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)
Lewis Capaldi - Before You Go - Chord
Key Eb major – C minor Chords Bb, Eb, Cm, Ab, Bbsus4 Easy key G
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Key: Eb | Cm
Capo: 0
Eb
I fell by the wayside, like everyone else
Cm
I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself
Ab
Our every moment, I start to replace
Bbsus4 Bb
‘cause now that they’re gone all I hear are the words that I needed to say
Eb
When you hurt under the surface
Cm Ab
Like troubled water running cold
Bbsus4 Bb
Well time can heal but this won't
Eb Bb
So, before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make your heart beat better
Ab Bb
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
Eb Bb
So, before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make it all stop hurting
Ab
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
Bb Eb
So, before you go
Eb
Was never the right time, whenever you called
Cm
Went little by little by little, until there was nothing at all
Ab
Our every moment, I start to replay
Bbsus4 Bb
When all I can think about is seeing that look on your face
Eb
When you hurt under the surface
Cm Ab
Like troubled water running cold
Bbsus4 Bb
Well time can heal but this won't
Eb Bb
So, before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make your heart beat better
Ab Bb
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
Eb Bb
So, before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make it all stop hurting
Ab
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
Bb Cm
So, before you go
Cm Ab Eb
Would we be better off by now
Bb Cm
If I'd let my walls come down
Ab Bb
Maybe I guess we’ll never know
Bb Eb
You know, you know
Bb
Before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make your heart beat better?
Ab Bb
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
Eb Bb
So, before you go
Cm
Was there something I coulda said to make it all stop hurting?
Ab
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
Bb Eb
So, before you go
End of song Play again?
Lewis Capaldi - Before You Go Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Lewis Capaldi – Before You Go: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Eb and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 Eb major side because it both starts and finishes on Eb. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Eb | Tonic — home | Eb · G · Bb | 13× |
| 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 | 12× |
| V | Bb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Bb · D · F | 19× |
| Vsus4 | Bbsus4 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Bb · Eb · F | 4× |
| vi | Cm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C · Eb · G | 13× |
| vii° | Ddim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D · F · Ab | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Tonic — home | C · Eb · G | 13× |
| ii° | Ddim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · Ab | — |
| III | Eb | Relative major — the bright side | Eb · G · Bb | 13× |
| 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 | 12× |
| VII | Bb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Bb · D · F | 19× |
| VIIsus4 | Bbsus4 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Bb · Eb · F | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 5 different chords appear 61 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
- Bb Eb EbV → Iauthentic cadence CmVII → III ×10
- Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×8
- Ab Bb EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×7
- Ab Bbsus4 EbIV → Vsus4IV → V CmVI → VIIsus4VI → VII ×4
- Ab Eb EbIV → Iplagal cadence CmVI → III ×1
The move to watch is Bb → Eb, heard 10 times. From the Eb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Cm side it is VII → III. 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 Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — 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.
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 opening Eb lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Bb, Eb, Cm, Ab — V–I–vi–IV from the Eb side, VII–III–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 → Eb (V → I in Eb, VII → III in Cm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Eb, letting the Eb 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.
Lewis Capaldi - Before You Go 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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