Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords E, A, B, E7 Easy key D (capo 2)
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
E A B A B
E
Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
A
He got the action, He got the motion
E
Yeah the boy can play
A
Dedication, devotion
E
Turning all the night time into the day
E B
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
E A
He do the song about the knife
E7 B A B E A B A B
He do the walk, he do the walk of life. Yeah, he do the walk of life
E
Here comes Johnny and he'll tell you the story
Hand me down my walkin' shoes
Here come Johnny with the power and the glory
Backbeat the talkin' blues
A
He got the action, He got the motion
E
Yeah the boy can play
A
Dedication, devotion
E
Turning all the night time into the day
E B
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
E
He do the song about the knife
E7 B A B E A B A B
He do the walk, he do the walk of life. Yeah, he do the walk of life
E
Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
A
He got the action, He got the motion
E
Yeah the boy can play
A
Dedication, devotion
E
Turning all the night time into the day
E B
And after all the violence and double talk
E A
There's just a song in all the trouble and the strife
E7 B A B E A B A B
You do the walk, you do the walk of life. Yeah, you do the walk of life
End of song Play again?
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Dire Straits – Walk Of Life: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E and ends on B. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it opens on E and E is heard 22 times while C#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#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 | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 19× |
| V7/IV | E7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 3× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | — |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | — |
| III | G# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B# · D# | — |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 19× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 17× |
| vi | C#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C# · E · G# | — |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | Tonic — home | C# · E · G# | — |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 19× |
| V7/VI | E7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 3× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | — |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | — |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | — |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 19× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 17× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 4 different chords appear 58 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×11
- B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×9
- A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×6
- A E7 EIV → V7/IVplagal cadence C#mVI → V7/VI ×2
The move to watch is A → B, heard 11 times. From the E side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the C#m 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
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — 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 E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is E; the ear learns where home is within a second. E, A, B, E7 carry the song: I–IV–V–V7/IV relative to E, III–VI–VII–V7/VI relative to C#m. E7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to A. Keep an ear on A → B (IV → V in E, VI → VII in C#m): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. Ending on B, the song seals E 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.
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life 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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