Elvis Presley - If I Can Dream - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, G, D, Am, Bm, C7, A … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

             C              Am       F         G
There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
          C            Am          F        G
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
         C          C7
If I can dream of a better land
      F                    E
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
        C       Am      F             Em
Tell me why, oh why, oh why, can't my dream come
Dm       G
True? (oh why)

                C              Am     F      G
There must be peace and understanding sometime
                 C                Am            F
Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt
     G
and fear
           C          C7
If I can dream of a warmer sun
     F                    E
Where hope keeps shining everyone

        C       Am      F     Em         Dm
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun
 G7    C     C7
Appppppear?

F               F#      C            C7
We're lost in a cloud with too much rain
F                 F#     C                    C7
We're trapped in a world that's troubled with pain
F                F#           C           Am
But as long as a man has the strength to dream
         D7                G           A
He can redeem his soul and fly, (he can fly)

           D               Bm       G        A
Deep in my heart there's a tremblin question
           D             Bm
Still I am sure that the answer, answer's going to
G        A
Come somehow
                 D   D7                   G
Out there in the dark there's a beckoning candle
 Ab 
O yeah
                D                  Bm
And while I can think, while I can talk
            D                  Bm
While I can stand, while I can walk
            G
While I can dream
                 E7
Oh please let my dream
     A
Come true
      D   Bm                D   Bm
Right now, let it come true now!
  D    G   D
O yeah!

End of song Play again?

Elvis Presley - If I Can Dream Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elvis Presley – If I Can Dream: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on D. 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 17 times against 7 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	12×
V7/IV	C7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	5×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	2×
V/V	D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	9×
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	2×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	2×
V7/vi	E7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	1×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	11×
#IV	F#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A# · C#	3×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	11×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	1×
bVI	Ab	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	1×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	7×
V/ii	A	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	4×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—
vii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	6×

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	7×
V/iv	A	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	4×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
ii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	6×
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	12×
V7/VI	C7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	5×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	2×
IV	D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A	9×
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	2×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	2×
V7	E7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	1×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	11×
#VI	F#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A# · C#	3×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	11×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	1×
#VII	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	1×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 16 different chords appear 79 times in total; 7 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 / E7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. D, C7, A, D7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Ab is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×5
C7 F CV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution AmV7/VI → VI ×5
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
D7 G CV7/V → Vsecondary resolution AmIV7 → VII ×2
G7 C CV7 → Iauthentic cadence AmVII7 → III ×1
Dm G Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×1

The move to watch is G → C, heard 5 times. From the C side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Am side it is VII → III. 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 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 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.
On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) 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 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is C, F, G, D — I–IV–V–V/V from the C side, III–VI–VII–IV from the Am side. C7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/IV), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7/VI) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on G → C (V → I in C, VII → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on D, letting the C side have the last word.

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.

Elvis Presley - If I Can Dream 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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