Shawn Mendes - When You're Gone - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords Bb, F, C, Dm Easy key G

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Capo 0

Bb                     F               C  
   You never know how good you have it
               Bb            
Until you're starin' at a picture
       F                      C
Of the only girl that matters

Bb       F            C
I know what we're supposed to do
      Bb       F         C
It's hard for me to let go of you

So, I'm just tryna hold on

 Bb
Hold on
F                  
I don’t wanna know
           C
What it's like when you're gone
              Bb
I don't wanna    move on
F                             C
I don't wanna know what it's like

When you're gone for good

                            Bb
You're slipping through my fingertips
   F                C
A little bit, by a little bit
                    Bb         
I didn't know that loving you
         F            C
Was the happiest I've ever been

So, I'm just tryna hold on

Bb                
   I need to learn
 F                      C
How to cope without you
Bb                   
I'm tryna protect myself
    F                  C
But only you know how to, yeah

    Bb       F            C
Oh, I know what we're supposed to do
           Bb        F         C
Oh, but I hate the thought of losing you

So, I'm just tryna hold on

 Bb
Hold on
F                  
I don’t wanna know
           C
What it's like when you're gone
              Bb
I don't wanna    move on
F                             C
I don't wanna know what it's like

When you're gone for good

                            Bb
You're slipping through my fingertips
   F                C
A little bit, by a little bit
                    Bb         
I didn't know that loving you
         F            C
Was the happiest I've ever been

So, I'm just tryna hold on

  Bb              F
Starting to feel like you don't need me
 C                 Dm
Wanna believe it's all for the better
Bb                 
It's gettin' real
     F                 C
I'm missing you deeply
   Dm
So I'm just tryna hold on
  Bb              F
Starting to feel like you don't need me
 C                 Dm
Wanna believe it's all for the better
Bb                 
It's gettin' real
     F                 C
I'm missing you deeply
   Dm
So I'm just tryna hold on

 Bb
Hold on
F                  
I don’t wanna know
           C
What it's like when you're gone
              Bb
I don't wanna    move on
F                             C
I don't wanna know what it's like

When you're gone for good

                            Bb
You're slipping through my fingertips
   F                C
A little bit, by a little bit
                    Bb         
I didn't know that loving you
         F            C
Was the happiest I've ever been

                           Bb  F  C
So, I'm just tryna hold on
                           Bb  F  C
I'm just trying to move on

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - When You're Gone Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – When You're Gone: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Bb and ends on C. 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: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because F is heard 26 times against 4 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.

Seen from F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	26×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	26×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	26×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	4×
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	4×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	26×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	—
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	26×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	26×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 4 different chords appear 82 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

Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×26
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4

The move to watch is Bb → F, heard 26 times. From the F side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Dm side it is VI → 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 Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — 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

2 semitones up
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Bb; the ear learns where home is within a second. Bb, F, C, Dm carry the song: IV–I–V–vi relative to F, VI–III–VII–i relative to Dm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Bb → F (IV → I in F, VI → III in Dm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on C, 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.