Shawn Mendes - Don't Be a Fool - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords A, Bm, G Easy key G (capo 7)

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Capo 0

A  Bm  G  A

 A             Bm
You've got my heart
                              G
But I can't let you keep it, baby
                                     A
Cause I won't be sure that I can't stay

 A                Bm
Don't waste your time
                  G
Trying to pull me in

Cause I'm just a mess
                 A
You don't wanna fix

 Bm             G                            A
Just promise me one thing that you won't forget
 Bm                  G               A
But for now kiss me softly before I say

            A
Don't be a fool
                 Bm
And wait on me, darling
                 G
I know that you don't wanna hear this
                       A
But I'm always on the move
                A
And don't be a fool
                  Bm
And say that you love me
                     G
Cause you'll find a man
Who will stand by your side
                       A
And will be there for you

                   A
And just know that I do
             Bm
Oh I really like you, baby
             G
And I wanna be there for you
                      A
For the rest of your days
                 A
But I know that you'll hurt
               Bm
If we keep on doing this
                G
So I'm sorry to end this now
                           A
But I know that it's for the best

            A
Don't be a fool
                 Bm
And wait on me, darling
                 G
I know that you don't wanna hear this
                       A
But I'm always on the move
                A
And don't be a fool
                  Bm
And say that you love me
                     G
Cause you'll find a man
Who will stand by your side
                       A
And will be there for you

                                 A
I don't think you'll ever understand
                                 Bm
I don't think you'll ever understand
                 G
I know that you don't wanna hear this
                               A
But darling please don't be a fool

               A
Oh Don't be a fool, yeah
                 Bm
And wait on me, darling
                 G
I know that you don't wanna hear this
                       A
But I'm always on the move, yeah, oh
                 A
Just don't be a fool, yeah
                  Bm
And say that you love me, girl
                     G
Cause you'll find a man
Who will stand by your side
                       A
And will be there for you

            A
Don't be a fool
                Bm
And wait on me darling
                 G
I know that you don't wanna hear this
                A
But don't be a fool

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Don't Be a Fool Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Don't Be a Fool: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 B minor side because Bm is heard 15 times while D never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from D major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	—
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	—
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	15×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	28×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	15×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	15×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	—
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	—
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	15×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	28×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 3 different chords appear 58 times in total; 3 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

A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×15
G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×15

The move to watch is A → Bm, heard 15 times. From the Bm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the D side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected D, lands on Bm). 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 A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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.

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on A, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. A, Bm, G carry the song: V–vi–IV relative to D, VII–i–VI relative to Bm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on A → Bm (V → vi in D, VII → i in Bm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on A, letting the D 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.