Adele - Water Under The Bridge - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords Em, G, Bm, A, D/F#, D Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

G Em Bm A D/F#

      G                      Em
 If you are not the one for me
          Bm                           A      D/F#
 Then how come I can bring you to your knees    
      G                      Em
 If you are not the one for me
          Bm                     A        D/F#
 Why do I hate the idea of being free

        G                     Em
 And if I'm not the one for you
                   Bm                     A     D/F#
 You've gotta stop holding me the way you do
            G                     Em
 Oh, and if I'm not the one for you
             Bm                               A       D/F#
 Why have we been through what we have been through
 
         G        Em
 It's so cold out here 
         Bm    A        D/F#
 In your wilderness
            G                Em
 Now I want you to  be my keeper
     Bm                  A       D/F#
 But not if you're so reckless 

                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge

                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge
 
 D Em
 Oh
          Bm                             G
 Say that our love ain't water under the bridge

 G                    Em
 What are you waiting for
           Bm                           A     D/F#
 You never seem to make it through the door
     G                    Em
 and who are you hiding from
             Bm                              A    D/F#
 it ain't no life to live like you're on the run

      G                  Em
 Have I ever asked for much
          Bm                         A     D/F#
 the only thing that I want is your love

                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge

                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge
 
 D Em
 Oh
          Bm                             G
 Say that our love ain't water under the bridge

         G        Em
 It's so cold out here 
         Bm    A    D/F#
 In your wilderness
            G                Em
 Now I want you to  be my keeper
     Bm                  A        D/F#
 But not if you're so reckless, ooohh 
 
                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge

                 D
 If you're gonna let me down

 Let me down gently
 Em
 Don't pretend that you don't want me
 Bm                             G
 Our love ain't water under the bridge

 D Em
 Oh, say it ain't so
          Bm                             G
 Say that our love ain't water under the bridge

 D Em
 Oh, say it ain't so
          Bm                             G
 Say that our love ain't water under the bridge
 
 D Em
                                  
 Say that our love ain't water under the bridge

End of song Play again?

Adele - Water Under The Bridge Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Water Under The Bridge: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

D major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because D is heard 23 times against 22 for Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D/F#	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	12×
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	11×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	23×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	22×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	12×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	22×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	22×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D/F#	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	12×
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	11×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	23×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	22×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	12×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 6 different chords appear 102 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

Em Bm Dii → vi Bmiv → iminor plagal ×22
A D/F# DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×12
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×8

The move to watch is Em → Bm, heard 22 times. From the D side it reads ii → vi; from the Bm 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

D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — 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 Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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 D major shapes

No capo — open D shapes
Capo 2 + C shapes
Capo 5 + A shapes

With B minor shapes

Capo 2 + Am shapes
Capo 7 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Em, G, Bm, A — ii–IV–vi–V from the D side, iv–VI–i–VII from the Bm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Em → Bm (ii → vi in D, iv → i in Bm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on Em, letting the D 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.