Shawn Mendes - Ruin - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords G, D, A, Bm, D/F#, Em7, Bm7 Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

D                         G
Do ya, do you think about me
     D                           G
And do ya, do you feel the same way, babe
 D                             G
Do ya, do you remember how we felt
      D                       G
Cause I do, so listen to me, baby

A               Bm   G
  And I'm not tryna ruin your happiness 
A                         Bm                   G        D
  But darling don't you know that I'm the only one for ya
A               Bm   G
  And I'm not tryna ruin your happiness, baby
A                         Bm                     G
  But darling don't you know that I'm the only one, yeah

 D                              G
Do ya, do you think about me at all
     D                            G
And do you, do you feel the same way? Oh, tell me babe
     D                             G
And do ya, do you remember how we felt
       D                      G
'Cause I do, so listen to me now

Oh Oh

A               Bm   G
  And I'm not tryna ruin your happiness 
A                         Bm                   G        D
  But darling don't you know that I'm the only one for ya
A               Bm   G
  And I'm not tryna ruin your happiness, baby
A                        Bm                     G
 But darling don't you know that I'm the only one

D  G

A               Bm   G
  And I'm not tryna ruin your happiness 
A                         Bm                   G        D
  But darling don't you know that I'm the only one for ya
A              Bm                   G
  And I don't wanna, I don't wanna ruin your happiness, baby
A                         Bm                   G
  But darling don't you know that I'm the only one, yeah

 G               D/F#            Em7
Do I ever said, do I ever said, do I
 G               D/F#          Em7
Do I ever said, do I ever said ooh
 G         D/F#            Bm7
Do I ever do I ever cross your mind

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Ruin Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Ruin: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on Bm7. 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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between D major and B minor because it comes to rest on Bm, it opens on D and D is heard 15 times against 13 for Bm. 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 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	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	12×
I	D/F#	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	3×
ii7	Em7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B · D	2×
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	24×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	12×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	12×
vi7	Bm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F# · A	1×
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#	12×
i7	Bm7	Tonic — home	B · D · F# · A	1×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	12×
III	D/F#	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	3×
iv7	Em7	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B · D	2×
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	24×
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). 7 different chords appear 66 times in total; 7 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

A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×11
G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×9
G D/F# DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×3

The move to watch is A → Bm, heard 12 times. From the D side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected D, lands on Bm); from the Bm 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

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 G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, 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 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 D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is G, D, A, Bm — IV–I–V–vi from the D side, VI–III–VII–i from the Bm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → Bm (V → vi in D, VII → i in Bm): deceptive cadence — expected D, lands on Bm. It closes on Bm7, letting the Bm 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.