Sam Smith - Like I Can - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords B, E, Ab5, Abm, Gb5, Dbm, Gb, Ebm … Easy key B

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Capo 0

               Ab5
He could be a sinner
            Gb5  B5
Or a gentleman 
                Ab5
He could be a preacher
                   Gb5    B5
When your soul is damned 
               Ab5
He could be a lawyer 
      Gb5           Eb5
On a      witness stand, but 
Db5
  He'll never love you
 Ab5    E5      B5
Like I can, can 

                 Ab5
He could be a stranger
                    Gb5    B
You gave a second glance 
                Ab5
He could be a trophy  
     Gb5           B
Of a one night stand 
                    Ab5
He could have your humor
       Gb5           Eb5
But I don't understand 'cause 
Db5
  He'll never love you
 Ab5    E       B
Like I can, can   can

Gb
  Why are you looking 
     Ebm            Abm
Down all the wrong roads 
E
  When mine is the heart 
         B           Gb
And the salt of the soul

There may be lovers 
     Ebm            Abm
Who hold out their hands but 
Dbm
  He'll never love you
 Abm    E       B
Like I can, can   can
Dbm
  He'll never love you
 Ebm    E       B
Like I can, can     

            Ab5
A chance encounter 
           Gb5    B
Of circumstance 
              Ab5
Maybe he's a mantra
                Gb5        B
Keeps your mind entranced 
                 Ab5
He could be the silence 
        Gb5     Eb5
In this     mayhem, but then again 
Db5
  He'll never love you
 Ab5    E       B
Like I can, can   can

Gb
  Why are you looking 
     Ebm            Abm
Down all the wrong roads 
E
  When mine is the heart 
         B           Gb
And the salt of the soul

There may be lovers 
     Ebm            Abm
Who hold out their hands but 
Dbm
  He'll never love you
 Abm    E       B
Like I can, can   can
Dbm
  He'll never love you
        E       B
Like I can, can   
Dbm
  He'll never love you
        E       B
Like I can, can   

    Abm
We both have demons 
      E         B
That we can't stand 
   Abm
I love your demons
      E        B
Like devils can 
    E
If you're self seeking
    Gb       Abm
An honest man 
       Dbm                 Eb7
Then stop deceiving Lord please 

Gb
  Why are you looking 
     Ebm            Abm
Down all the wrong roads 
E
  When mine is the heart 
         B             Gb
And the salt oF#5 the soul

There may be lovers 
     Ebm            Abm
Who hold out their hands but 
Dbm
  He'll never love you
 Abm    E       B
Like I can, can   can
Dbm
  He'll never love you
        E       B
Like I can, can   
Dbm
  He'll never love you
        E       B
Like I can, can

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Like I Can Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Like I Can: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Ab5 and ends on B. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Bb major and G minor. 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 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	—
bII	B	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	B · D# · F#	19×
bII	B5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · F#	3×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	—
biii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	9×
bIII	Db5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Ab	3×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
III	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	—
IV	Eb5	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Bb	3×
iv	Ebm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Eb · Gb · Bb	7×
IV7	Eb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
#IV	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	16×
#IV	E5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · B	1×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
bVI	Gb5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · Db	9×
bVI	Gb	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Gb · Bb · Db	7×
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	—
bVII	Ab5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Eb	12×
bvii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	12×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	—
bII	Ab5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Eb	12×
bii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	12×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
#III	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	19×
#III	B5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · F#	3×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	—
#iv	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	9×
#IV	Db5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Ab	3×
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	—
VI	Eb5	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · Bb	3×
vi	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	7×
VI7	Eb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
#VI	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	16×
#VI	E5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · B	1×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—
#VII	Gb5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · Db	9×
#VII	Gb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · Bb · Db	7×

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 13 different chords appear 102 times in total; 1 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. B, Gb, Ebm are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

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 B, land on B, D#, F# — 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.
Over Ab5, land on Ab, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On B, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F#) 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

1 semitone up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Ab5 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is B, E, Ab5, Abm — bII–#IV–bVII–bvii from the Bb side, #III–#VI–bII–bii from the Gm side. B briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. It closes on B, letting the Bb 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.