Shawn Mendes - Roses - Chord

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

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Capo 0

Am  G  F  G

Am                   G             F         G
It's not that I'm afraid I'm not enough for her
Am                     G                 F  G
It's not that I can't find the words to say
 Am                  G              F   G
But when she's with him, she seems happier
Am                   G          F  G
And I don't want to take that away

 Dm                   Em
How many times can I see your face
 F                       Em    Dm
How many times will you walk away
        Em               F  G
I just have to let you know

C         F            Dm              G
I'm not tryna start a fire with this flame
 C       F                 Dm                   G
But I'm worried that your heart might feel the same
                  C               F
And I have to be honest with you baby
                 Dm                G
Tell me If I'm wrong and this is crazy
                    Em
But I got you this rose
                F
And I need to know
 G                              Am  G  F
Will you let it die or let it grow
        G      Am  G  F
Die or let it go

Am                     G              F        G
It's not that I don't care about the love you have
Am                     G                F   G
It's not that I don't want to see you smile
 Am             G                        F   G
But there's no way that he can feel the same
 Am                    G                F   G
Cause when I think of you my mind goes wild

 Dm                   Em
How many times can I see your face
 F                       Em    Dm
How many times will you walk away
        Em               F  G
I just have to let you know

C         F            Dm              G
I'm not tryna start a fire with this flame
 C       F                 Dm                   G
But I'm worried that your heart might feel the same
                  C               F
And I have to be honest with you baby
                 Dm                G
Tell me If I'm wrong and this is crazy
                    Em
But I got you this rose
                F
And I need to know
 G
Will you let it die or let it grow

 Dm                                      F
You can tell me to stop if you already know
                     Em
Though I'm not sure my heart can take it
 Dm                                          F  G
But the look on your face says don't let me go

C         F            Dm              G
I'm not tryna start a fire with this flame
 C       F                 Dm                   G
But I'm worried that your heart might feel the same
                  C               F
And I have to be honest with you baby
                 Dm                G
Tell me If I'm wrong and this is crazy
                    Em
But I got you this rose
                F
And I need to know
 G
Will you let it die or let it grow

C         F            Dm              G
I'm not tryna start a fire with this flame
 C       F                 Dm                   G
But I'm worried that your heart might feel the same
                  C               F
And I have to be honest with you baby
                 Dm                G
Tell me If I'm wrong and this is crazy
                    Em
But I got you this rose
                F
And I need to know
 G
Will you let it die or let it grow

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Roses Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Roses: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (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 C major and A minor because it opens on Am and C is heard 12 times against 11 for Am. 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 C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	12×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	18×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	11×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	33×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	40×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	11×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	11×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	12×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	18×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	11×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	33×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	40×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 125 times in total; 6 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

F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×17
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×12
Dm G Cii → Vii → V Amiv → VII ×12
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×9
F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is F → G, heard 17 times. From the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — 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 Dm, land on D, F, A — 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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Am, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are G, F, Dm, C; read them as V–IV–ii–I in C or VII–VI–iv–III in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.