Sam Smith - Drowning Shadows - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords D, G, Em, C, B7, Am7, Em7, Am … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em  D  G  C  B7

      Am7       Em7
Running around chasing hearts,
 D    G            D
chasing bodies to fix the parts.
  G        Am7         Em7
I don't know how I reached this place,
  D       G             D
so far from heaven, so far from grace.

G    Am
And I want to give in to the pressure,
                 Em
'cause I feel like the city's got the better of me.
D       G                  D
Oh, this casual love isn't what it seems,
G      Am
and I try to imagine something closer
     Em
and somebody who is good for me
 D    C
I'm so tired of all this searching,
B7
Do I, do I, do I, do I

 C    G         D        Em   D
Go home to nothing or stay out for more
 C       G      D        Em  D
Give in to someone or lock down my door
   C        Em     D         Am7   B5
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before
 G      B7       Em  D  G  C B7
Drowning shadows once more.

       Am7            Em7
The more I drink, the more I drown,
   D       G              D
If I'm not thinking, I won't lay down.
  G    Am7         Em7
The more I rise above it all,
  D     G          D
The less I care about the fall.

G    Am
And I want to give in to the pressure,
                 Em
'cause I feel like the city's got the better of me.
D       G                  D
Oh, this casual love isn't what it seems,
G      Am
and I try to imagine something closer
     Em
and somebody who is good for me
 D    C
I'm so tired of all this searching,
B7
Do I, do I, do I, do I

 C    G         D        Em   D
Go home to nothing or stay out for more
 C       G      D        Em  D
Give in to someone or lock down my door
   C        Em     D         Am7   B5
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before
 G      B7       Em  D  G  C B7
Drowning shadows once more.
   Em  D  G C B7
Once more.
    Em  D G C B7
Once more.

 C    G         D        Em   D
Go home to nothing or stay out for more
 C       G      B7
Give in to someone or lock down my door
   C        Em     D         Am7   B5
Or drown all my shadows, drown them like before
 G      B7      Am7
Drowning shadows once more.

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Drowning Shadows Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Drowning Shadows: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on Am7. 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 opens on Em, G is heard 26 times against 21 for Em 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	26×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	8×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	4×
III	B5	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · F#	3×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V7/vi	B7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	11×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	16×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	32×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	17×
vi7	Em7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B · D	4×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	17×
i7	Em7	Tonic — home	E · G · B · D	4×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	26×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	8×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	4×
V	B5	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · F#	3×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V7	B7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F# · A	11×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	16×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	32×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 9 different chords appear 121 times in total; 8 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 B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em.

Chord movement

D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×17
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×6
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×5
B7 Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
Am7 Em7 Gii7 → vi7 Emiv7 → i7minor plagal ×4
Am Em Gii → vi Emiv → iminor plagal ×4

The move to watch is D → G, heard 17 times. From the Em side it is VII → III; from the G side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

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 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 B7 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

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Em; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is D, G, Em, C — V–I–vi–IV from the G side, VII–III–i–VI from the Em side. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D → G (V → I in G, VII → III in Em): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is Am7; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.