Frank Sinatra - That's Life - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, A7, D, Em, C, B7, C7, Ab … Difficulty already in its easiest key

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

G  Em  A7  D

       G                           B7
That's life (that's life), that's what all the people say
Em                          A7
You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May
G                    B7           Em
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
      A7                            D
When I'm back on top, back on top in June

               G                      B7
I said that's life (that's life), and as funny as it may seem
Em                          A7
Some people get their kicks stompin' on a dream
    G                   B7         Em
But I don't let it, let it get me down
             A7               D               G     C  G
'cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin' around

            G         G         G                  G7
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
           C      C        C           C7
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
A7                 A7               A7
Each time I find myself flat on my face
D              D          D    D      D
I pick myself up and get back in the race

       G                      B7
That's life (that's life), I tell you I can't deny it
Em                           A7
I thought of quitting, baby, but my heart just ain't gonna buy it
G                        B7                   Em
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
A7                          D              G   C  G
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly

             G         G          G               G7
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
           C      C        C           C7
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
A7                 A7               A7
Each time I find myself flat on my face
D              D          Eb
I pick myself up and get back in the race

Ab                                          C7
That's life (that's life), that's life and I can't deny it
Fm                                  Bb7
Many times I thought of cuttin' out but my heart won't buy it
Ab                    C7                      Fm
But if there's nothin' shakin' come this here July
          Bb7                  Eb            Ab   B7  Em
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball a and die

Em  Ab
My, my

End of song Play again?

Frank Sinatra - That's Life Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Frank Sinatra – That's Life: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (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 G major side because it opens on G, G is heard 19 times against 9 for Em and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	17×
V7/IV	G7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	2×
bII	Ab	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	4×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
V7/V	A7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	13×
bIII7	Bb7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V7/vi	B7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	7×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	8×
IV7	C7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb	4×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	11×
bVI	Eb	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	2×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	9×
bvii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	2×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	9×
bii	Fm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C	2×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	17×
V7/VI	G7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	2×
#III	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	4×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
IV7	A7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E · G	13×
#IV7	Bb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F · Ab	2×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V7	B7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F# · A	7×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	8×
VI7	C7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb	4×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	11×
#VII	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	2×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 12 different chords appear 81 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. A7, G7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Ab, Eb, Bb7 are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B7 Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×7
A7 D GV7/V → Vsecondary resolution EmIV7 → VII ×6
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×5
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×2
G7 C GV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution EmV7/VI → VI ×2
C7 Fm GIV7 → bviisecondary resolution EmVI7 → bii ×2

The move to watch is B7 → Em, heard 7 times. From the G side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: B7 resolves a fourth up to Em); from the Em side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A7, 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.
When B7 comes, swap the scale's D for D#: 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are G, A7, D, Em; read them as I–V7/V–V–vi in G or III–IV7–VII–i in Em. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B7 → Em (V7/vi → vi in G, V7 → i in Em): secondary resolution — B7 resolves a fourth up to Em. It closes on Ab, letting the G 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.

Frank Sinatra - That's Life 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.

Find something to play next

Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.

Report error for this content report.

All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.

🎤 Frank Sinatra Chords

View All →

🎲 Random Chords in the Key of G

View All →