Sam Smith - Kids Again - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords B, Ebm, Gb, E, Gb/A#, Abm, Em Easy key Ab

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Capo 0

B
Can't believe I still avoid the east side
Ebm
Even though I know that you don't live there now
B
Lately you're the only thing on my mind
   Ebm
And I can't stop my self on drivin' by your house
 
B                                        Ebm
Ooh, every time I hear a song it kind of hurts me still
     B                                      Ebm
And, ooh, even after all this time, I kinda miss you still
 
I'm wondering
 
E
  Do you even think about it
Gb
  The way that we changed the world
             B
And don't it make you sad
           Gb/A#
That we'll never be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E
  Tell me how you live without it
Gb
  Did somеbody change your world
             B
And now you don't look back
             Gb/A#
'Cause we'll nеver be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E                         Em
  No, we'll never, never, ever, ever, ever, ever
 
B
Livin' out of suitcases and hotels
Ebm
Drinking way too much and talking through the night
B
Really wish I didn't know you so well
Ebm
Wouldn't be so hard to leave the past behind

B                                        Ebm
Ooh, every time I hear a song it kind of hurts me still
     B                                      Ebm
And, ooh, even after all this time, I kinda miss you still
 
I'm wondering
 
E
  Do you even think about it
Gb
  The way that we changed the world
             B
And don't it make you sad
           Gb/A#
That we'll never be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E
  Tell me how you live without it
Gb
  Did somеbody change your world
             B
And now you don't look back
             Gb/A#
'Cause we'll nеver be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E                         Em
  No, we'll never, never, ever, ever, ever, ever
 
B  Ebm  B  Ebm
  Mm, mm
   B  Ebm
Mm I, I,
B   Ebm
Mm, mm
 
E
  Do you even think about it
Gb
  The way that we changed the world
             B
And don't it make you sad
           Gb/A#
That we'll never be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E
  Tell me how you live without it
Gb
  Did somеbody change your world
             B
And now you don't look back
             Gb/A#
'Cause we'll nеver be kids again
Abm         Gb
  No, we'll never be kids again
E                         Em
  No, we'll never, never, ever, ever, ever, ever

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Kids Again Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Kids Again: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
#7 = D# (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 E minor side because it comes to rest on Em, Em is heard 3 times while G never appears and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	—
bii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	6×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	18×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	—
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	—
bvi	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	12×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	3×
VI	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	9×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—
V/iii	Gb	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	12×
V/iii	Gb/A#	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	6×

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	3×
I	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	9×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
V/v	Gb	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	12×
V/v	Gb/A#	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	6×
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	—
#iii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	6×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	18×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	—
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	—
#vii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	12×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 7 different chords appear 66 times in total; 1 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. Gb, Gb/A# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

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

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ebm, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When B comes, swap the scale's D for D#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening B lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is B, Ebm, Gb, E — V/vi–bvi–V/iii–VI from the G side, V–#vii–V/v–I from the Em side. B is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. The final chord is Em; the ear comes to rest in Em.

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.