Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords E, A, Ab7, Dbm, B9, B7 Easy key Ab

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Capo 0

E  Ab7  Dbm  A
E  Ab7  Dbm  A
E  Ab7  Dbm  A
E  B9  E


E  Ab7        Dbm          A
  You and me we made a vow 
E      Ab7       Dbm      A
  For better or for worse 
E    Ab7           Dbm            A
  I can't believe you let me down 
          E             B9     E
But the proof's in the way it hurts 
     Ab7          Dbm          A
For months on end I've had my doubts 
E    Ab7      Dbm    A
  Denying every tear 
E    Ab7             Dbm     A
  I wish this would be over now 
        E                B9       E
But I know that I still need you here 

     E  Ab7       Dbm  A
You say     I'm crazy 
       E
Cause you don't think 
    Ab7             Dbm   A
I know what you've done 
      E  Ab7      Dbm  B9  A
But when     you call me  baby 
    E              B7  E    B7
I know I'm not the only   one 

E         Ab7      Dbm       A
  You've been so unavailable 
E      Ab7      Dbm    A
  Now sadly I know why 
E       Ab7       Dbm        A
  Your heart is unobtainable 
       E           B9            E
Even though Lord knows you have mine 

     E  Ab7       Dbm  A
You say     I'm crazy 
       E
Cause you don't think 
    Ab7             Dbm   A
I know what you've done 
      E  Ab7      Dbm  B9  A
But when     you call me  baby 
    E              B7  E    B7
I know I'm not the only   one 

A                       E
  I have loved you for many years 
 Ab7                  Dbm   B9
Maybe I am just not enough 
A                            E
  You've made me realise my deepest fear 
    B7
By lying and tearing us up 

     E  Ab7       Dbm  A
You say     I'm crazy 
       E
Cause you don't think 
    Ab7             Dbm   A
I know what you've done 
      E  Ab7      Dbm  B9  A
But when     you call me  baby 
    E              B7  E
I know I'm not the only   one
 
        Ab7       Dbm  A
You say     I'm crazy 
       E
Cause you don't think 
    Ab7             Dbm   A
I know what you've done 
      E  Ab7      Dbm  B9  A
But when     you call me  baby 
    E              B7  E
I know I'm not the only   one

                   Ab7      Dbm  A
I know I'm not the     only one

    E              Ab7  Dbm  A
I know I'm not the only one
        E                       Ab7
And I know, and I know, and I know
            Dbm         B9
And I know, and I know, and I know
   A
'Know
    E              B7 E
I know I'm not the only  one

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – I'm Not The Only One: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. 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)
#7 = C# (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 D minor side because the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 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	—
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
bIII7	Ab7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	28×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
III	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	29×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	—
#IV7	B9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A · C#	10×
#IV7	B7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A	8×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	—
bvi	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	28×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	—
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
V/iii	E	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	44×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	—
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
V/v	E	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	44×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	—
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
#IV7	Ab7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	28×
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	29×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	—
#VI7	B9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A · C#	10×
#VI7	B7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A	8×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	—
#vii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	28×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 6 different chords appear 147 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. E acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Ab7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Ab7 Dbm FbIII7 → bvisecondary resolution Dm#IV7 → #vii ×28
B7 E F#IV7 → V/iiisecondary resolution Dm#VI7 → V/v ×7
B9 E F#IV7 → V/iiisecondary resolution Dm#VI7 → V/v ×4

The move to watch is Ab7 → Dbm, heard 28 times. From the Dm side it is #IV7 → #vii; from the F side it reads bIII7 → bvi (secondary resolution: Ab7 resolves a fourth up to Dbm). 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 E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab7, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Ab7, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb · Gb) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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

3 semitones up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on E, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is E, A, Ab7, Dbm — V/iii–III–bIII7–bvi from the F side, V/v–V–#IV7–#vii from the Dm side. E is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Ab7 → Dbm (bIII7 → bvi in F, #IV7 → #vii in Dm): secondary resolution — Ab7 resolves a fourth up to Dbm. It closes on E, 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.