Ariana Grande - We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) - Chord

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

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Capo 0

F                             Bb
  I didn't think you'd understand me
F                           Bb
  How could you ever even try
F                Am                         
  I don't wanna tiptoe 
                   Bb
But I don't wanna hide

But I don't wanna feed 
      C         Dm
This monstrous fire
            C              Bb
Just wanna let this story die

And I'll be alright

 F
We can't be friends
                 Bb
But I'd like to just pretend
                   F
You cling to your papers and pens
                Bb
Wait until you like me again
 C             Dm
Wait for your love
    C                        Bb
My love, I'll wait for your love

F                               
  Me and my truth 
           Bb
We sit in silence, mmm
F                             
  Baby girl
                  Bb
It's just me and you
F                      Am                         
  'Cause I don't wanna argue
                   Bb
But I don't wanna bite
                                     
My tongue, yeah 
             C      Dm
I think I'd rather die
            C        
You got me misunderstood 
        Bb
But at least I look this good

 F
We can't be friends
                 Bb
But I'd like to just pretend
                   F
You cling to your papers and pens
                Bb
Wait until you like me again

               Dm
Wait for your love
    C                        Bb
My love, I'll wait for your love
                    Dm
I'll wait for your love
    C                        Bb
My love, I'll wait for your love

               F
Know that you made me
                      Bb
I don't like how you paint me

Yet I'm still here hanging
              F
Not what you made me
                       Bb
It's something like a daydream
                           Dm
But I feel so seen in the night
        C
So for now it's only me
Bb
And maybe that's all I need

We can't be friends

But I'd like to just pretend
                   F
You cling to your papers and pens
                Bb
Wait until you like me again

               Dm
Wait for your love
    C                        Bb
My love, I'll wait for your love
                    Dm
I'll wait for your love
    C                        Bb
My love, I'll wait for your love

                    F
I'll wait for your love
                    Bb
I'll wait for your love
                    F
I'll wait for your love
                    Bb
I'll wait for your love
                    F   Bb  F  Bb
I'll wait for your love

End of song Play again?

Ariana Grande - We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ariana Grande – We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love): key and chord analysis

The song opens on F and ends on Bb. 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 it opens on F and F is heard 17 times against 8 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	17×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	2×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	25×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	11×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	8×
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	8×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	17×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	2×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	25×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	11×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 5 different chords appear 63 times in total; 5 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 ×16
Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×5
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
Bb C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×3

The move to watch is Bb → F, heard 16 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 opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Bb, F, C, Dm — IV–I–V–vi from the F side, VI–III–VII–i from the Dm side. 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. Ending on Bb, the song seals F 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.