Major view
B major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River - Chord
Key B major – G# minor Chords Abm, Eb7, E, Db Easy key G (capo 4)
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Key: B | Abm | G#m
Capo: 0
Abm Eb7 E Db
Abm Eb7
You were my sun
E Db
You were my earth
Abm Eb7
But you didn't know all the ways
E Db
I loved you, no
Abm Eb7
So you took a chance
E Db
And made other plans
Abm Eb7
But I bet you didn't think your thing
E Db
Would come crashing down, no
Abm Eb7
You don't have to say, what you did
E Db
I already know, I found out from him
Abm Eb7
Now there's just no chance, for you and me
E
There'll never be
Db Abm
And don't it make you sad about it
Eb7
You told me you loved me
E Db
Why did you leave me, all alone
Abm Eb7
Now you tell me you need me
E Db
When you call me, on the phone
Abm Eb7
Girl I refuse
E
You must have me confused
Db
With some other guy
Abm Eb7
Your bridges were burned
E Db
And now it's your turn to cry
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river
E Db
Cry me a river
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river
E Db
Cry me a river, yeah yeah
Abm Eb7
I know that they say
E Db
That somethings are better left unsaid
Abm Eb7
It wasn't like you only
E Db
Talked to him and you know it
(Don't act like you don't know it)
Abm Eb7
All of these things people told me
E Db
Keep messing with my head
(Messing with my head)
Abm Eb7
You should've picked honesty
E Db
Then you may not have blown it
Abm Eb7
You don't have to say, what you did
E Db
I already know, I found out from him
Abm Eb7
Now there's just no chance, for you and me
E
There'll never be
Db Abm
And don't it make you sad about it
Eb7
You told me you loved me
E Db
Why did you leave me, all alone
Abm Eb7
Now you tell me you need me
E Db
When you call me, on the phone
Abm Eb7
Girl I refuse
E
You must have me confused
Db
With some other guy
Abm Eb7
Your bridges were burned
E Db
And now it's your turn to cry
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river
E Db
Cry me a river
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river
E Db
Cry me a river, yeah yeah
Abm Eb7
Oh (Oh)
E
The damage is done
Db
So I guess I be leaving
Abm Eb7
Oh (Oh)
E
The damage is done
Db
So I guess I be leaving
Abm Eb7
Oh (Oh)
E
The damage is done
Db
So I guess I be leaving
Abm Eb7
Oh (Oh)
E
The damage is done
Db
So I guess I be leaving
Abm Eb7
You don't have to say, what you did
E Db
I already know, I found out from him
Abm Eb7
Now there's just no chance, for you and me
E
There'll never be
Db Abm
And don't it make you sad about it
Eb7
(go on and just)
E Db
Cry me a river (baby go on and just)
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river (you can go on and just)
E Db
Cry me a river, yeah yeah
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river (baby go on and just)
E Db
Cry me a river (go on and just)
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river ('cause I've already cried)
E Db
Cry me a river (ain't cry no more, yeah, yeah)
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river
E Db
Cry me a river, oh
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river, oh
E Db
Cry me a river, oh
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river, oh
E Db
Cry me a river, oh
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river, oh
E Db
Cry me a river, oh
Abm Eb7
Cry me a river, oh
E Db
Cry me a river, oh
Abm
Cry me a river
End of song Play again?
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Abm and ends on Abm. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = E (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F# (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 G# minor side because it both starts and finishes on G#m, G#m is heard 41 times while B never appears and the major V chord points straight at G#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from B 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 B or to G#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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | — |
| ii | C#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G# | — |
| II | Db | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · F · Ab | 40× |
| iii | D#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V7/vi | Eb7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Abmsecondary dominant | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 40× |
| IV | E | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G# · B | 40× |
| V | F# | Dominant — strongest pull home | F# · A# · C# | — |
| vi | Abm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Ab · Cb · Eb | 41× |
| vii° | A#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A# · C# · E | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Abm | Tonic — home | Ab · Cb · Eb | 41× |
| ii° | A#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E | — |
| III | B | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | — |
| iv | C#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | C# · E · G# | — |
| IV | Db | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Db · F · Ab | 40× |
| v | D#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V7 | Eb7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 40× |
| VI | E | Submediant — warm colour | E · G# · B | 40× |
| VII | F# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F# · A# · C# | — |
Analysis
The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 4 different chords appear 161 times in total; 2 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of G#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from B, the same Eb7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for G#m. Db step outside the scale as colour chords.
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
- B major pentatonic and G# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (B – C# – D# – F# – G#): start from B for a brighter phrase, from G# for a bluesier one.
- Over Abm, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb7, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Eb7 comes, swap the scale's F# 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 B major shapes
- Capo 2 + A shapes
- Capo 4 + G shapes
- Capo 7 + E shapes
With G# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Em shapes
- Capo 6 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Abm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Abm, Eb7, E, Db; read them as vi–V7/vi–IV–II in B or i–V7–VI–IV in G#m. Eb7 is the interesting twist: in B it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in G#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on Abm, the song seals G#m 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.
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River 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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