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)
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords F, G, C, Dm7, Em, Fmaj7 Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
C Fmaj7 C Fmaj7
C Dm7
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
Em F G
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you
C Dm7
People'd call, say, "Beware doll
Em F G
you're bound to fall" You thought they were all a kiddin' you
F G
You used to laugh about
F G
Everybody that was hangin' out
F Em Dm7 C
Now you don't talk so loud
F Em Dm7 C
Now you don't seem so proud
Dm7 F G
About having to be scrounging for your next meal
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
To be without a home
C F G
Like a complete unknown
C F G
Like a rolling stone
C F G
C Dm7 Em
Aaa, You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
F G
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
C Dm7 Em
Nobody has ever taught you how to live out on the street
F G
And now you're gonna have to get used to it
F G
You said you'd never compromise
F G
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
F Em Dm7 C
He's not selling any alibis
F Em Dm7 C
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
Dm7 F G
And say do you want to make a deal
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
To be on your own
C F G
With no direction home
C F G
A complete unknown
C F G
Like a rolling stone
C F G
C Dm7 Em
Aww, You never turned around to see the frowns
F G
On the jugglers and the clowns when they all did tricks for you
C Dm7
You never understood that it ain't no good
Em F G
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
F G
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
F G
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
F Em Dm7 C
Ain't it hard when you discover that
F Em Dm7 C
He really wasn't where it's at
Dm7 F G
After he took from you everything he could steal
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
To have you on your own
C F G
With no direction home
C F G
Like a complete unknown
C F G
Like a rolling stone
C F G
C Dm7 Em
Aww, Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
F G
They're all drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
C Dm7 Em
Exchanging all precious gifts
F G
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
F G
You used to be so amused
F G
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
F Em Dm7 C
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
F Em Dm7 C
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose
Dm7 F G
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
How does it feel
C F G
To be on your own
C F G
With no direction home
C F G
Like a complete unknown
C F G
Like a rolling stone
C F G
End of song Play again?
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on G. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it opens on C and C is heard 45 times while Am never appears. 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 45× |
| ii7 | Dm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 16× |
| III | E | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 55× |
| IVmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C · E | 2× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 47× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | — |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | — |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 45× |
| iv7 | Dm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A · C | 20× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 16× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 55× |
| VImaj7 | Fmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C · E | 2× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 47× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 185 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×47
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×34
- Fmaj7 C CIVmaj7 → Iplagal cadence AmVImaj7 → III ×2
The move to watch is F → G, heard 47 times. From the C side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Am side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). 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 G, land on G, B, D — 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.
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
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F, G, C, Dm7 carry the song: IV–V–I–ii7 relative to C, VI–VII–III–iv7 relative to Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → G (IV → V in C, VI → VII in Am): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. It closes on G, letting the C 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.
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone 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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