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)
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords Eb, D, Ab, Bb Easy key Ab (capo 1)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
D Eb
D Eb
The warden threw a party
D
In the county jail
Eb
The prison band was there
D
And they began to wail
Eb
The band was jumpin'
D
And the joint began to swing
Eb
You should've heard those knocked
Out jailbirds sing
Ab
Let's rock
Eb
Everybody, let's rock
Bb Ab
Everybody in the whole cell block
Eb
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
D Eb
Spider Murphy
D
Played the tenor saxophone
Eb
Little Joe was blowin'
D
On the slide trombone
Eb
The drummer boy from Illinois
D
Went crash, boom, bang
Eb
The whole rhythm section
Was the Purple Gang
Ab
Let's rock
Eb
Everybody, let's rock
Bb Ab
Everybody in the whole cell block
Eb
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
D Eb
Number forty seven
D
Said to number three
Eb
You're the cutest jailbird
D
I ever did see
Eb
I sure would be delighted
D
With your company
Eb
Come on and do the
Jailhouse Rock with me
Ab
Let's rock
Eb
Everybody, let's rock
Bb Ab
Everybody in the whole cell block
Eb
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Ab Eb Bb Ab Eb
D Eb
The sad sack was a sittin'
D
On a block of stone
Eb
Way over in the corner
D
Weepin' all alone
Eb
The warden said: Hey, buddy
D
Don't you be no square
Eb
If you can't find a partner
Use a wooden chair
Ab
Let's rock
Eb
Everybody, let's rock
Bb Ab
Everybody in the whole cell block
Eb
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
D Eb
Shifty Henry said to Bugsy
D
For Heaven's sake
Eb
No one's lookin', now's
D
Our chance to make a break
Eb
Bugsy turned to Shifty
D
And he said: Nix, nix
Eb
I wanna stick around
Awhile and get my kicks
Ab
Let's rock
Eb
Everybody, let's rock
Bb Ab
Everybody in the whole cell block
Eb
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Eb
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
End of song Play again?
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on Eb. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
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: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between A major and F# minor. 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | — |
| bII | Bb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Bb · D · F | 6× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| III | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 21× |
| #IV | Eb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · G · Bb | 34× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | — |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| VII | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 12× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| II | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 12× |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | — |
| #III | Bb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · D · F | 6× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| 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# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 21× |
| #VI | Eb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · G · Bb | 34× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | — |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 4 different chords appear 73 times in total; 1 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Bb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
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 Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — 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 Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Bb, follow the chord's notes (Bb · D · F) 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 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
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening D lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Eb, D, Ab, Bb — #IV–IV–VII–bII from the A side, #VI–VI–II–#III from the F#m side. Bb briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. It closes on Eb, letting the A side have the last word.
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 - Jailhouse Rock 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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