Shawn Mendes - In My Blood - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords C/F, C, Am7, Fmaj7/C, C4/F, Cmaj7/F, Am, C4 … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

D A D G B E

 C
Help me
               Fmaj7/C
It's like the walls are caving in
     Am
Sometimes I feel like giving up
    Fmaj7/C
No medicine is strong enough

         C
Someone help me
      Fmaj7/C
I'm crawling in my skin
     Am
Sometimes I feel like giving up
    Fmaj7/C
But I just can't

                 C   C4  Cmaj7  C
It isn't in my blood
C/F  C4/F  Cmaj7/F        C/F      Am7
                  It isn't in my blood
Am7  G6/A  Am7   C/F  C4/F  Cmaj7/F  C/F

C
  Looking through my phone again

Feeling anxious
Fmaj7/C
         Afraid to be alone again

I hate this
Am
    I'm trying to find a way to chill
         Fmaj7/C
Can't breathe, oh

Is there somebody who could

 C
Help me
               Fmaj7/C
It's like the walls are caving in
     Am
Sometimes I feel like giving up
    Fmaj7/C
No medicine is strong enough

         C
Someone help me
      Fmaj7/C
I'm crawling in my skin
     Am
Sometimes I feel like giving up
    Fmaj7/C
But I just can't

                 C   C4  Cmaj7  C
It isn't in my blood
C/F  C4/F  Cmaj7/F        C/F      Am7
                  It isn't in my blood
Am7  G6/A  Am7   C/F  C4/F

Cmaj7/F             C/F  C  C4
         I need somebody now
Cmaj7            C    C/F  C4/F
       I need somebody now
Cmaj7/F             C/F     Am7  Am7
         Someone to help me out
G6/A             Am7  C/F  C4/F  Cmaj7/F
     I need somebody now
C/F

 C
Help me
               Fmaj7/C
It's like the walls are caving in
     Am
Sometimes I feel like giving up
    Fmaj7/C
But I just can't

                 C   C4  Cmaj7  C
It isn't in my blood
C/F  C4/F  Cmaj7/F        C/F      Am7
                  It isn't in my blood
Am7  G6/A  Am7   C/F  C4/F

Cmaj7/F        C/F     C   C4
       It isn't in my blood
Cmaj7             C    C/F  C4/F
       I need somebody now
Cmaj7/F        C/F     Am7  Am7
       It isn't in my blood
G6/A        Am7  C/F  C4/F
I need somebody now
Cmaj7/F        C/F     
       It isn't in my blood

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - In My Blood Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – In My Blood: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on C/F. 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)
#7 = C# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

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 F is heard 12 times while Dm never appears and the major V chord points straight at 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
Imaj7	Fmaj7/C	Tonic — home	F · A · C · E	12×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
V/V	G6/A	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · E	5×
V/V	G	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D	1×
iii7	Am7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E · G	15×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	6×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	1×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	—
#IV	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	1×
V	C/F	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	20×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	16×
V	C4/F	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	10×
V	C4	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	5×
Vmaj7	Cmaj7/F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · B	10×
Vmaj7	Cmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · B	5×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	—
V/ii	D	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	2×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
V/iii	E	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	1×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	—
V/iv	D	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	2×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
V/v	E	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	1×
IIImaj7	Fmaj7/C	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C · E	12×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
IV6	G6/A	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D · E	5×
IV	G	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D	1×
v7	Am7	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E · G	15×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	6×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	1×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	—
#VI	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	1×
VII	C/F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	20×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	16×
VII	C4/F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	10×
VII	C4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	5×
V/III	Cmaj7/F	Secondary dominant V/III — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · B	10×
V/III	Cmaj7	Secondary dominant V/III — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · B	5×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 15 different chords appear 110 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. Cmaj7/F, Cmaj7, G6/A, D, G, E act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C Fmaj7/C FV → Imaj7authentic cadence DmVII → IIImaj7 ×6

The move to watch is C → Fmaj7/C, heard 6 times. From the F side it reads V → Imaj7 (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII → IIImaj7. 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 C/F, land on C, E, G — 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.
Over Am7, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. C/F, C, Am7, Fmaj7/C carry the song: V–V–iii7–Imaj7 relative to F, VII–VII–v7–IIImaj7 relative to Dm. Cmaj7/F is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (Vmaj7), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V/III) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C → Fmaj7/C (V → Imaj7 in F, VII → IIImaj7 in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on C/F, letting the F 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.