Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Bbm, Ab, Gb, Db Easy key G (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Bbm  Ab  Gb

Bbm     Ab        Gb
I won't lie to you
            Bbm       Ab          Gb
I know he's just not right for you
            Bbm
And you can tell me if I'm off
       Ab
But I see it on your face
          Gb
When you say that he's the one that you want
            Bbm
And you're spending all your time
        Ab
In this wrong situation
     Gb
And anytime you want it to stop

             Bbm       Ab    Gb
I know I can treat you better
            Db
Than he can
                  Bbm   Ab      Gb        Db
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
                    Bbm
Tell me why are we wasting time
                 Ab
On all on your wasted crying
                Gb           Db
When you should be with me instead
             Bbm       Ab    Gb
I know I can treat you better
Db
Better than he can

Bbm        Ab         Gb
I'll stop time for you
               Bbm       Ab        Gb
The second you say you'd like me to
Bbm                         Ab
I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing
Gb
Baby, just to wake up with you
         Bbm                       Ab
Could be everything I need and this could be so different
Gb
Tell me what you want to do

                   Bbm       Ab    Gb
Cause I know I can treat you better 
           Db
Than he can
                  Bbm    Ab     Gb         Db
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
                   Bbm
Tell me why are we wasting time
               Ab
On all on your wasted crying
                Gb           Db
When you should be with me instead
              Bbm      Ab    Gb
I know I can treat you better  
Db
Better than he can

Bbm  Ab  Gb  Db
             Better than he can
Bbm  Ab  Gb  Db

Bbm       Ab
Give me a sign
        Db             Gb
Take my hand, we'll be fine
Bbm       Ab            Gb
Promise I won't let you down
     Bbm           Ab
Just know that you don't
        Db        Gb
Have to do this alone
Bbm          Ab            Gb
Promise I'll never let you down

                   Bbm       Ab    Gb
Cause I know I can treat you better
            Db
Than he can
                  Bbm    Ab     Gb        Db
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
                   Bbm
Tell me why are we wasting time
               Ab
On all on your wasted crying
                Gb             Db
When you should be with me instead
              Bbm      Ab    Gb
I know I can treat you better
Db
Better than he can

Bbm  Ab  Gb  Db
             Better than he can
Bbm  Ab  Gb  Db
             Better than he can
 
Bbm  Ab  Gb  Db

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Db major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Bb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Ab (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 Db major and Bb minor because it comes to rest on Db, it opens on Bbm and Bbm is heard 30 times against 19 for Db. 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 Db or to Bbm; 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 Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	19×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	—
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	—
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	30×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	30×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	30×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	30×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	19×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	—
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	30×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	30×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 4 different chords appear 109 times in total; 4 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

Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×17
Gb Bbm DbIV → vi BbmVI → iVI → i ×13
Ab Db DbV → Iauthentic cadence BbmVII → III ×2

The move to watch is Gb → Db, heard 17 times. From the Db side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Bbm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, 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.
Over Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — 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 Db major shapes

Capo 1 + C shapes
Capo 4 + A shapes
Capo 6 + G shapes

With Bb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Am shapes
Capo 6 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Bbm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Bbm, Ab, Gb, Db; read them as vi–V–IV–I in Db or i–VII–VI–III in Bbm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Gb → Db (IV → I in Db, VI → III in Bbm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is Db; the ear comes to rest in Db.

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.

Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better 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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