Shawn Mendes - Three Empty Words - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords C, G, Em, D, Bm, B Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G  D  Em  Bm  C  C  C  C

G              D              Em
 I'll pick you up at the same time
              Bm                  C    C C C
In the same places, the same old drive
G            D              Em
 We'll just talk about our day
            Bm              C           C C C
To try to fill the awkard space tonight
G                D                Em
 We'll play the songs we used to love
          Bm             C         C C C
While we try to fall in love again
G           D                  Em
 We don't know who's wrong or right
         Bm          C             C C C
We don't even care enough to fight

                         G      D Em
We're going through the motions
     Em       D          G      D Em G
'cos we can't fix what's broken
       D               Em
And I know it's gonna hurt
     C               G
But darling I'll go first
     Em               B            C          G
'cos I won't keep on saying those three empty words
    Em              B             C          G
No I won't keep on saying those three empty words

G             D           Em
 We're still talking everyday
            Bm               C        C C C
I'm running out of things to say to ya
G               D              Em
 What's really gonna break my heart
            Bm                C     C C C
To have to tell your little brother
G            D          Em
 It might be easier to stay
           C           C     C      C   C
But it'll never be the same, no ohh no
G        D                  Em
 And if something doesn't change
            Bm              C      C C C
Then we'll keep on sinking further

                               G      D Em
We're going through the motions
     Em       D          G      D Em G
'cos we can't fix what's broken
       D               Em
And I know it's gonna hurt
     C               G
But darling I'll go first
     Em               B            C          G
'cos I won't keep on saying those three empty words
        G         B
Those three empty words
    Em            G
Will only make it worse
     C              G       D
I'm tired, I can't take anymore
        G         B
Those three empty words
    Em            G
Will only make it worse
     C              G       D
I'm tired, I can't take anymore

                         G      D Em
We're going through the motions
     Em       D          G      D Em G
'cos we can't fix what's broken
       D               Em
And I know it's gonna hurt
     C               G
But darling I'll go first
     Em               B            C          G
'cos I won't keep on saying those three empty words
          Em              B            C          G
We don't have to keep on saying those three empty words
    Em              B             C          G
No I won't keep on saying those three empty words

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Three Empty Words Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Three Empty Words: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
#7 = D# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it both starts and finishes on G, G is heard 33 times against 29 for Em and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	33×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	—
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	8×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	8×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	48×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	23×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	29×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	29×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	33×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	—
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	8×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	8×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	48×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	23×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 6 different chords appear 149 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×20
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×18
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×5
B Em GV/vi → vi EmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2

The move to watch is C → G, heard 20 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When B comes, swap the scale's D for D#: 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. C, G, Em, D carry the song: IV–I–vi–V relative to G, VI–III–i–VII relative to Em. B is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on G, the song seals G 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.