Sam Smith - Stay With Me - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am7, C, F, G, E7/G#, G4 Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am7  F  C

Am7
    Guess it's true
         F             C
I'm not good at a one night stand
Am7                   F
    But I still need love
                C
'Cause I'm just a man
Am7                     F
    These nights never seem
       C
To go to plan
Am7                      G4
    I don't want you to leave
               C
Will you hold my hand

              Am7   F        C
Oh, won't you     stay with me
              Am7  F      C
'Cause you're      all I need
  G        Am7              F       C
This ain't     love, it's clear to see
      E7/G#   Am7   F        C
But, darling,     stay with me

Am7        F         C
    Why am I so emotional
Am7                      F
    No, it's not a good look
                C
Need some self control
Am7
    And deep down 
    F          C
I know this never works
Am7                       G4
    But you can lay with me 
               C
So it doesn't hurt

              Am7   F        C
Oh, won't you     stay with me
              Am7  F      C
'Cause you're      all I need
  G        Am7              F       C
This ain't     love, it's clear to see
      E7/G#   Am7   F        C
But, darling,     stay with me

            Am7
Oh, oh, oh, oh
    F       C
Oh, oh, oh, oh
            Am7
Oh, oh, oh, oh
    F       C  G
Oh, oh, oh, oh

            Am7
Oh, oh, oh, oh
    F       C  E7/G#
Oh, oh, oh, oh
            Am7
Oh, oh, oh, oh
    F       C
Oh, oh, oh, oh

              Am7   F        C
Oh, won't you     stay with me
              Am7  F      C
'Cause you're      all I need
  G        Am7              F       C
This ain't     love, it's clear to see
      E7/G#   Am7   F        C
But, darling,     stay with me

              Am7   F        C
Oh, won't you     stay with me
              Am7  F      C
'Cause you're      all I need
  G        Am7              F       C
This ain't     love, it's clear to see
      E7/G#   Am7   F        C
But, darling,     stay with me

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Stay With Me Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Stay With Me: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am7 and ends on C. 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)
#7 = G# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

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 comes to rest on C, it opens on Am and the major V chord points straight at 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	29×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V7/vi	E7/G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	5×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	27×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	5×
V	G4	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	2×
vi7	Am7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E · G	29×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Am7	Tonic — home	A · C · E · G	29×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	29×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V7	E7/G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	5×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	27×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	5×
VII	G4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	2×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 97 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E7/G# is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×27
E7/G# Am7 CV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution AmV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×5
G Am7 CV → vi7deceptive cadence AmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×5
G4 C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2

The move to watch is F → C, heard 27 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. 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 Am7, land on A, C, E — 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.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E7/G# comes, swap the scale's G for G#: 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 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 Am7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Am7, C, F, G carry the song: vi7–I–IV–V relative to C, i7–III–VI–VII relative to Am. E7/G# is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is C; 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.