Sam Smith - Writings On The Wall - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords Em, D, C, Gmaj7, B, Bsus4, Cmaj7, Bm … Easy key C (capo 7)

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Capo 0

Em   Gmaj7

Em                Gmaj7
I've been here before
Em                   Gmaj7
But always hit the floor
     Cmaj7
I've spent a lifetime running
      Bsus4
And I always get away
          Cmaj7
But with you I'm feeling something
     Bsus4              B
That makes me want to stay

Em                Gmaj7
I'm prepared for this
Em                Gmaj7
I never shoot to miss
             Cmaj7
But I feel like a storm is coming
         Bsus4
If I'm gonna make it through the day
               Cmaj7
Then there's no more use in running
          Bsus4             B
This is something I gotta face

Em D/F#  G      C
If  I   risk it all
Em    D/F#  G       B
Could you break my fall
          Em               D
How do I live? How do I breathe
                 C               D
When you're not here I'm suffocating
                 Em                  D
I want to feel love, run through my blood
            C                       Bm
Tell me is this where I give it all up
     Am            Am7    Bm  B
For you I have to risk it a all
                             
Cause the writing's on the wall

INTERLUDE: Em  Gmaj7

Em                   Gmaj7
A million shards of glass
Em                     Gmaj7
That haunt me from my past
        Cmaj7
As the stars begin to gather
         Bsus4
And the light begins to fade
          Cmaj7
When all hope begins to shatter
          Bsus4        B
Know that I won't be afraid

Em D/F#  G      C
If  I   risk it all
Em    D/F#  G       B
Could you break my fall
          Em               D
How do I live? How do I breathe
                 C               D
When you're not here I'm suffocating
                 Em                  D
I want to feel love, run through my blood
            C                       Bm
Tell me is this where I give it all up
     Am            Am7    Bm  B
For you I have to risk it a all
                            Em   Gmaj7
Cause the writing's on the wa aaall
                      Em   Gmaj7
The writing's on the wa aaaall

C  Bsus4
C  Bsus4  B

          Em               D
How do I live? How do I breathe
                 C               D
When you're not here I'm suffocating
                 Em                  D
I want to feel love, run through my blood
            C                       D
Tell me is this where I give it all up
          Em               D
How do I live? How do I breathe
                 C               D
When you're not here I'm suffocating
                 Em                  D
I want to feel love, run through my blood
            C                       Bm
Tell me is this where I give it all up
     Am            Am7    Bm  B
For you I have to risk it a all
                            Em
Cause the writing's on the wall

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Writings On The Wall Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Writings On The Wall: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on Em. 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 E minor side because it both starts and finishes on Em, Em is heard 22 times against 13 for G and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 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
Imaj7	Gmaj7	Tonic — home	G · B · D · F#	9×
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	4×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	3×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	3×
IIIsus4	Bsus4	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · E · F#	8×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	6×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	9×
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	12×
IVmaj7	Cmaj7	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G · B	6×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	13×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	4×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	22×
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	22×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
IIImaj7	Gmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D · F#	9×
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	4×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	3×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	3×
Vsus4	Bsus4	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · E · F#	8×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	6×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	9×
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	12×
VImaj7	Cmaj7	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G · B	6×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	13×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	4×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 12 different chords appear 99 times in total; 11 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

B Em GV/vi → vi EmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×9
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×5
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
D/F# G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×4
C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×2

The move to watch is B → Em, heard 9 times. From the Em side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the G side it reads V/vi → vi. 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 Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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.
When Bsus4 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

5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Em; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Em, D, C, Gmaj7 — vi–V–IV–Imaj7 from the G side, i–VII–VI–IIImaj7 from the Em side. 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 B → Em (V/vi → vi in G, V → i in Em): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is Em; the ear comes to rest in Em.

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.