Bruno Mars - Grenade - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords Dm, C, Bb, F, A, Am, A7, Gm Easy key C (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Dm
Easy come, easy go
That's just how you live, oh
Am
Take, take, take it all
But you never give
Dm
Should've known you was trouble
From the first kiss
Am
Had your eyes wide open
A7
Why were they open

Dm
Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
Am
You tossed it in the trash, you did
    Dm
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'cause
Bb                   A
What you don't understand is

                Dm      Bb        F
I'd catch a grenade for ya yeah, yeah
          C         Dm       Bb        F 
Throw my hand on a blade for ya yeah, yeah
              C         Dm       Bb        F 
I'd jump in front of a train for ya yeah, yeah
              C      Dm      Bb         F    C
You know I'd do anything for ya yeah, yeah
C             Bb                     C 
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain
        F                 A         Dm  C
Take a bullet straight through my brain
C           Bb              A
Yes, I would die for ya, baby
A
But you won't do the same

Dm  Dm  Am  Am
No, no no

Dm
Black, black, black and blue, beat me 'til I'm numb
          Am 
Tell the devil I said "hey" when you get back to where you're from
Dm
Mad woman, bad woman, that's just what you are
               Am                            A7
Yeah, you'll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car

Dm
Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash
Am
You tossed it in the trash, yes you did
    Dm
To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'cause
Bb                   A
What you don't understand is

                Dm      Bb        F
I'd catch a grenade for ya yeah, yeah
          C         Dm       Bb        F 
Throw my hand on a blade for ya yeah, yeah
              C         Dm       Bb        F 
I'd jump in front of a train for ya yeah, yeah
              C      Dm      Bb         F    C
You know I'd do anything for ya yeah, yeah
C             Bb                     C 
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain
        F                 A         Dm  C
Take a bullet straight through my brain
C           Bb              A
Yes, I would die for ya, baby
A
But you won't do the same

Gm
If my body was on fire,
Dm
Ooh, you'd watch me burn down in flames
Gm
You said you loved me, you're a liar
            A
'cause you never, ever, ever did, baby

Dm  Dm  Bb  A
            But, darling 

                      Dm      Bb        F
I'd still catch a grenade for ya yeah, yeah
          C         Dm       Bb        F 
Throw my hand on a blade for ya yeah, yeah
              C         Dm       Bb        F 
I'd jump in front of a train for ya yeah, yeah
              C      Dm      Bb         F    C
You know I'd do anything for ya yeah, yeah
C             Bb                     C 
Oh, oh, I would go through all of this pain
        F                 A         Dm  C
Take a bullet straight through my brain
C           Bb              A
Yes, I would die for ya, baby,
A
But you won't do the same. 

Dm   Dm
No, you won't do the same
Am   Am 
You wouldn't do the same
Dm   Dm
Ooh, you'd never do the same
Am   Am
Ohh, no no no

End of song Play again?

Bruno Mars - Grenade Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bruno Mars – Grenade: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Dm and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

F major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
#7 = C# (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 D minor side because it opens on Dm, Dm is heard 32 times against 15 for F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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 F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	15×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	2×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	12×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	13×
V7/vi	A7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	2×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	21×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	24×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	32×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	32×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	15×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	2×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	12×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	13×
V7	A7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E · G	2×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	21×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	24×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 8 different chords appear 121 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A / A7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm.

Chord movement

Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×12
A Dm FV/vi → vi DmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×9
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×9
Am Dm Fiii → vi Dmv → inatural-minor cadence ×6
C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×3
Bb C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3

The move to watch is Bb → F, heard 12 times. From the Dm side it is VI → III; from the F side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + E shapes
Capo 3 + D shapes
Capo 5 + C shapes

With D minor shapes

No capo — open Dm shapes
Capo 5 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Dm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Dm, C, Bb, F carry the song: vi–V–IV–I relative to F, i–VII–VI–III relative to Dm. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bb → F (IV → I in F, VI → III in Dm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on Am, letting the F 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.