Sia - House On Fire - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords B, E, C#m, A, G# Easy key G

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Capo 0

C#m  B  E  C#m  B  E

C#m              B                 E
 I don't like to wait too long, to wait too long, wait too long
C#m              B                 E
 Figured out I'm burning slow, but I burn babe
C#m                  B                E
 I feel the pain and it feels good, I know it would
                      C#m                   B         E
 Your heart burns slow, I feel the pain and I cry out

  A   B  E
I need   you
  A   B  E
I need   you
 
A
Baby I want to drink you in
     B                E
Like oxygen, like oxygen
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning

Going on up in flames
    B
And you're to blame
                 E
Yeah, you're to blame
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning
                   B
I want to keep burning
                   E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                      A
Baby I'm a house on fire
                   B
I want to keep burning
                    E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                         A
Baby I'm a house on fire

C#m            B
 So take me to the heavens now
    E
 As we burn down, as we are found
C#m              B
 Take me to the heavens now
    E
 My heart screams out

  A   B  E
I need   you
  A   B  E
I need   you
 
A
Baby I want to drink you in
     B                E
Like oxygen, like oxygen
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning

Going on up in flames
    B
And you're to blame
                 E
Yeah, you're to blame
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning
                   B
I want to keep burning
                   E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                      A
Baby I'm a house on fire
                   B
I want to keep burning
                    E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                         A
Baby I'm a house on fire

G#     A          B               C#m
  Love me, to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum yeah
G#     A            E
  Love me, till the walls give in yeah
G#     A          B               C#m
  Love me, to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum yeah
G#     A      E
  Love me, I don't wanna say yeah

A
Baby I want to drink you in
     B                E
Like oxygen, like oxygen
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning

Going on up in flames
    B
And you're to blame
                 E
Yeah, you're to blame
                      C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                       A
And I want to keep burning
                   B
I want to keep burning
                   E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                      A
Baby I'm a house on fire
                   B
I want to keep burning
                    E
I want to keep burning
                   C#m
I want to keep burning
                      A  B  E  C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire
                      A  B  E  C#m
Baby I'm a house on fire

End of song Play again?

Sia - House On Fire Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sia – House On Fire: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C#m and ends on C#m. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
#7 = B# (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 C# minor side because it both starts and finishes on C#m, E is heard 28 times against 24 for C#m and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E 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 E or to C#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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	28×
ii	F#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C#	—
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	4×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	24×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	28×
vi	C#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C# · E · G#	24×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	C#m	Tonic — home	C# · E · G#	24×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	28×
iv	F#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C#	—
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	4×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	24×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	28×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 5 different chords appear 108 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same G# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m.

Chord movement

B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×26
A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×20
B C#m EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×2
A C#m EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is B → E, heard 26 times. From the C#m side it is VII → III; from the E side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — 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 C#m, land on C#, E, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When G# comes, swap the scale's B for B#: 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 E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on C#m, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. B, E, C#m, A carry the song: V–I–vi–IV relative to E, VII–III–i–VI relative to C#m. G# is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B → E (V → I in E, VII → III in C#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on C#m, letting the C#m 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.