Sia - Bird Set Free - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, Db, Ab, Eb, C Easy key C

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Capo 0

Fm  Db  Ab  Eb  C

Fm
Clipped wings, I was a broken thing
      Db
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing
    Ab                        Eb             C
You wore me down. I struggled on the ground, woh

Fm
So lost, the line had been crossed
      Db
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk
    Ab                       Eb          C
You held me down. I struggle to fly now, woh

Fm
But there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
Db
Cause we hold on so tight, we cannot deny
     Ab                   Eb        C
Eats us alive, oh it eats us alive, oh
Fm
Yes, there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
Db
We hold on so tight, but I don't wanna die
Ab                                   Eb   C
No, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, yeah

         Fm
I don’t care, I’ma sing off key
          Db
I found myself in my melodies
           Ab
I sing for love, I sing for me
           Eb                        C
I shout it out like a bird set free, no
        Fm
I don’t care, I’ma sing off key
          Db
I found myself in my melodies
             Ab
I sing for love, I sing for me
           Eb
I shout it out like a bird set free
C  Fm   Db   Ab            Eb
Oh,  oh,  ohhh, I shout it out like a bird set free 
C  Fm   Db   Ab            Eb
Oh,   oh, ohhh, I shout it out like a bird set free

Fm
Now I fly, hit the high notes, I
       Db
Have a voice, have a voice, hear me roar tonight
    Ab                       Eb                C
You held me down. But I have fought back loud, oh

Fm
But there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
Db
Cause we hold on so tight, we cannot deny
     Ab                   Eb        C
Eats us alive, oh it eats us alive, oh
Fm
Yes, there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
Db
We hold on so tight, but I don't wanna die
Ab                                   Eb   C
No, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, yeah

        Fm
I don’t care, I’ma sing off key
          Db
I found myself in my melodies
           Ab
I sing for love, I sing for me
           Eb                        C
I shout it out like a bird set free, no
        Fm
I don’t care, I’ma sing off key
          Db
I found myself in my melodies
             Ab
I sing for love, I sing for me
           Eb
I shout it out like a bird set free

C  Fm   Db   Ab            Eb
Oh,  oh,  ohhh, I shout it out like a bird set free 
C  Fm   Db   Ab            Eb
Oh,   oh, ohhh, I shout it out like a bird set free

C   Fm    Db   Ab            Eb                        C   Fm
Woh,  woh, wohhh, I shout it out like a bird set free, no, oh

End of song Play again?

Sia - Bird Set Free Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sia – Bird Set Free: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Fm and ends on Fm. 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)
#7 = E (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it both starts and finishes on Fm, Fm is heard 18 times against 17 for Ab and the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

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	17×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	16×
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	17×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	17×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	18×
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	18×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	17×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	16×
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	17×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	17×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 5 different chords appear 85 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm.

Chord movement

Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×17
C Fm AbV/vi → vi FmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×16
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 17 times. From the Fm side it is VI → III; from the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). 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 Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — 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.
When C comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.

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
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Fm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Fm, Db, Ab, Eb; read them as vi–IV–I–V in Ab or i–VI–III–VII in Fm. C is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Fm, the song seals Fm 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.