Rihanna - Lift Me Up - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords A9, Bm7, E7, Gbm7, D9 Easy key G (capo 2)

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Capo 0

A9  Bm7  A9  D9  E7  A9

        Bm7
Lift me up
 E7      A9
Hold me down
         Bm7
Keep me close
 E7       A9
Safe and sound

                       Bm7
Burning in a hopeless dream
 E7                      A9
Hold me when you go to sleep
                              Bm7
Keep me in the warmth of your love when you depart
         E7
Keep me safe
          A9
Safe and sound

        Bm7
Lift me up
 E7      A9
Hold me down
         Bm7
Keep me close
 E7       A9
Safe and sound

                       Bm7
Drowning in an endless sea
 E7                          A9
Take some time and stay with me
                            Bm7
Keep me in the strength of your arms
        E7
Keep me safe
          A9
Safe and sound

        Bm7
Lift me up
 E7      A9
Hold me down
         Bm7
Keep me safe
 E7       A9
Safe and sound

                     Bm7
Burning in a hopeless dream
E7                     A9
Hold me when you go to sleep
Gbm7    Bm7
Keep me safe
        E7             A9
We need light, we need love

Gbm7    Bm7
Lift me up, in your arms 
                                        E7      A9
I need love, I need love, I need love 
                  Gbm7     Bm7
Hold me, hold me 
                   E7       A9
Hold me, hold me 

Hold me, hold me

Gbm7  Bm7  E7  A9

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Lift Me Up Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Lift Me Up: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A9 and ends on A9. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 18 times against 4 for F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
V7/IV	A9	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G · B	18×
ii7	Bm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F# · A	16×
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
V/vi	C#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	C# · E# · G#	—
IV7	D9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A · C · E	1×
V7	E7	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B · D	16×
vi7	Gbm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Gb · A · Db · Fb	4×
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Gbm7	Tonic — home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	4×
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
V7/VI	A9	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G · B	18×
iv7	Bm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F# · A	16×
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI7	D9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A · C · E	1×
VII7	E7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B · D	16×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 5 different chords appear 55 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A9 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

E7 A9 AV7 → V7/IVauthentic cadence F#mVII7 → V7/VI ×16
Bm7 E7 Aii7 → V7ii → V F#miv7 → VII7 ×15
A9 D9 AV7/IV → IV7secondary resolution F#mV7/VI → VI7 ×1
D9 E7 AIV7 → V7IV → V F#mVI7 → VII7VI → VII ×1

The move to watch is E7 → A9, heard 16 times. From the A side it reads V7 → V7/IV (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the F#m side it is VII7 → V7/VI. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
Over A9, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bm7, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E7, land on E, G#, B — 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 A major shapes

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
3 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening A9 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. A9, Bm7, E7, Gbm7 carry the song: V7/IV–ii7–V7–vi7 relative to A, V7/VI–iv7–VII7–i7 relative to F#m. A9 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to D. Keep an ear on E7 → A9 (V7 → V7/IV in A, VII7 → V7/VI in F#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on A9, the song seals A 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.