Elton John - Crocodile Rock - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, D, Em, Bm, A7, D7, E … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G  C  D
G  Em  C  D

     G
I remember when rock was young
        Bm
Me and Susie had so much fun
         C
Holding hands and skimmin´ stones
       D
Had an old gold Chevy

And a place of my own

         G
But the biggest kick I ever got
              Bm
Was doin' a thing called the Crocodile Rock
          C
While the other kids were rockin'

'Round the clock
         D
We were hoppin' and  boppin'

To the Crocodile Rock, well

Em
   Crock Rockin' is something shockin'
           A7
When your feet just can't keep still
D7                               
   I never knew me a better time
        G
And I guess I never will
E
Oh, Lawdy mamma, those Friday nights
      A7
When Susie wore her dresses tight and
D7                                   C         
   The Crockdile Rockin' was out of sight

G  Em  C  D

         G
But the years went by and rock just died
 Bm
Susie went and left me for some  foreign guy
 C
Long nights cryin' by the record machine
  D
Dreamin' of my Chevy and my old blue jeans

             G
But they'll never kill the thrills we've got
        Bm
Burnin' up to the Crocodile Rock
          C
Learning fast till the weeks went past
            D/F#
We really thought the Crocodile Rock

Would last, well

Em
   Crock Rockin' is something shockin'
           A7
When your feet just can't keep still
D7                               
   I never knew me a better time
        G
And I guess I never will
E
Oh, Lawdy mamma, those Friday nights
      A7
When Susie wore her dresses tight and
D7                                   C         
   The Crockdile Rockin' was out of sight

G  Em  C  D

     G
I remember when rock was young
        Bm
Me and Susie had so much fun
         C
Holding hands and skimmin' stones
      D
Had a old gold Chevy

And a place of my own

         G
But the biggest kick I ever got
              Bm
Was doin' a thing called the Crocodile Rock
          C
While the other kids were rockin'

'Round the clock
         D
We were hoppin' and  boppin'

To the Crocodile Rock, well

Em
   Crock Rockin' is something shockin'
           A7
When your feet just can't keep still
D7                               
   I never knew me a better time
        G
And I guess I never will
E
Oh, Lawdy mamma, those Friday nights
      A7
When Susie wore her dresses tight and
D7                                   C         
   The Crockdile Rockin' was out of sight

G  Em  C  D 
G  Em  C  D 
G  Em  C  D  G

End of song Play again?

Elton John - Crocodile Rock Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elton John – Crocodile Rock: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on G. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it both starts and finishes on G and G is heard 17 times against 9 for 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×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
V7/V	A7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	6×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	6×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	16×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	12×
V7	D7	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A · C	6×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	1×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	9×
V/ii	E	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	3×
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×
V/iv	E	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	3×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	17×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
IV7	A7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E · G	6×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	6×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	16×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	12×
VII7	D7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A · C	6×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	1×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 9 different chords appear 76 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A7, E act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×12
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×10
A7 D7 GV7/V → V7secondary resolution EmIV7 → VII7 ×6
D7 G GV7 → Iauthentic cadence EmVII7 → III ×3
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×3
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is C → D, heard 12 times. From the G side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Em side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). 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 C, land on C, E, G — 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.

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

The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is G, C, D, Em — I–IV–V–vi from the G side, III–VI–VII–i from the Em side. A7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D. Keep an ear on C → D (IV → V in G, VI → VII in Em): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. It closes on G, 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.