Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - My Tears Ricochet - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, F, C, Dm, G, Em Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am G
We gather here, we line up
Em F
Weepin' in a sunlit room
Am G Em
And if I'm on fire, you'll
F
Be made of ashes, too
Am
Even on my worst day
G Em
Did I deserve, babe
F
All the hell you gave me
Am G
'Cause I loved you
I swear I loved you
Em F C
'Til my dying day
Dm Am
I didn't have it in
F C
Myself to go with grace
Dm Am
And you're the hero
F C
Flying around, saving face
Dm Am
And if I'm dead to you
F C
Why are you at the wake
Dm Am
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
F
Look at how my tears ricochet
Am G Em
We gather stones, never
F
Knowing what they'll mean
Am G Em
Some to throw, some to
F
Make a diamond ring
Am
You know I didn't want
G
To have to haunt you
Em F
But what a ghostly scene
Am
You wear the same jewels
G
That I gave you
Em F C
As you bury me
Dm Am
I didn't have it in
F C
Myself to go with grace
Dm Am
'Cause when I'd fight
F C
You used to tell me I was brave
Dm Am
And if I'm dead to you
F C
Why are you at the wake
Dm Am
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
F
Look at how my tears ricochet
C Dm
And I can go anywhere I want
Am F
Anywhere I want
Just not home
C
And you can aim for
Dm
My heart, go for blood
Am
But you would still
F
Miss me in your bones
C Dm
And I still talk to you
Am F
C Dm
And when you can't sleep at night
Am F
C Dm Am
I didn't have it in
F C
Myself to go with grace
Dm Am
And so the battleships
F C
Will sink beneath the waves
Dm Am
You had to kill me, but it
F
Killed you just the same
C Dm Am
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
F
You turned into your worst fears
C Dm
And you're tossing out blame
Am
Drunk on this pain
F
Crossing out the good years
C Dm
And you're cursing my name
Am
Wishing I stayed
F
Look at how my tears ricochet
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - My Tears Ricochet Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – My Tears Ricochet: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on F. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it opens on Am and Am is heard 26 times against 18 for C. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 18× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 18× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 8× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 26× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 8× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 26× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 26× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 18× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 18× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 8× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 26× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 104 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
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×18
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×18
- F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×7
The move to watch is F → C, heard 18 times. From the Am side it is VI → III; from the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — 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.
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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Am, F, C, Dm; read them as vi–IV–I–ii in C or i–VI–III–iv in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on F, the song seals C 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.
Taylor Swift - My Tears Ricochet 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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