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)
Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, D, C, G Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
Am C G D
Hey girl, is he everything you wanted in a man?
Am
You know I gave you the world
C G D
You had me in the palm of your hand
Am
So why your love went away
C G D
I just can't seem to understand
Am
Thought it was me and you babe
C G
Me and you until at the end
D
But I guess I was wrong
Am
Don't want to think about it
C
Don't want to talk about it
G
I'm just so sick about it
D Am
Can't believe it's ending this way
Just so confused about it
C
Feeling the blues about it
G
I just can't do without ya
D Am
Tell me is this fair?
C G
Is this the way it's really going
D Am
Is this how we say goodbye?
C G
Should've known better when you came around
D Am
That you were gonna make me cry
C G
It's breaking my heart to watch you run around
D Am
'Cause I know that you're living a lie
C G D
That's okay baby 'cause in time you will find
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C G D
Hey girl, is he everything you wanted in a man?
Am
You know I gave you the world
C G D
You had me in the palm of your hand
Am
So why your love went away
C G D
I just can't seem to understand
Am
Thought it was me and you babe
C G
Me and you until at the end
D
But I guess I was wrong
Am
Don't want to think about it
C
Don't want to talk about it
G
I'm just so sick about it
D Am
Can't believe it's ending this way
Just so confused about it
C
Feeling the blues about it
G
I just can't do without ya
D Am
Tell me is this fair?
C G
Is this the way it's really going
D Am
Is this how we say goodbye?
C G
Should've known better when you came around
D Am
That you were gonna make me cry
C G
It's breaking my heart to watch you run around
D Am
'Cause I know that you're living a lie
C G D
That's okay baby 'cause in time you will find
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C
What goes around, goes around, goes around
G D
Comes all the way back around
Am C D
What goes around comes around.
Am C
What goes around comes around
G D
You shouldn't know that
What goes around comes around
You shouldn't know that
Repeat Pre corus and Corus
Am
You spend your nights alone
C
And he never comes home
G
And every time you call him
D
All you get's a busy tone
Am
I heard you found out
C
That he's doing to you
G
What you did to me
D
Ain't that the way it goes
You cheated girl
My heart bleeds girl
So it goes without saying that you left me feeling hurt
Just a classic case
A scenario
Tale as old as time
Girl you got what you deserved
D Am C G
And now you want somebody
To cure the lonely nights
You wish you had somebody
That could come and make it right
D Am
(What goes around comes back around)
I thought I told ya, hey
(What goes around comes back around)
I thought I told ya, hey
(What goes around comes back around)
I thought I told ya, hey
(What goes around comes back around)
I thought I told ya, hey
End of song Play again?
Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Am and ends on Am. 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 A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am and Am is heard 34 times against 33 for C. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
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 | 33× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | — |
| V/V | D | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 34× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | — |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 32× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 34× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 34× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 33× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | — |
| IV | D | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | D · F# · A | 34× |
| 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 | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | — |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 32× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 133 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
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
- 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 Am, land on A, C, E — 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 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
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Am, D, C, G — vi–V/V–I–V from the C side, i–IV–III–VII from the Am side. D adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to G. It closes on Am, letting the Am 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.
Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around 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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