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)
Twenty One Pilots - Heathens - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords Em, C, Am, B7 Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
C Am Em
C Am Em
All my friends are heathens, take it slow
C Am Em
Wait for them to ask you who you know
C Am Em
Please don't make any sudden moves
C Am Em
You don't know the half of the abused
C
Welcome to the room of people
Em
Who have rooms of people that they loved one day, docked away
Am
Just because we check the guns at the door
Em
Doesn't mean our brains will change from hand grenades
C
You'll never know the psychopath sitting next to you
Em
You'll never know the murderer sitting next to you
C Am B7
You'll think, "How'd I get here sitting next to you?"
And after all I've said, please don't forget
C Am Em
All my friends are heathens, take it slow
C Am Em
Wait for them to ask you who you know
C Am Em
Please don't make any sudden moves
C Am Em
You don't know the half of the abused
C
We don't deal with outsiders very well
Em
They say newcomers have a certain smell
Am
You have trust issues, not to mention
Em
They say they can smell your intentions
C
You'll never know the freakshow sitting next to you
Em Am
You have some weird people sitting next to you
C Amn B7
You'll think, "How'd I get here sitting next to you?"
But after all I've said, please don't forget (Watch it)
C Am Em C Am Em
C Am Em
All my friends are heathens, take it slow
C Am Em
Wait for them to ask you who you know
C Am Em
Please don't make any sudden moves
C Am Em
You don't know the half of the abused
C Am Em
All my friends are heathens, take it slow (watch it)
C Am Em
Wait for them to ask you who you know (watch it)
C Am Em
All my friends are heathens, take it slow (watch it)
C Am Em
Wait for them to ask you who you know
C Am Em
Why'd you come, you knew you should have stayed
C Am Em
I tried to warn you just to stay away
C Am Em
And now they're outside ready to bust
C Am Em
It looks like you might be one of us
End of song Play again?
Twenty One Pilots - Heathens Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Twenty One Pilots – Heathens: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on Em. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
E minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = D# (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 E minor side because it comes to rest on Em, Em is heard 29 times while G never appears and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | G | Tonic — home | G · B · D | — |
| ii | Am | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E | 27× |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | — |
| V7/vi | B7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# · A | 1× |
| IV | C | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G | 28× |
| V | D | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | — |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 29× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 29× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | — |
| iv | Am | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E | 27× |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | — |
| V7 | B7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# · A | 1× |
| VI | C | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G | 28× |
| VII | D | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | — |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 4 different chords appear 85 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em.
Chord movement
- Am Em Gii → vi Emiv → iminor plagal ×25
- C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×4
- Am B7 Gii → V7/vi Emiv → V7iv → V ×1
The move to watch is Am → Em, heard 25 times. From the Em side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the G side it reads ii → vi. 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 Em, land on E, G, B — 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 Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When B7 comes, swap the scale's D for D#: 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 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
Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Em, C, Am, B7 — vi–IV–ii–V7/vi from the G side, i–VI–iv–V7 from the Em side. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Am → Em (ii → vi in G, iv → i in Em): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on Em, letting the Em 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.
Twenty One Pilots - Heathens 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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