Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, G, C, Em, Am, Dm Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
F
Oh, here we go again
Am
The voices in his head
Em F
Called the rain to end our days of wild
F
The sickest army doll
Am
Purchased at the mall
Em F
Rivulets descend my plastic smile
F
But you should've seen him
G
When he first got me
F
My boy
C G Em
Only breaks his favorite toys, toys
F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
I'm queen
C G
Of sand castles he destroys
Em F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
Cause it fit too right
C
Puzzle pieces in the dead of night
G
Should've known it was a matter of time
Em F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
My boy
C G Em
Only breaks his favorite toys, toys
F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
Am
There was a litany of reasons why
Em
We could've played for keeps this time
F F
I know I'm just repeating myself
Am
Put me back on my shelf
But first, pull the string
Em
And I'll tell you that he runs
F
Because he loves me
F
Cause you should've seen him
G
When he first saw me
F
My boy
C G Em
Only breaks his favorite toys, toys
F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
I'm queen
C G
Of sand castles he destroys
Em F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
Cause I knew too much
C
There was danger in the heat of my touch
G
He saw forever so he smashed it up
Em F
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Ooh
F
My boy
C G Em
Only breaks his favorite toys, toys
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
F C
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Once I fix me
Am Em
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, he's gonna miss me
F C
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Once I fix me
Am Em
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, he's gonna miss me
C G
Just say when, I'd play again
Dm
He was my best friend
F
Down at the sandlot
C G
I felt more when we played pretend
Dm
Than with all the Kens
F C
Cause he took me out of my box
G C
Stole my tortured heart
F G
Left all these broken parts
Am G
Told me I'm better off
F
But I'm not
F
I'm not
F C
I'm not
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on C. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it opens on F and F is heard 32 times against 2 for Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 32× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/V | G | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D | 15× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | 7× |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | — |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | — |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 15× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 2× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| vii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 14× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 2× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| ii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 14× |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 32× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | — |
| IV | G | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D | 15× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | 7× |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | — |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 15× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 6 different chords appear 85 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×1
The move to watch is C → F, heard once. From the F side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on F, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is F, G, C, Em — I–V/V–V–vii from the F side, III–IV–VII–ii from the Dm side. G adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to C. Keep an ear on C → F (V → I in F, VII → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on C, the song seals F 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.
Taylor Swift - My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 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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