb.
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.
Taylor Swift - Exile (feat. Bon Iver) 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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