Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Robbie Williams - Better Man - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords C, F, Dm7, Gm7, Bb9, Dm, Ab, Cm7 … Easy key Ab
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
F Dm7
Send someone to love me, I need to rest in arms
Bb9 C
Keep me safe from harm in pouring rain
F Dm7
Give me endless summer, Lord I fear the cold
Bb9 C
Feel I'm getting old before my time
Gm7 C F C Dm
As my soul heals the shame I will grow through the pain
Gm7 C F
Lord I'm doing all I can to be a better man
F Dm7
Go easy on my conciense cos it's not my fault
Bb9 C
I know I've been told to take the blame
F Dm7
Rest assured my angels will catch my tears
Bb9 C
Walk me out of here I'm in pain
Gm7 C F C Dm
As my soul heals the shame I will grow through the pain
Gm7 C C4 C F
Lord I'm doing all I can to be a better man
Ab Cm7
Once you've found that lover you're homeward bound
Eb Fm
Love is all around, love is all around
Ab Cm7
I know some have fallen on stony ground
Gm7 C
But love is all around
F Dm7
Send someone to love me, I need to rest in arms
Bb9 C
Keep me safe from harm in pouring rain
F Dm7
Give me endless summer, Lord I fear the cold
Bb9 C
Feel I'm getting old before my time
Gm7 C F C Dm7
As my soul heals the shame I will grow through the pain
Gm7 C F
Lord I'm doing all I can to be a better man
End of song Play again?
Robbie Williams - Better Man Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Robbie Williams – Better Man: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Eb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Db (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 Eb minor side because the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Gb | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| bii7 | Gm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D · F | 7× |
| ii | Abm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| II | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 2× |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V7/vi | Bb9 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant | Bb · D · F · Ab · C | 6× |
| IV | Cb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #IV | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 17× |
| #iv7 | Cm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| #IV | C4 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 1× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| bvi7 | Dm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A · C | 7× |
| bvi | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 2× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| V/ii | Eb | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant | Eb · G · Bb | 1× |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/iii | F | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 12× |
| vii | Fm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| V/iv | Eb | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Abmsecondary dominant | Eb · G · Bb | 1× |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/v | F | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 12× |
| ii | Fm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| #iii7 | Gm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D · F | 7× |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| IV | Ab | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Ab · C · Eb | 2× |
| v | Bbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V7 | Bb9 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F · Ab · C | 6× |
| VI | Cb | Submediant — warm colour | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #VI | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 17× |
| #vi7 | Cm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| #VI | C4 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 1× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #vii7 | Dm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A · C | 7× |
| #vii | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 2× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 11 different chords appear 58 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Gb, the same Bb9 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Ebm. F, Eb 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
- Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Bb9 comes, swap the scale's Db 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 Gb major shapes
- Capo 2 + E shapes
- Capo 4 + D shapes
- Capo 6 + C shapes
With Eb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Dm shapes
- Capo 6 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on F, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are C, F, Dm7, Gm7; read them as #IV–V/iii–bvi7–bii7 in Gb or #VI–V/v–#vii7–#iii7 in Ebm. F is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on F, the song seals Gb as home.
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.
Robbie Williams - Better Man Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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