Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Eric Clapton - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords A7, Dm, C, F, D7, E7, Gb, D7/F# … Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
C E7 A7 Dm A7 Dm
F Gb C A7 D7 D7/F# G7
C E7
Once I lived the life of a
A7
Millionaire
Dm A7
Spent all my money
Dm
Didn’t have any care
F Gb
Took all my friends out
C A7
For a mighty good time
D7 D7/F#
We bought bootleg liquor
G7
Champagne and wine
C E7 A7
Then I began to fall so low
Dm A7
Lost all my good friends
Dm
Had nowhere to go
F Gb C A7
If I get my hands on a dollar again
D7 D7/F#
I’ll hang on to it
G7
‘til that old eagle grins
Because
C E7 A7
Nobody knows you
Dm A7 Dm
When you're down and out
F Gb C A7
In your pocket, not one penny
D7 D7/F#
And as for friends
G7
You don't have many
C E7
When you get back
A7
On your feet again
Dm A7
Everybody wants to be your
Dm
Long lost friend
F Gb
I said it straight
A7
Without any doubt
D7 D7/F#
Nobody knows you
G7
When you're down and out
C E7 A7 Dm A7 Dm
F Gb C A7 D7 D7/F# G7
C E7 A7
Nobody knows you
Dm A7 Dm
When you're down and out
F Gb C A7
In your pocket, not one penny
D7 D7/F#
And as for friends
G7
You don't have many
C E7
When you get back
A7
On your feet again
Dm A7
Everybody wants to be your
Dm
Long lost friend
F Gb
I said it straight
A7
Without any doubt
D7 D7/F#
Nobody knows you
F
Nobody knows you
D7 G7
Nobody knows you
B7/9 C7/9
When you're down and out
End of song Play again?
Eric Clapton - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Eric Clapton – Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on G7. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (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 D minor side because Dm is heard 16 times against 9 for F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 9× |
| bII | Gb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 8× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | — |
| V7/V | G7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D · F | 8× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V7/vi | A7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 24× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | — |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 14× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 16× |
| V7/ii | D7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 9× |
| V7/ii | D7/F# | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 8× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| V7/iii | E7 | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 8× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 16× |
| V7/iv | D7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 9× |
| V7/iv | D7/F# | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A · C | 8× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| V7/v | E7 | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 8× |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 9× |
| #III | Gb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · Bb · Db | 8× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | — |
| IV7 | G7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D · F | 8× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 24× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | — |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 14× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 9 different chords appear 104 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. D7, E7, D7/F#, G7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Gb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- A7 Dm FV7/vi → visecondary resolution DmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×16
- E7 A7 FV7/iii → V7/visecondary resolution DmV7/v → V7 ×8
- A7 D7 FV7/vi → V7/iisecondary resolution DmV7 → V7/iv ×8
- D7/F# G7 FV7/ii → V7/Vsecondary resolution DmV7/iv → IV7 ×7
- G7 C FV7/V → Vsecondary resolution DmIV7 → VII ×7
- D7 G7 FV7/ii → V7/Vsecondary resolution DmV7/iv → IV7 ×1
The move to watch is A7 → Dm, heard 16 times. From the Dm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the F side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over A7, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — 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.
- When A7 comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On Gb, follow the chord's notes (Gb · Bb · Db) 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am 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. The chords that keep coming back are A7, Dm, C, F; read them as V7/vi–vi–V–I in F or V7–i–VII–III in Dm. A7 is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A7 → Dm (V7/vi → vi in F, V7 → i in Dm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is G7; the ear comes to rest in F.
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.
Eric Clapton - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out 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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