Sam Smith - One Day At A Time - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, C, G, G6, Am, E Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C
Let's turn off our phones tonight
      G6
And rely on the stars
Am
We've been so lost lately
      E
We forgot who we are
    C
But I got everything I need, baby
       G6
In the palms of your touch
     Am
In a world of dark distractions
       E
It can all get too much

                   F
So let's sit by an English river
         C
'Til the water runs dry
               F
Can we light a cigarette
               G
And talk about days gone by
              F
We're neither saints or sinners
              C
So leave your history behind
      F
Let's grab a bottle and take it one day at a time
        G
Take it one day at a time

  C
I know you're feeling weighed down tonight
    G6
And you can't find the breaks
      Am
Every day is too long for you
        E
You are sworn to your fate
           C
But we got everything we need, baby
       G6
In the memories we make
     Am
In a world of reinventions
     E
It's never too late

                   F
So let's sit by an English river
         C
'Til the water runs dry
               F
Can we light a cigarette
               G
And talk about days gone by
              F
We're neither saints or sinners
              C
So leave your history behind
      F
Let's grab a bottle and take it one day at a time
        G
Take it one day at a time, mmm
                       F
Oh, so let's sit by an English river
         C
'Til the water runs dry
         F
There is nothing that we've done wrong
     G
That can't be made right
              F
We're neither saints or sinners
              C
So leave your history behind
      F
Let's grab a bottle and take it
G
Grab a bottle and take it
C                         F            G
Grab a bottle and take it one day at a time

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - One Day At A Time Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – One Day At A Time: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
#7 = G# (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 C major side because it opens on C, C is heard 11 times against 4 for Am and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	11×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	4×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	13×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	7×
V6	G6	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · E	4×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	4×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	4×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	11×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	4×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	13×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	7×
VII6	G6	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · E	4×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 43 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am.

Chord movement

F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×7
F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×6
G6 Am CV6 → videceptive cadence AmVII6 → iAeolian arrival ×4
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2

The move to watch is F → G, heard 7 times. From the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: 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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F, C, G, G6 carry the song: IV–I–V–V6 relative to C, VI–III–VII–VII6 relative to Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.