Taylor Swift - Cornelia Street - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, G, Am, C Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C  G  F

               C
We were in the backseat
                   G                               Am  F
Drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar
          C
"I rent a place on Cornelia Street"
G                     Am   F
I say casually in the car
          C
We were a fresh page on the desk
G                           Am  F
Filling in the blanks as we go
          C                           G
As if the street lights pointed in an arrow head
           Am   F
Leading us home

                   C                       G
And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends
               Am              F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
                 C                           G
That's the kinda heartbreak time could never mend
               Am              F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
          C          G                Am                     F
And baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name
          C           G              Am
And baby, I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away
F                               C
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
    G                           Am   F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again

                    C
Windows swung right open, autumn air
G                             Am    F
Jacket 'round my shoulders is yours
             C
We bless the rains on Cornelia Street
G                          Am    F
Memorize the creaks in the floor
                  C
Back when we were card sharks, playing games
G                             Am   F
I thought you were leading me on
            C
I packed my bags, left Cornelia Street
G                          Am   F
Before you even knew I was gone

             G
But then you called, showed your hand
         Am
I turned around before I hit the tunnel
F
Sat on the roof, you and I

                   C                       G
And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends
               Am              F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
                 C                           G
That's the kinda heartbreak time could never mend
               Am              F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
          C          G                Am                     F
And baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name
          C           G              Am
And baby, I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away
F                               C
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
    G                           Am   F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again

            G
You hold my hand on the street
        Am
Walk me back to that apartment
       F
Years ago, we were just inside
                G
Barefoot in the kitchen
           Am
Sacred new beginnings
                  F
That became my religion, listen

                C        G
I hope I never lose you
                   Am            F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
C   G        Am    F
  Oh, never again
          C           G               Am                     F
And baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name
          C            G             Am             F
And baby, I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away
    F                          C
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again
    G                           Am   F
I'd never walk Cornelia Street again

               C                      G
I don't wanna lose you, hope it never ends 
              Am       F
I don't wanna lose you 

          C
"I rent a place on Cornelia Street"
G                      Am   F
I said casually in the car

End of song Play again?

Taylor Swift - Cornelia Street Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Taylor Swift – Cornelia Street: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between C major and A minor because it opens on C and Am is heard 28 times against 26 for C. 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 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.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	26×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	30×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	29×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	28×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	28×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	26×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	30×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	29×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 113 times in total; 4 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

G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×28
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×25
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3

The move to watch is G → Am, heard 28 times. From the C side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected C, lands on Am); from the Am side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — 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
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is F, G, Am, C — IV–V–vi–I from the C side, VI–VII–i–III from the Am side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → Am (V → vi in C, VII → i in Am): deceptive cadence — expected C, lands on Am. 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.