Rihanna - Man Down - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Bb, Cm, Ab Easy key G

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Capo 0

Cm  Bb  Cm  Bb  Cm  Bb  Ab  Bb

         Cm
I didn't mean to end his life

I know it wasn't right
       Bb
I cant even sleep at night

Cant get it off my mind
       Cm
I need to get out of sight
                       Bb
Before I end up behind bars

             Cm
What started out as a simple altercation
         Bb
Turned into a real sticky situation
        Ab
Me just thinking on the time that im facing
           Bb
Makes me wanna cry


Cm                        Bb
 Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
                        Cm
Coulda been somebodies son 
                 Bb
And I took his heart when
                    Cm
I pulled out that gun

Cm                                Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum

Man Down
Ab                                Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum
      Cm
Man Down

Cm
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb
I just shot a man down
           Cm
In central station
             Bb
In front of a big ol crowd

   Cm     Bb
Oh why Oh why
   Ab
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb 
I just shot a man down
           
Cm
It's a 22 

I Call her Peggy sue
              b
When she fits right down in my shoes 

What do you expect me to do
             Cm
If you're playing me for a fool

I will lose my cool
              Bb
And reach for my fire arm
                 Cm
I didn't mean to lay him down
                    Bb
But its too late to turn back now
      Ab
don't know what I was thinking 

Now hes no longer living
     Bb
So imma bout to leave town

Cm                        Bb
 Cause I didn't mean to hurt him
                        Cm
Coulda been somebodies son 
                 Bb
And I took his heart when
                    Cm
I pulled out that gun

Cm                                Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum

Man Down
Ab                                Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum
      Cm
Man Down

Cm
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb
I just shot a man down
           Cm
In central station
             Bb
In front of a big ol crowd

   Cm     Bb
Oh why Oh why
   Ab
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb 
I just shot a man down

   Cm
In central station

          Cm
Look I never thought i'd do it

Never thought i'd do it
Bb
Never thought i'd do it

Oh gosh
     Cm
What ever happened to me

Ever happened to me
Bb
Ever happened to me

          Cm
Why did I pull the trigger

Pull the trigger pull the trigger BOOM
          Bb
And end a ni**a end a ni**as life so soon
        Ab
When mi pull the trigger pull the trigger pull it pon you
    Bb   
Somebody tell me what im gonna what im gonna do

Cm                                      Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum

Mi say wah man down( A weh mi say)
Cm                                      Bb
Rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum, rum pu pu pum

When mi went downtown
               Cm
Cause now imma criminal criminal criminal
          Bb
Oh lord a mercy now I am a criminal

Man Down
Ab                                 
Tell the judge please gimme minimal
          Bb
Run out a town none a dem cah see mi now

Cm
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb
I just shot a man down
           Cm
In central station
             Bb
In front of a big ol crowd

   Cm     Bb
Oh why Oh why
   Ab
Oh mama mama mama
       Bb 
I just shot a man down

   Cm
In central station

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Man Down Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Man Down: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Cm and ends on Cm. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C minor side because it both starts and finishes on Cm and Cm is heard 36 times while Eb never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	—
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	—
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	—
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	10×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	39×
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	36×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	36×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	—
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	—
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	—
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	10×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	39×

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 3 different chords appear 85 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

Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×29
Ab Bb EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×10

The move to watch is Bb → Cm, heard 29 times. From the Cm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Eb side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Eb, lands on Cm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — 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.

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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

4 semitones up
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Cm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Bb, Cm, Ab — V–vi–IV from the Eb side, VII–i–VI from the Cm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bb → Cm (V → vi in Eb, VII → i in Cm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is Cm; the ear comes to rest in Cm.

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.