Major view
B major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Michael Jackson - Earth Song - Chord
Key B major – G# minor Chords Db, Eb, Abm, Bbm, Abm7, Bbm7, E, Gb … Easy key C
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Key: B | Abm | G#m
Capo: 0
Abm Db Abm Db
What about sunrise, What about rain
Abm Db Eb
What about all the things that you said we were to gain
Abm Db Abm Db
What about killing fields, is there a time
Abm Db Eb
What about all the things that you said were yours and mine
E Gb4 Gb B B/Bb Abm
Did you ever stop to notice all the blood we've shed before
Dbm Dbm/E Eb
Did you ever stop to notice the crying Earth, the weeping shore
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Abm7 Db
Aah Aah Oh Ooh
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Eb
Aah Aah Ooohh
Abm Db Abm Db
What have we done to the world, look what we've done
Abm Db Eb
What about all the peace that that you pledge your only son
Abm Db Abm Db
What about flowering fields is there a time
Abm Db Eb
What about all the dreams that you said were yours and mine
E Gb B B/Bb Abm
Did you ever stop to notice all the children dead from war
Db Db/E Eb
Did you ever stop to notice the crying Earth the weeping shore
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Abm7 Db
Aah Aah Oh Ooh
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Eb
Aah Aah Ooohh
E Gb B B/Bb Abm
I used to dream, I used to glance beyond the stars
Dbm Dbm/E Eb
Now I don't know where we are, although I know we've drifted far
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Abm7 Db
Aah Aah Oh Ooh
Abm Db Abm7 Db Abm Db Eb
Aah Aah Ooohh
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb
Aah Aah Oh Ooh
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb Bbm Eb F
Aah Aah Ooohh
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb
What about yesterday what about the seas
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb
The heavens are falling down i cant even breathe
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb
What about the bleeding Earth can't we feel it's wounds
Bbm Eb F
What about nature's worth it's our planet's womb
What about animals
We've turned kingdoms to dust
What about elephants
Have we lost their trust
What about crying whales
We're ravaging the seas
What about forest trails
Burnt despite our pleas
What about the holy land
Torn apart by creed
What about the common man
Can't we set him free
What about children dying
Can't you hear them cry
Where did we go wrong
Someone tell me why
What about babies
What about the days
What about all their joy
What about the man
What about the crying man
What about Abraham
What about Death again
Do we give a damn
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb
Aah Aah Oh Ooh
Bbm Eb Bbm7 Eb Bbm Eb F
Aah Aah Ooohh
End of song Play again?
Michael Jackson - Earth Song Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Michael Jackson – Earth Song: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Abm and ends on F. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = E (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F# (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = G (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 G# minor side because it opens on G#m, G#m is heard 36 times against 6 for B and the major V chord points straight at G#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from B 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 B or to G#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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| I | B/Bb | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| ii | Dbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Db · Fb · Ab | 2× |
| ii | Dbm/E | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Db · Fb · Ab | 2× |
| V/V | Db | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab | 34× |
| V/V | Db/E | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gbsecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| iii | D#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V/vi | Eb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Abmsecondary dominant | Eb · G · Bb | 31× |
| IV | E | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G# · B | 3× |
| #IV | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 3× |
| V | Gb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Gb · Bb · Db | 3× |
| V | Gb4 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| vi | Abm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Ab · Cb · Eb | 27× |
| vi7 | Abm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 9× |
| vii° | A#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A# · C# · E | — |
| vii | Bbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F | 12× |
| vii7 | Bbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 9× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Abm | Tonic — home | Ab · Cb · Eb | 27× |
| i7 | Abm7 | Tonic — home | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 9× |
| ii° | A#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E | — |
| ii | Bbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F | 12× |
| ii7 | Bbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · Db · F · Ab | 9× |
| III | B | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| III | B/Bb | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| iv | Dbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · Fb · Ab | 2× |
| iv | Dbm/E | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · Fb · Ab | 2× |
| IV | Db | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Db · F · Ab | 34× |
| IV | Db/E | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Db · F · Ab | 1× |
| v | D#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V | Eb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Eb · G · Bb | 31× |
| VI | E | Submediant — warm colour | E · G# · B | 3× |
| #VI | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 3× |
| VII | Gb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Gb · Bb · Db | 3× |
| VII | Gb4 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 15 different chords appear 143 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of G#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from B, the same Eb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for G#m. Db, Db/E act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Eb Abm BV/vi → vi G#mV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×6
- Gb B BV → Iauthentic cadence G#mVII → III ×3
- Dbm/E Eb Bii → V/vi G#miv → Viv → V ×2
- E Gb BIV → VIV → V G#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
- E Gb4 BIV → VIV → V G#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×1
The move to watch is Eb → Abm, heard 6 times. From the G#m side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the B side it reads V/vi → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- B major pentatonic and G# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (B – C# – D# – F# – G#): start from B for a brighter phrase, from G# for a bluesier one.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — 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 Abm, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Eb comes, swap the scale's F# for G: 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 B major shapes
- Capo 2 + A shapes
- Capo 4 + G shapes
- Capo 7 + E shapes
With G# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Em shapes
- Capo 6 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone up
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Abm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Db, Eb, Abm, Bbm; read them as V/V–V/vi–vi–vii in B or IV–V–i–ii in G#m. Eb is the interesting twist: in B it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in G#m it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Eb → Abm (V/vi → vi in B, V → i in G#m): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on F, the song seals B 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.
Michael Jackson - Earth Song 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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