Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Gm7, Cm7, Eb, Dsus4, D, F Easy key C
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Gm7
Down around the corner, half a mile from here
See them long trains run, and you watch them disappear
Cm7 Gm7
Without love, where would you be now
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Without looooooooooooooooove
Gm7
You know I saw miss Lucy down along the tracks
She lost her home and her family and she won't be coming back
Cm7
Without love, where would you be ri
Gm7
ght now
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Without looooooooooooooooove
Gm7
Well the Illinois Central
Gm7
And the Southern Central Freight
Gm7
Got to keep on pushin' mama
Gm7
You know they're running late
Cm7
Without love, where would you be now
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Without looooooooooooooooove
Gm7 Cm7 Gm7
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Gm7
Well the Illinois Central
Gm7
And the Southern Central Freight
Gm7
Got to keep on pushin' mama
Gm7
You know they're running late
Cm7
Without love, where would you be now
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Without looooooooooooooooove
Gm7
Well the pistons keep on turning
F Gm7 F
And the wheels go round and round
Gm7
The steel rails are cold and hard
F Gm7
For the miles that they go down
Cm7
Without love, where would you be right now
Eb Dsus4 D Gm7
Without looooooooooooooooove
Cm7
Oooh
Where would you be now
End of song Play again?
The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Doobie Brothers – Long Train Running: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm7 and ends on Cm7. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = F# (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 G minor side because it opens on Gm, Gm is heard 24 times while Bb never appears and the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | — |
| ii7 | Cm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G · Bb | 7× |
| IIIsus4 | Dsus4 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · G · A | 6× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | — |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 6× |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | 6× |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | 3× |
| vi7 | Gm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D · F | 24× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Gm7 | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D · F | 24× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | — |
| iv7 | Cm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G · Bb | 7× |
| Vsus4 | Dsus4 | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · G · A | 6× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | — |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | 6× |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | 6× |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 6 different chords appear 52 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm.
Chord movement
- D Gm7 BbV/vi → vi7 GmV → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×6
- Cm7 Gm7 Bbii7 → vi7 Gmiv7 → i7minor plagal ×3
- F Gm7 BbV → vi7deceptive cadence GmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×3
The move to watch is D → Gm7, heard 6 times. From the Gm side it is V → i7 (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the Bb side it reads V/vi → vi7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over Gm7, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Cm7, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Dsus4 comes, swap the scale's F for F#: 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Gm7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Gm7, Cm7, Eb, Dsus4 carry the song: vi7–ii7–IV–IIIsus4 relative to Bb, i7–iv7–VI–Vsus4 relative to Gm. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D → Gm7 (V/vi → vi7 in Bb, V → i7 in Gm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on Cm7, the song seals Bb 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.
The Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running 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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