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)
Tones And I - The Kids Are Coming - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords C, Am, Em, Dm, Bm Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am C Em Dm C Bm
Am
No one wants to listen to the kids these days
C
Yeah, the fibs these days, yeah
Em
They say that we're all the same
Dm C Bm
But they're the ones to blame
Am
Speaking of the young as if we killed someone
C
But we don't need your guns
Em
We're all too busy on the run
Dm C Bm
Tryna be someone
Am
The kids are comin'
C
The kids are gunnin'
Em
The kids are runnin'
Dm C Bm
The kids are comin'
Am
The kids are comin'
C
The kids are gunnin'
Em
The kids are runnin'
Dm
The kids are comin' for you
Am
No one seems to understand the kids these days
C
And why we live this way
Em
We got to clean up the mess you've made
Dm C Bm
Still you don't wanna change
Am
You create the law but can't control our thoughts
C
And no, we won't be bought
Em
We don't just protest for the fun
Dm C Bm
We're here to get it done
Am
The kids are comin'
C
The kids are gunnin'
Em
The kids are runnin'
Dm C Bm
The kids are comin'
Am
The kids are comin'
C
The kids are gunnin'
Em
The kids are runnin'
Dm
The kids are comin' for you
Am C Em Dm C Bm
Am
Now you've gone and done it and we locked you in the basement
C
Marching through the streets is not the only way to change things
Em
Now you've gone and done it and we locked you in the basement
Dm
Marching through the streets is not the only way to change things
This never would've happened when I was a boy
You kids these days and your millennium items
And your card games
And your loud music
And your hula hoops
And your hopscotch
And your dungarees
And your lollipops
And your Sony Playstations and your
Am
The kids are comin'
C
The kids are gunnin'
Em
The kids are runnin'
The kids are comin' for you
End of song Play again?
Tones And I - The Kids Are Coming Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Tones And I – The Kids Are Coming: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on Em. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 opens on Am and C is heard 20 times against 12 for 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 20× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 11× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 12× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | — |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | — |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 12× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| vii | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 8× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 12× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| ii | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 8× |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 20× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 11× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 12× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | — |
| 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). 5 different chords appear 63 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bm step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×3
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 3 times. From the C side it reads ii → vi; from the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). 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 C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — 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
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are C, Am, Em, Dm; read them as I–vi–iii–ii in C or III–i–v–iv in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is Em; the ear comes to rest in C.
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.
Tones And I - The Kids Are Coming 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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