Elvis Presley - Bridge Over Troubled Water - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords F, C, Am, C7, Eb, G7, E7, Fm6 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C  F  C  F

             C  F        C
When you're weary,feeling small
F     Bb   F   C       F
When tears are in your eyes
         C      F  C
I will dry them all

C   G/B  Am7  G
I'm on your side
                    C    C7
Oh, when times get rough
                  F     Dm7  G7
And friends just can't be  found

C7           F    Eb     C       Am
Oh, like a bridge over troubled water
F        E7     Am
I will lay me down
C7          F    Eb     C       Am
Oh,like a bridge over troubled water
F       Fm6    C   F  C  F
I will lay me down

             C           F
When you're down and out
                      C
When you're on the street
F        Bb  F    C        F
When the evening falls so hard
        C       F  C
I will confort you

C       G/B  Am7  G
I will take your part
                   C    C7
On, when darkness comes
            F   Dm7   G7
And pain is all around

C7          F    Eb     C       Am
Oh,like a bridge over troubled water
F       E7     Am
I will lay me down
C7           F    Eb     C       Am
Oh, like a bridge over troubled water
F       Fm6    Am  Ammaj7  D  C   F  Fm6
I will lay me down

C  F  C  F

         C      F             C  F
Sail on silver girl, sail on by

F     Bb   F   C        Dm
Your time has come to shine
           C                  F  C
All your dreams are on their way

C   G/B  Am7   G7
See how they shine
                    C    C7
Oh, if you need a friend
             F     Dm7    G7
I'm sailing right behind

C7           F    Eb     C       Am
Oh, like a bridge over troubled water
F      E7         Am
I will ease your mind

 C7      F    Eb     C       Am
Like a bridge over troubled water
F      E7         Am  Ammaj7  D  C   F  Fm6   C
I will ease your mind

End of song Play again?

Elvis Presley - Bridge Over Troubled Water Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elvis Presley – Bridge Over Troubled Water: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C 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: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C, C is heard 45 times against 16 for Am and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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	36×
V7/IV	C7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	9×
ii7	Dm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A · C	3×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	1×
V/V	D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	2×
bIII	Eb	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	6×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V7/vi	E7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	4×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	38×
iv6	Fm6	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · Ab · C · D	4×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	4×
V	G/B	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	3×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	2×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	11×
vi7	Am7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E · G	3×
vimaj7	Ammaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G#	2×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	3×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	11×
i7	Am7	Tonic — home	A · C · E · G	3×
imaj7	Ammaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G#	2×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	3×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	36×
V7/VI	C7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	9×
iv7	Dm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A · C	3×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	1×
IV	D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A	2×
#IV	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	6×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V7	E7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	4×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	38×
vi6	Fm6	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · Ab · C · D	4×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	4×
VII	G/B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	3×
VII	G	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). 16 different chords appear 131 times in total; 9 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 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. C7, D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Eb, Fm6, Bb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×17
C7 F CV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution AmV7/VI → VI ×9
E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
G7 C7 CV7 → V7/IVauthentic cadence AmVII7 → V7/VI ×3
G/B Am7 CV → vi7deceptive cadence AmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×3
Fm6 C Civ6 → Iminor plagal Amvi6 → III ×3

The move to watch is F → C, heard 17 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 F, land on F, A, C — 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 Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Eb, follow the chord's notes (Eb · G · Bb) 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 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
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is C; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is F, C, Am, C7 — IV–I–vi–V7/IV from the C side, VI–III–i–V7/VI from the Am side. C7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/IV), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7/VI) 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.

Elvis Presley - Bridge Over Troubled Water Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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