Dua Lipa - If It Ain't Me - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords F, Am, C, Dm Easy key C (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am  C  F  Dm

Am                             C
I bet we're higher than the people on cloud nine
        F                                          
This connection got me feelin' like
     Dm
I've known you my whole life, wow
Am                            C
   Even our shadows know each other in the light
       F                             
So I do I think of losin' you
     Dm
When you're right by my side, uh

Am
   I'm not really thinkin' clear
    C
Too good to be true and that's what I fear
F
  Like what if you left me here
    Dm
And I fill the floor with my sequin tears

Am
   I start gettin' in my brain
C
Something I do that I can't explain
F               Dm
  Wicked love's creepin' up

              Am            C
So baby don't you let go 
                        F                Dm
The thought of you with someone kills me
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

                Am          C
And baby if you ever 
             F                 Dm
Find another lover, you'll see
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

I got a little devil dancin' in my mind
        F                         
Playin' tricks on my imagination
Dm
 Ruinin' my night, wow
Am                          C
   I try to shake it off by lookin' in your eyes
        F                            
All the voices in my head keep tryna
Dm
 Tell me it's goodbye, uh

Am
   I'm not really thinkin' clear
    C
Too good to be true and that's what I fear
F
  Like what if you left me here
    Dm
And I fill the floor with my sequin tears

Am
   I start gettin' in my brain
C
Something I do that I can't explain
F
  Wicked love's creepin' up

                  Am            C
So baby don't you let go 
                        F                Dm
The thought of you with someone kills me
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

                Am          C
And baby if you ever 
             F                 Dm
Find another lover, you'll see
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

Am
   I'm not really thinkin' clear
    C
Too good to be true and that's what I fear
F                               Dm
  Like what if you left me here
Am
   Like what if you left me here
    C                                      F
And I fill the floor with my sequin tears

                  Am            C
So baby don't you let go 
                        F                Dm
The thought of you with someone kills me
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

                Am          C
And baby if you ever 
             F                 Dm
Find another lover, you'll see
                        Am
I'll be dancin' with my heart broke
           C             F       Dm
Such a sad disco, if it ain't me

End of song Play again?

Dua Lipa - If It Ain't Me Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Dua Lipa – If It Ain't Me: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on Dm. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between F major and D minor because it comes to rest on Dm and F is heard 23 times against 21 for Dm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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.

Seen from F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	23×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	22×
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	22×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	21×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	21×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	23×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	22×
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	22×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 4 different chords appear 88 times in total; 4 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

C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×22

The move to watch is C → F, heard 22 times. 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 Am, land on A, C, E — 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
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are F, Am, C, Dm; read them as I–iii–V–vi in F or III–v–VII–i in Dm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on C → F (V → I in F, VII → III in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on Dm, the song seals Dm 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.