Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - Back To December - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords D, G, A, Bm, Gbm Easy key G (capo 7)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
D G
D Bm
I'm so glad you made time to see me
G
How's life? Tell me, how's your family
D A
I haven't seen them in a whiiiiile
D Bm
You've been good; busier than ever
G
Small talk, work and the weather
D A
Your guard is up and I know whyyyyy
Bm A
Because the last time saw me
D G
Still burns in the back of your mind
Bm A G
You gave me roses and I left them there to die
D
So this is me swallowing my pride
Gbm
Standing in front of you saying
G
I'm sorry for that night
D A
And I go back to December all the time
D
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missin' you
Gbm G
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
D A
And I go back to December, turn around
G
And make it all right
D A D G D G x2
I go back to December all the time
D
These days I haven't been sleepin
Bm
Stayin' up playing back myself leavin
G
When your birthday passed
D A D
And I didn't ca...all, then I think about summer
All the beautiful times
Bm G
I watched you laughin' from the passenger side
D A1
Realized I loved you in the faaaaall
Bm A
And then the cold came
D G
With the dark days when the fear crept into my mind
Bm
You gave me all your love
A G
And all I gave you was goodbye
D
So this is me swallowing my pride
Gbm
Standing in front of you saying
G
I'm sorry for that night
D A
And I go back to December all the time
D
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missin' you
Gbm G
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
D A
And I go back to December, turn around
G
And change my own mind
D A
I go back to December all the time
D G D Bm G
G Bm G
I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile
D A
So good to me, so right
Bm G
And how you held me in your arms
D
That September night
A Bm
The first time you ever saw me cry
G
Maybe this is wishful thinking
D
Probably mindless dreaming
A
If we loved again, I swear I'd love you right
Bm A G
I'd go back in time and change it but I can't
Bm A G
So if the chain is on your door I understand
D
But this is me swallowing my pride
Gbm
Standing in front of you saying
G
I'm sorry for that night
D A
And I go back to December
D Gbm
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missin' you
G
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
D A
I go back to December, turn around
G
And make it all right
D A
I go back to December, turn around
G
And change my own mind
D A
I go back to December all the time
D G
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - Back To December Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – Back To December: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on G. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it opens on D and D is heard 31 times against 14 for Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 31× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| iii | Gbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Gb · A · Db | 6× |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 28× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 21× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 14× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 14× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 31× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| v | Gbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Gb · A · Db | 6× |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 28× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 21× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 5 different chords appear 100 times in total; 5 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
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×21
- A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×9
- G Bm DIV → vi BmVI → iVI → i ×5
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4
The move to watch is G → D, heard 21 times. From the D side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Bm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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 A, land on A, C#, E — 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is D; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are D, G, A, Bm; read them as I–IV–V–vi in D or III–VI–VII–i in Bm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → D (IV → I in D, VI → III in Bm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on G, the song seals D 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 - Back To December 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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