Taylor Swift - Dear John - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords B, Asus2, E, Dbm, A Easy key G

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Capo 0

E Asus2

E                                                      Asus2
Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you
E                                                   Asus2
Counting my footsteps, prayin' the floor won't fall through, again
B                       Dbm       B
My mother accused me of losing my mind
      Asus2
But I swore I was fine

E                                                  Asus2
You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain
      E                                                        Asus2
And I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules every day
B                          Dbm         B          Asus2
Wonderin' which version of you I might get on the phone, tonight.
       B                           Dbm        B            Asus2
Well I stopped pickin' up and this song is to let you know why

     E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone.
                          Dbm
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with
    B                           A
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.
          E      Asus2
I shoulda known.

     E                                      Asus2
Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame.
           E                                                Asus2
Maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away.
    B                          Dbm          B
And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors
    Asus2
Who don't understand.
              B                    Dbm               B
And I'll look back in regret how I ignored when they said
        Asus2
"Run as fast as you can."

     E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone.
                          Dbm
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with
    B                           A
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.

     E                             A
Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong.
                               Dbm                        B
Don't you think nineteen's too young to be played by your dark twisted games
       A
When I loved you so
          E     Asus2
I shoulda known.

           Dbm
You are an expert at sorry
    B
And keeping lines blurry
    A
And never impressed by me acing your tests
        Dbm
All the girls that you run dry
     B
Have tired lifeless eyes
           A
'Cause you burned them out
    B
But I took your matches
  Dbm             B
Before fire could catch me
   Asus2
So don't look now
    B
I'm shining like fireworks
A                   E     Asus2 Dbm B A
Over your sad empty town

     E                                  A
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone.
                          Dbm
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with
    B                           A
The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.

E                                A
    I see it all now that you're gone.
                          Dbm
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with
    B                       Asus2
The girl in the dress wrote you a song.

            E
You shoulda known.
            Asus2
You shoulda known.
E                       Asus2
Don't you think I was too young
                   E
You shoulda known.

End of song Play again?

Taylor Swift - Dear John Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Taylor Swift – Dear John: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it both starts and finishes on E and E is heard 18 times against 14 for C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	18×
ii	F#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C#	—
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IVsus2	Asus2	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · B · E	19×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	13×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	21×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	14×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	14×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	18×
iv	F#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C#	—
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VIsus2	Asus2	Submediant — warm colour	A · B · E	19×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	13×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	21×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 5 different chords appear 85 times in total; 5 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

Asus2 E EIVsus2 → Iplagal cadence C#mVIsus2 → III ×11
B Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×6
Asus2 B EIVsus2 → VIV → V C#mVIsus2 → VIIVI → VII ×6
A Dbm EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×6
Asus2 Dbm EIVsus2 → vi C#mVIsus2 → iVI → i ×2

The move to watch is Asus2 → E, heard 11 times. From the E side it reads IVsus2 → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the C#m side it is VIsus2 → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Asus2, land on A, B, 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.

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 E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on E, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. B, Asus2, E, Dbm carry the song: V–IVsus2–I–vi relative to E, VII–VIsus2–III–i relative to C#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Asus2 → E (IVsus2 → I in E, VIsus2 → III in C#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on E, letting the E 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.