Major view
Db major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Gb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine - Chord
Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Bbm, Ab, Db, Gb, Fm Easy key G (capo 6)
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Key: Db | A#m | Bbm
Capo: 0
Fm
So where are you? It's been a little while
Db Ab
Sippin' on straight chlorine, let the vibes slide over me
Bbm
This beat is a chemical, beat is a chemical
Gb Db
When I leave don't save my seat, I'll be back when it's all complete
Ab Bbm
The moment is medical, moment is medical
Db
Sippin' on straight chlorine
Db Ab
Lovin' what I'm tastin'
Bbm
Venom on my tongue
Db
Dependant at times
Ab
Poisonous vibration
Bbm
Help my body run
Gb Bbm
I'm runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Ab
Runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Db Ab
Sippin' on straight chlorine, let the vibes slide over me
Bbm
This beat is a chemical, beat is a chemical
Gb Db
When I leave don't save my seat, I'll be back when it's all complete
Ab Bbm
The moment is medical, moment is medical
Db
Sippin' on straight chlorine
Db Ab
Fall out of formation
Bbm
I plan my escape from walls they confined
Db Ab
Rebel red carnation
Bbm
Grows while I decay
Gb Bbm
I'm runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Ab
Runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Gb Bbm
Yeah, I'm runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Ab
Runnin' for my liiiiiiife
Db
Had you in my coat pocket, where I kept my rebel red
Ab
I felt I was invincible, you wrapped around my head
Bbm
Now different lives I lead, my body lives on lead
The last two lines may read incorrect until said
Gb
The lead is terrible in flavor
Db
But now you double as a papermaker
Ab
I despise you sometimes
I love to hate the fight and you in my life is like
Db Ab
Sippin' on straight chlorine, let the vibes slide over me
Bbm
This beat is a chemical, beat is a chemical
Gb Db
When I leave don't save my seat, I'll be back when it's all complete
Ab Bbm
The moment is medical, moment is medical
Db
Sippin' on straight chlorine
Db
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Ab
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Bbm
Beat is a chemical, yeah
Db
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Ab
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Bbm
Moment is medical, yeah
Sippin' on straight chlorine
Db
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Ab
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Bbm
Beat is a chemical, yeah
Db
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Ab
Let the vibe, let the vibe
Bbm
Moment is medical, yeah
Gb Db Bbm
I'm so sorry, I forgot you
Gb Bbm Ab Bbm
Let me catch you up to speed
Db Ab Bbm
I've been tested like the end of
Gb Bbm Ab Bbm
A weathered flag that's by the sea
Gb Bbm Ab
Can you build my house with pieces
Bbm
I'm just a chemical
Gb Bbm Ab
Can you build my house with pieces
Bbm
I'm just a chemical
Gb Bbm Ab
Can you build my house with pieces
Bbm
I'm just a chemical
Gb Bbm Ab
Can you build my house with pieces
Bbm
I'm just a chemical
End of song Play again?
Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Fm and ends on Bbm. Its chords belong to both Db major and Bbm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Bb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb minor side because it comes to rest on Bbm and Bbm is heard 32 times against 21 for Db. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db 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 Db or to Bbm; 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 | Db | Tonic — home | Db · F · Ab | 21× |
| ii | Ebm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| iii | Fm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| V/vi | F | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | — |
| IV | Gb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Gb · Bb · Db | 14× |
| V | Ab | Dominant — strongest pull home | Ab · C · Eb | 26× |
| vi | Bbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Bb · Db · F | 32× |
| vii° | Cdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Tonic — home | Bb · Db · F | 32× |
| ii° | Cdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| III | Db | Relative major — the bright side | Db · F · Ab | 21× |
| iv | Ebm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| v | Fm | Minor dominant — soft pull | F · Ab · C | 1× |
| V | F | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F · A · C | — |
| VI | Gb | Submediant — warm colour | Gb · Bb · Db | 14× |
| VII | Ab | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Ab · C · Eb | 26× |
Analysis
The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 5 different chords appear 94 times in total; 5 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
- Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×22
- Gb Bbm DbIV → vi BbmVI → iVI → i ×9
- Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×5
- Ab Db DbV → Iauthentic cadence BbmVII → III ×3
The move to watch is Ab → Bbm, heard 22 times. From the Bbm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Db side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Db, lands on Bbm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
- Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — 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 Db major shapes
- Capo 1 + C shapes
- Capo 4 + A shapes
- Capo 6 + G shapes
With Bb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Am shapes
- Capo 6 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Fm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Bbm, Ab, Db, Gb; read them as vi–V–I–IV in Db or i–VII–III–VI in Bbm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Ab → Bbm (V → vi in Db, VII → i in Bbm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is Bbm; the ear comes to rest in Bbm.
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 - Chlorine 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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