Adele - I Drink Wine - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords D, G, Em, C, B7, Am Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G  D  Em 
Am  G  D

         G                         D     
How can one become so bounded by choices
               Em
That somebody else makes
             C                    
How come we both become a version
      G                    D
Of a person we don't even like

          G                      
We're in love with the world
         D                          Em
But the world just wants to bring us down
             C                 
By puttin' ideals in our heads
     G                    D
To corrupt our hearts somehow

 G                         D    
When I was a child every single
                   Em
Thing could blow my mind
           C              
Soaking it all up for fun
     G                  D
But now I only soak up wine

             G                       
They say to play hard, you work hard
      D                Em
Find balance in the sacrifice
                 C           
And yet I don't know anybody
       G          D
Who's truly satisfied

                        G           B7
You better believe I'm trying 
         Em                     D
To keep climbing 
          C                        
But the higher we climb feels like
                     D
We're both none the wiser 

              G           D      Em
So I hope I learn to get over myself
               C   G        D
Stop trying to be somebody else
            G        D         Em
So we can love each other for free
                  C         G            D
Everybody wants something, you just want me

            G            
Why am I obsessing about
      D               Em
The things I can't control
           C              
Why am I seeking approval
      G                   D
From people I don't even know

           G                
In these crazy times I hope
       D                          Em
I can find something I can cling onto
                     C                   
'Cause I need some substance in my life
           G                          D
Something real, something that feels true

                        G  
You better believe for you
         B7
I've cried 
      Em  D
High tides 
          C              
'Cause I want you so bad
                               D
But you can't fight fire with fire

           G           D      Em
I hope I learn to get over myself
               C   G        D
Stop trying to be somebody else
                     G        D            Em
Oh, I just want to love you, love you for free
                           C             
'Cause everybody wants something from me
  G            D
You just want me

           G                     
Listen, I know how low I can go
D                 Em
I give as good as I get
 C                       G  
You get the brunt of it all
                            D
'Cause you're all I've got left
       G                          
Oh, I hope in time 
    D                                         Em
We both will find  peace of mind
               C                 
Sometimes the road less traveled
        G               D
Is the road best left behind

               G           D      Em
Oh, I hope I learn to get over myself
               C   G        D
Stop trying to be somebody else
                     G       
Oh, I just want to love you
 D            Em
Love you for free, yeah
                  C         G            D
Everybody wants something, you just want me

                        G
You better believe I'm trying 
D          Em
 To keep climbing 
          C             
But the higher we climb
       G                        D    C  G
Feels like we're both none the wiser

End of song Play again?

Adele - I Drink Wine Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – I Drink Wine: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on G. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
#7 = F# (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 G minor side because the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	—
bII7	B7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	B · D# · F# · A	2×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	—
II	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	18×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	36×
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iv	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	18×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	—
V/ii	G	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	35×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—
vii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	1×

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	—
V/iv	G	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	35×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
ii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	1×
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
#III7	B7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A	2×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	—
IV	C	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	C · E · G	18×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	—
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	36×
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	18×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 6 different chords appear 110 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. B7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B7 Em BbbII7 → #ivsecondary resolution Gm#III7 → #vi ×2

The move to watch is B7 → Em, heard 2 times. From the Gm side it is #III7 → #vi; from the Bb side it reads bII7 → #iv (secondary resolution: B7 resolves a fourth up to Em). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On B7, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F# · A) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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 Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening G lays a solid floor for everything that follows. D, G, Em, C carry the song: V/vi–V/ii–#iv–II relative to Bb, V–V/iv–#vi–IV relative to Gm. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B7 → Em (bII7 → #iv in Bb, #III7 → #vi in Gm): secondary resolution — B7 resolves a fourth up to Em. Ending on G, the song seals Bb 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.