Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Ricky Montgomery - Line Without a Hook - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Ab, Eb, Fm, Db, Bbm, Cm Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Ab Fm
I don't really give a damn about the way you touch me when we're alone
Db Eb
You can hold my hand if no one's home
Ab Fm
Do you like it when I'm away
Db Eb
If I went and hurt my body, baby, would you love me the same
Ab Fm
I can feel all my bones coming back and I'm craving motion
Db Eb
Mama never really learned how to live by herself
Ab Fm Db Eb
It's a curse and it's growing, you're a pond and I'm an ocean
Ab Fm Db Eb Ab
All my emotions feel like explosions when you are around
Fm Db Eb
And I've found a way to kill the sound
Ab Fm Db
Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you
Eb Ab
I need you here to stay
Fm Db
I broke all my bones that day I found you
Eb Ab
Crying at the lake
Fm Db Eb
Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden
Ab Fm Db Eb Ab Fm Db
Oh, and if I could take it all back I swear that I would pull you from the tide
Eb Ab
Oh woah woah woah I said no
Fm
I said no
Db Eb
Listen close: it's a no
Ab Fm
The wind is a'poundin' on my back
Db Eb
And I've found hope in a heart attack
Ab Fm
Oh, at last it is passed
Db Eb
Now I've got it and you can't have it
Ab Fm Db
Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you
Eb Ab
I need you here to stay
Fm Db
I broke all my bones that day I found you
Eb Ab
Crying at the lake
Fm Db Eb
Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden
Ab Fm Db Eb
Oh, and if I could take it all back I swear that I would pull you from the
Bbm Ab Cm Bbm Ab Cm
Tiiiiiide, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Bbm Ab Cm Bbm Ab Cm
Darlin, when I'm fast asleep I've seen this person watching me sayin,
Bbm Ab Cm Bbm Eb Ab Fm Db Eb
"Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Tell me is it worth it?"
Ab Fm Db Eb Ab Fm
Oooohhhhhhhhh, cause there is something and there is nothing
Db Eb
There is nothing in between
Ab Fm Db Eb
And, in my eyes, there is a tiny dancer watching over me
Ab Fm Db Eb
He's singin' "she's a, she's a lady" and I am just a boy
Ab Fm Db Eb
He's singing "she's a, she's a lady" and I am just a line without a (hook)
Ab Fm Db
Oh, baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you
Eb Ab
I need you here to stay
Fm Db
I broke all my bones that day I found you
Eb Ab
Crying at the lake
Fm Db Eb
Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden
Ab Fm Db Eb Ab
Oh, and if I could take it all back I swear that I would pull you from the tide
End of song Play again?
Ricky Montgomery - Line Without a Hook Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Ricky Montgomery – Line Without a Hook: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Ab and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because it both starts and finishes on Ab and Ab is heard 34 times against 28 for Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | 34× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | 6× |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | 5× |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 28× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | 29× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 28× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 28× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 34× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | 6× |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | 5× |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 28× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | 29× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 6 different chords appear 130 times in total; 6 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
- Eb Ab AbV → Iauthentic cadence FmVII → III ×28
- Db Eb AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×28
- Bbm Eb Abii → Vii → V Fmiv → VII ×1
The move to watch is Eb → Ab, heard 28 times. From the Ab side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Fm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Ab; the ear learns where home is within a second. Ab, Eb, Fm, Db carry the song: I–V–vi–IV relative to Ab, III–VII–i–VI relative to Fm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Eb → Ab (V → I in Ab, VII → III in Fm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Ab, letting the Ab 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.
Ricky Montgomery - Line Without a Hook 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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