Coldplay - Hymn For The Weekend - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Cm, Bb, Ab, Fm Easy key C

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Capo 0

Fm  Bb  Cm

                Fm       Bb   Cm
Ohhh, angels sent from up above
              Fm        Bb       Cm
You know you make my world light up
                Fm
When I was down
     Bb      Cm
When I was hurt
             Fm      Cm
You came to lift me up

            Fm         Bb       Cm
Life is a drink, and love's a drug
           Fm             Bb    Cm
Oh now I think I must be miles up
             Fm       Bb         Cm
When I was hurt, withered, dried up
             Fm       Cm
You came to rain a flood

              Cm             Ab
So drink from me, drink from me
            Fm
When I was so thirsty
             Cm
Pour on a symphony
     Bb
Now I just can't get enough

                Cm             Ab
Put your wings on me, wings on me
           Bb
When I was so heavy
          Cm
Pour on a symphony
        Bb
When I'm lower, lower, lower, low

 Ab   Bb  Cm
I-Oh-ah-oh-ah
                        Ab
I'm feeling drunk and high
     Bb      Cm
So high, so high
 Ab   Bb  Cm
I-oh-ah-oh-ah
                        Ab
I'm feeling drunk and high
     Bb       Cm
So high, so high

Fm Bb Cm

                Fm       Bb   Cm
Ohhhhh, angels sent from up above
              Fm        Bb       Cm
I feel you coursing through my blood
            Fm         Bb       Cm
Life is a drink, your love's about
                Fm        Cm
To make the stars come out

                Cm             Ab
Put your wings on me, wings on me
           Bb
When I was so heavy
          Cm
Pour on a symphony
        Bb
When I'm lower, lower, lower, low

 Ab   Bb  Cm
I-Oh-ah-oh-ah
                        Ab
I'm feeling drunk and high
     Bb      Cm
So high, so high
 Ab   Bb  Cm
I-oh-ah-oh-ah
                        Ab
I'm feeling drunk and high
     Bb       Cm
So high, so high

 Ab   Fm   Cm
I-oh-ah-oh-ah
              Ab        Bb      Cm
la-la-la-la-la-la high so high so high

 Ab   Bb  Cm
I-oh-ah-oh-ah
                        Ab
I'm feeling drunk and high
     Bb       Cm
So high, so high

                                Ab  Bb  Cm
Then we'll shoot across the sky
                           Ab  Bb  Cm
Then we'll shoot across the
                           Ab Bb Cm
Then we'll shoot across the sky
                           Ab  Bb  Cm
Then we'll shoot across the

                               Ab  Bb  Cm
Then we'll shoot across the sky
                               Ab  Bb  Cm
Then we'll shoot across the

End of song Play again?

Coldplay - Hymn For The Weekend Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend: key and chord analysis

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

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)

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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Ab major and F minor because it opens on Fm and Ab is heard 21 times against 16 for Fm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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.

Seen from Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	21×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
II	Bb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F	33×
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	38×
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	—
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	—
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	16×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	16×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	21×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
IV	Bb	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Bb · D · F	33×
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	38×
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	—
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	—

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 4 different chords appear 108 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb step outside the scale as colour chords.

Chord movement

Cm Fm Abiii → vi Fmv → inatural-minor cadence ×13

The move to watch is Cm → Fm, heard 13 times. From the Ab side it reads iii → vi; from the Fm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival). 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 Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, 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.

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

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Fm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Cm, Bb, Ab, Fm — iii–II–I–vi from the Ab side, v–IV–III–i from the Fm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Cm → Fm (iii → vi in Ab, v → i in Fm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. Ending on Cm, the song seals Ab 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.