Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords A, D, G, E Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

A  G  A  G 

  A
There is nothing that is wrong
                                 D
in wanting you to stay here with me.
    A
I know you've got somewhere to go,
                                          D
but won't you make yourself at home and stay with me
               E
and don't you ever leave

 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, and rest here in my arms,
 E                                   A      G
don't you think you want someone to talk to.
 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon,
  E                                      A          G
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you

     A
The sun ain't nearly on the rise
                                      D
and we still got the moon and stars above
 A
Underneath the velvet skies
                                     D
love is all that matters, won't you stay with me
               E
and don't you ever leave

 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, and rest here in my arms
 E                                   A      G
don't you think you want someone to talk to
 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon,
  E                                      A          G
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you

   A
I long to see the morning light
                           D
coloring your face so dreamily
    A
So don't you go and say goodbye
                                    D
you can lay your worries down and stay with me
               E
and don't you ever leave

 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, and rest here in my arms
 E                                   A      G
don't you think you want someone to talk to
 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon
  E                                      A          G
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you

 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, and rest here in my arms
 E                                   A      G
don't you think you want someone to talk to
 A                    D
Lay down, Sally, no need to leave so soon
  E                                      A          G  A  G  A  G 
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – Lay Down Sally: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A and ends on G. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it opens on A and A is heard 26 times while F#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	26×
ii	Bm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F#	—
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
III	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	—
IV	D	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F# · A	14×
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	11×
vi	F#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F# · A · C#	—
bVII	G	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	G · B · D	12×
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	F#m	Tonic — home	F# · A · C#	—
bII	G	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	G · B · D	12×
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	26×
iv	Bm	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F#	—
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI	D	Submediant — warm colour	D · F# · A	14×
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	11×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 63 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

E A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×11
G A AbVII → IbVII → I F#mbII → III ×11
D E AIV → VIV → V F#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×11
D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×3

The move to watch is E → A, heard 11 times. From the A side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the F#m side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm 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 A; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is A, D, G, E — I–IV–bVII–V from the A side, III–VI–bII–VII from the F#m side. G briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on E → A (V → I in A, VII → III in F#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in A.

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.