Robbie Williams - Angels - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords A, E, B, C#m, D, F#m Easy key G

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Capo 0

  E
I sit and wait
                      A          B
does an angel contemplate my fate
             E
and do they know

the places where we go
                    A   B
when we´re grey and old
                 F#m
´cos I´ve been told
         A                 C#m     A
that salvation lets their wings unfold
              D   
so when I’m lying in my bed
         A
thoughts running through my head
       E
and I feel that love is dead
D             A      E
I’m loving angels instead


                B                     C#m
And through it all she offers me protection
                      A
A lot of love and affection
                      E
Whether I’m right or wrong
                   B
And down the waterfall
                    C#m
Wherever it may take me
                       A
I know that life wont break me
               E               F#m
When I come to call she wont forsake me
D              A    E
I’m loving angels instead


 E
When I’m feeling weak
                         A              B
And my pain walks down a one way street
        E
I look above
                           A               B
And I know ill always be blessed with love
    F#m  
And as the feeling grows
               A
She breathes flesh to my bones
       E
And when love is dead
 D            A       E
I’m loving angels instead


                B                     C#m
And through it all she offers me protection
                      A
A lot of love and affection
                      E
Whether I’m right or wrong
                   B
And down the waterfall
                    C#m
Wherever it may take me
                       A
I know that life wont break me
               E               F#m
When I come to call she wont forsake me
D              A    E
I’m loving angels instead


                 B                     C#m
And through it all she offers me protection
                      A
A lot of love and affection
                      E
Whether I’m right or wrong
                   B
And down the waterfall
                    C#m
Wherever it may take me
                       A
I know that life wont break me
               E               F#m
When I come to call she wont forsake me
D              A    E
I’m loving angels instead

End of song Play again?

Robbie Williams - Angels Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Robbie Williams – Angels: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 both starts and finishes on E and E is heard 17 times against 7 for C#m. 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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	17×
ii	F#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C#	5×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	19×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	10×
vi	C#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C# · E · G#	7×
bVII	D	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D · F# · A	6×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	C#m	Tonic — home	C# · E · G#	7×
bII	D	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D · F# · A	6×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	17×
iv	F#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C#	5×
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#	10×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 6 different chords appear 64 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×13
B C#m EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×2
A C#m EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×1

The move to watch is A → E, heard 13 times. From the E side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the C#m side it is VI → III. 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 A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — 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.
On D, follow the chord's notes (D · F# · A) 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 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

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are A, E, B, C#m; read them as IV–I–V–vi in E or VI–III–VII–i in C#m. D briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on A → E (IV → I in E, VI → III in C#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on E, 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.