Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - So Long, London - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords Bm, A, Gbm, E/G#, E, D Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
So long , London
Gbm
I saw in my mind fairy
Lights through the mist
Bm
I kept calm and carried
The weight of the rift
E/G#
Pulled him in tighter
A
Each time he was driftin' away
Gbm
My spine split from
Carrying us up the hill
Bm
Wet through my clothes
Weary bones caught the chill
E/G#
I stopped tryna make him laugh
A
Stopped tryna drill the safe
Gbm
Thinkin'
Bm
"How much sad did you think I had
E/G#
Did you think I had in me?"
A
Oh, the tragedy
Bm Gbm A E/G#
So long, London
Bm Gbm A E/G#
You'll find someone
Gbm
I didn't opt in to be your odd man out
Bm
I founded the club
She's heard great things about
E/G#
I left all I knew, you left me at the
A
House by the Heath
Gbm
I stoppеd CPR, after all, it's no use
Bm
The spirit was gonе
We would never come to
E/G#
And I'm pissed off you let me give you
A
All that youth for free
Bm Gbm A E/G#
For so long, London
Bm Gbm A E/G#
Stitches undone
Bm Gbm A E/G#
Two graves, one gun
Bm Gbm A E/G#
I'll find someone
Gbm
And you say I abandoned the ship
A
But I was going down with it
E
My white knuckle dying grip
Bm
Holding tight to your quiet resentment
And my friends said
Gbm
It isn't right to be scared
A
Every day of a love affair
E
Every breath feels like rarest air
Bm
When you're not sure if he
Wants to be there
Gbm
So how much sad did you
A
Think I had
E
Did you think I had in me
Bm
How much tragedy
Gbm
Just how low did you
A
Think I'd go 'fore I'd
E
Self implode?
Bm
'Fore I'd have to go be free
D
You swore that you loved me
But where were the clues
Bm
I died on the altar
Waitin' for the proof
E/G#
You sacrificed us to the
A
Gods of your bluest days
Gbm
And I'm just getting
Bm
Color back into my face
E/G#
I'm just mad as hell
A
'Cause I loved this place for
Bm D A E
So long , London
Bm D A E
Had a good run
Bm D A E
A moooment of warm sun
Bm D A E
But I'm not the one
Bm D A E
So long , London
Bm D A E
Stitches undone
Bm D A E
Two graves one gun
Bm D A E
You'll find someone
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - So Long, London Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – So Long, London: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gbm and ends on E. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (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 A major and F# minor because it opens on F#m and A is heard 25 times against 16 for F#m. 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 A or to F#m; 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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 25× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 25× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 9× |
| V | E/G# | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 13× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 12× |
| vi | Gbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Gb · A · Db | 16× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gbm | Tonic — home | Gb · A · Db | 16× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 25× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 25× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 9× |
| VII | E/G# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 13× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 12× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 6 different chords appear 100 times in total; 6 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
- Bm Gbm Aii → vi F#miv → iminor plagal ×9
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×8
- E/G# A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×7
- Bm E/G# Aii → Vii → V F#miv → VII ×7
- E/G# Gbm AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
The move to watch is Bm → Gbm, heard 9 times. From the A side it reads ii → vi; from the F#m side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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 Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Gbm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Bm, A, Gbm, E/G#; read them as ii–I–vi–V in A or iv–III–i–VII in F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bm → Gbm (ii → vi in A, iv → i in F#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is E; the ear comes to rest in A.
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 - So Long, London 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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