Ed Sheeran - Happier - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am7, F, C Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am7  F  C

Am7           F        C
Walking down 29th and Park
Am7        F            C
I saw you in another’s arms
Am7       F               C
Only a month we’ve been apart
          Am7          F            C
You look happier
Am7        F            C
Saw you walk inside a bar
Am7            F                 C 
He said something to make you laugh
Am7          F                      C
I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours
               Am7     F            C
Yeah, you look happier, you do


Am7            F              C
Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you
     Am7            F              C
But ain’t nobody love you like I do
Am7              F                C
Promise that I will not take it personal, baby
Am7               F               C
If you’re moving on with someone new


                     Am7     F    C
Cause baby you look happier, you do
                    Am7         F        C
My friends told me one day I’d feel it too
                    Am7       F        C
And until then I'll smile to hide the truth
                  Am7      F    C
But I know I was happier with you


Am7          F             C
Sat in the corner of the room
Am7               F            C
Everything’s reminding me of you
Am7         F     C                                Am7
Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself you’re happier
F      C
Aren’t you?


Am7            F              C
Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you
     Am7            F              C 
But ain’t nobody need you like I do
Am7                  F              C
I know that there’s others that deserve you
        Am7            F                  C
But my darling, I am still in love with you


                     Am7     F     C
But I guess you look happier, you do
                       Am7     F          C
My friends told me one day I’ll  feel it too
                Am7       F         C
I could try to smile to hide the truth
                 Am7     F      C
But I know I was happier with you

Heya heya heya
Am7   F    C


                Am7    F     C
Baby, you look happier, you do
                     Am7       F       C
I knew one day you’d fall for someone new
                      Am7        F       C
But if he breaks your heart like lovers do
                       Am7        F       C
Just know that I’ll be waiting here for you

End of song Play again?

Ed Sheeran - Happier Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ed Sheeran – Happier: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am7 and ends on C. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between C major and A minor because it comes to rest on C and it opens on Am. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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	34×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	34×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	—
vi7	Am7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E · G	34×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Am7	Tonic — home	A · C · E · G	34×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	34×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	34×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	—

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 3 different chords appear 102 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×34

The move to watch is F → C, heard 34 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → 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 Am7, land on A, C, E — 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 C, land on C, E, G — 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 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

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Am7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Am7, F, C — vi7–IV–I from the C side, i7–VI–III from the Am side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on C, the song seals C as home.

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.