Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords C, G, D, D/F#, Em, Em/D, G/B, Am7 … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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G                  D/F#
  Maybe I didn't treat you
Em           Em/D       C         D 
   Quite as good as I should have
G                 D/F#
  Maybe I didn't love you
Em          Em/D        A7/C#
   Quite as often as I could have

C
  Little things 
               G/B
I should have said and done
C         G/B            Am7  C/G  C/E  D
  I just never took the time

D          Em     D/F#   G
  You were always on my mind
          Am     G/B    C 
(You were always on my mind)
         D7         G      C  D
You were always on my mind

G                 D/F#
  Maybe I didn't hold you
Em            Em/D      C         D 
   All those lonely, lonely times
G                      D/F#
  And I guess I never told you
Em         Em/D              A7/C#
   I'm so happy that you're mine

C                    G/B
  If I made you feel     second best
C               G/B          Am7  C/G  C/E
  Girl, I'm so sorry I was blind

D          Em     D/F#   G   
  You were always on my mind
          Am     G/B    C 
(You were always on my mind)
         D7         G      C  D
You were always on my mind

 G   D/F#  Em  Em/D
Tell      me
 C                  G/B
Tell me that your sweet 
             Am7  D
Love hasn't died
 G   D/F#  Em  Em/D
Give      me
        C                   G/B
Give me one more chance to keep
          Am7  D
You satisfied
      G
Satisfied

D/F#  Em  Em/D  A7/C# 

C               
  Little things 
               G/B
I should have said and done
C         G/B            Am7  C/G  C/E  D
  I just never took the time

D          Em     D/F#   G
  You were always on my mind
          Am     G/B    C 
(You were always on my mind)
                    D
You were always on my mind

G  D/F#  Em  Em/D
C  G/B  Am7  D

                       G
You were always on my mind

G                  D/F#
  Maybe I didn't treat you
Em           Em/D       C         D
   Quite as good as I should have
G                 D/F#
  Maybe I didn't love you
Em          Em/D        C         D
   Quite as often as I could have

G                 D/F#
  Maybe I didn't hold you
Em            Em/D      C         D
   All those lonely, lonely times
G                      D/F#
  And I guess I never told you
Em         Em/D              A7/C#
   I'm so happy that you're mine

End of song Play again?

Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elvis Presley – Always On My Mind: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on A7/C#. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it opens on G and G is heard 30 times against 27 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	18×
I	G/B	Tonic — home	G · B · D	12×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	6×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	3×
V7/V	A7/C#	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E · G	4×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	19×
IV	C/G	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	3×
IV	C/E	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	3×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	16×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	15×
V7	D7	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A · C	2×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	15×
vi	Em/D	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	12×
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	15×
i	Em/D	Tonic — home	E · G · B	12×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	18×
III	G/B	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	12×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	6×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	3×
IV7	A7/C#	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E · G	4×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	19×
VI	C/G	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	3×
VI	C/E	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	3×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	16×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	15×
VII7	D7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A · C	2×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 13 different chords appear 128 times in total; 12 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A7/C# acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

D/F# Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×11
C G/B GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×9
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×8
D/F# G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×3
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3

The move to watch is D/F# → Em, heard 12 times. From the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em); from the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). 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 C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — 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.

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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. C, G, D, D/F# carry the song: IV–I–V–V relative to G, VI–III–VII–VII relative to Em. A7/C# adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D. Keep an ear on D/F# → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. The final chord is A7/C#; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.