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)
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords A, Dbm, Bm, G, E, Gbm, D Easy key C
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A Dbm G Bm
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
E Gbm A
Whatever colors you have in your mind
E Gbm A
I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile
E Gbm A
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
E Gbm A
And you're the best thing that he's ever seen
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
Dbm E A
Why wait any longer for the world to begin
Dbm A
You can have your cake and eat it too
Dbm E A
Why wait any longer for the one you love
Dbm Bm
When he's standing in front of you
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead
E Gbm A
I long to see you in the morning light
E Gbm A
I long to reach for you in the night
A Dbm G Bm A Dbm G Bm
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead
A Bm Dbm D A
End of song Play again?
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bob Dylan – Lay Lady Lay: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 30 times against 6 for F#m. 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 30× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 21× |
| iii | Dbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Db · Fb · Ab | 24× |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 1× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 8× |
| vi | Gbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Gb · A · Db | 6× |
| bVII | G | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | G · B · D | 19× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gbm | Tonic — home | Gb · A · Db | 6× |
| bII | G | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | G · B · D | 19× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 30× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 21× |
| v | Dbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Db · Fb · Ab | 24× |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 1× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 8× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 7 different chords appear 109 times in total; 6 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 Gbm AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
- Bm E Aii → Vii → V F#miv → VII ×3
- E A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×2
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×1
The move to watch is E → Gbm, heard 6 times. From the A side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected A, lands on F#m); from the F#m side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 Dbm, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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
- 3 semitones up
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is A; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is A, Dbm, Bm, G — I–iii–ii–bVII from the A side, III–v–iv–bII from the F#m side. G briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on E → Gbm (V → vi in A, VII → i in F#m): deceptive cadence — expected A, lands on F#m. It closes on A, letting the A 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.
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay 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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