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 - It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords F, C, G7, Dm, E Easy key D
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
G7 F C
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
G7 F C
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Dm F C
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Dm F C
Crying like a fire in the sun.
E F G7
Look out the saints are comin' through
Dm F C
And it's all over now, Baby Blue
G7 F C
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
G7 F C
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
Dm F C
The empty handed painter from your streets
Dm F C
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
E F G7
This sky, too, is folding under you
Dm F C
And it's all over now, Baby Blue
G7 F C
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
G7 F C
All your reindeer armies, are all going home
Dm F C
The lover who just walked out your door
Dm F C
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
E F G7
The carpet too, is moving under you
Dm F C
And it's all over now, Baby Blue
G7 F C
Leave your stepping stone behind, something calls for you
G7 F C
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
Dm F C
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Dm F C
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
E F G7
Strike another match, go start a new
Dm F C
And it's all over now, Baby Blue
End of song Play again?
Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now Baby Blue Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bob Dylan – It's All Over Now Baby Blue: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G7 and ends on C. 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)
- #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 comes to rest on C, C is heard 20 times while Am never appears 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 20× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 12× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| III | E | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G# · B | 4× |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 24× |
| V7 | G7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D · F | 12× |
| 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 | 20× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 12× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | 4× |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 24× |
| VII7 | G7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D · F | 12× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 5 different chords appear 72 times in total; 4 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.
Chord movement
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×20
- F G7 CIV → V7IV → V AmVI → VII7VI → VII ×4
The move to watch is F → C, heard 20 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 G7, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on G7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are F, C, G7, Dm; read them as IV–I–V7–ii in C or VI–III–VII7–iv in Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (III), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) 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. Ending on C, the song seals C 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.
Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now Baby Blue 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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