Taylor Swift - The Man - Chord

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

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Capo 0

           F                   G
I would be complex, I would be cool
             C                                   Am
They'd say I played the field before I found someone to commit to
                  F              G
And that would be okay for me to do
      C                                 Am
Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

F
 I'd be a fearless leader
G
 I'd be an alpha type
C
 When everyone believes ya
Am
 What's that like

F                         G
I'm so sick of running as fast as I can
C                                      Am
 Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man
    F                          G
And I'm so sick of them coming at me again
          C                 Am
'Cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man
           F   G
I'd be the man
           C   Am
I'd be the man

             F                   G
They'd say I hustled, put in the work
              C                                       Am
They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve
           F                 G
What I was wearing, if I was rude
             C                       Am
Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves

F                             G
 And they would toast to me, oh, let the players play
C                   Am
 I'd be just like Leo in Saint Tropez

F                         G
I'm so sick of running as fast as I can
C                                      Am
 Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man
    F                          G
And I'm so sick of them coming at me again
          C                 Am
'Cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man
           F   G
I'd be the man
           C   Am
I'd be the man

                             F
What's it like to brag about raking in dollars
            G
And getting bitches and models?
             C
And it's all good if you're bad
          Am
And it's okay if you're mad
             F                             G
If I was out flashing my dollars, I'd be a bitch not a baller
                C
They'd paint me out to be bad
          Am
So, it's okay that I'm mad

F                         G
I'm so sick of running as fast as I can
C                                      Am
 Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man (You know that)
    F                          G
And I'm so sick of them coming at me again (Coming at me again)
          C
'Cause if I was a man (If I was a man)
     Am
Then I'd be the man (Then I'd be the man)
F                         G
I'm so sick of running as fast as I can (As fast as I can)
C                                      Am
 Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man (Hey)
    F                          G
And I'm so sick of them coming at me again (Coming at me again)
          C                                  Am
'Cause if I was a man (If I was a man), then I'd be the man
           F   G
I'd be the man
           C       Am
I'd be the man (Oh)
           F         G
I'd be the man (Yeah)
           C   Am
I'd be the man (I'd be the man)

End of song Play again?

Taylor Swift - The Man Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Taylor Swift – The Man: key and chord analysis

The song opens on F and ends on Am. 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: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it comes to rest on Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 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	20×
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	20×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	20×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	20×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	20×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	20×
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	20×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	20×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 80 times in total; 4 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

G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×20
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×20

The move to watch is G → C, heard 20 times. From the Am side it is VII → III; from the C side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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.

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

The first chord is F; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is F, G, C, Am — IV–V–I–vi from the C side, VI–VII–III–i from the Am side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → C (V → I in C, VII → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.

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.