Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords A, E, Dsus2 Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A E Dsus2 A
We'll do it all, everything, on our own
A E Dsus2 A
We don't need anything, or anyone
A E
If I lay here, if I just lay here
Dsus2 A
Would you lie with me, and just forget the world
A E Dsus2 A
I don't quite know how to say how I feel
A E Dsus2 A
Those three words, are said too much, they're not enough
A E
If I lay here, if I just lay here
Dsus2 A
Would you lie with me, and just forget the world
E
Forget what we're told, before we get too old
Dsus2 A
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
A E Dsus2 A
Let's waste time, chasing cars, around our heads
A E
If I lay here, if I just lay here
Dsus2 A
Would you lie with me, and just forget the world
E
Forget what we're told, before we get too old
Dsus2 A
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
A E
All that I am, all that I ever was
Dsus2 A
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
E
I don't know where, confused about how as well
Dsus2 A
just know that these things will never change for us at all
A E
If I lay here, if I just lay here
Dsus2 A
Would you lie with me, and just forget the world
End of song Play again?
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 23 times while F#m never appears. 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 A or to F#m; 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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 23× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| III | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IVsus2 | Dsus2 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · E · A | 13× |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | — |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 13× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 23× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VIsus2 | Dsus2 | Submediant — warm colour | D · E · A | 13× |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | — |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 13× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 3 different chords appear 49 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
- Dsus2 A AIVsus2 → Iplagal cadence F#mVIsus2 → III ×13
The move to watch is Dsus2 → A, heard 13 times. From the A side it reads IVsus2 → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the F#m side it is VIsus2 → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dsus2, land on D, E, A — 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
Starting on A, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. A, E, Dsus2 carry the song: I–V–IVsus2 relative to A, III–VII–VIsus2 relative to F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Dsus2 → A (IVsus2 → I in A, VIsus2 → III in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on A, the song seals A as home.
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.
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars 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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