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 Marley - No Woman No Cry - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords C, G, F, Am Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
C G Am F C F C G
C G Am F
No woman, no cry,
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
No woman, no cry,
C F C G
No woman, no cry. Said, said,
C G Am F
Said I remember when we used to sit
C G Am F
In the government yard in Trenchtown
C G Am F
Ob - Observing the hypocrites, yeah,
C G Am F
Mingle with the good people We meet, yeah,
C G Am F
Good friends We have or good friends we've lost
C G Am F
Along the way, yeah!
C G Am F
In this great future, you can't forget your past
C G Am F
So dry your tears I say
C G Am F
No woman, no cry,
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
Here little darling don't shed no tears
C F C G
No woman, no cry. Said, said,
C G Am F
Said I remember when we used to sit
C G Am F
In the government yard in Trenchtown
C G Am F
And then Georgie would make the fire light
C G Ami F
As it was like a wood burning through the night
C G Am F
Then We would cook cornmeal porridge
C G Am F
Of which I'll share with You
C G Am F
My feet is my only carriage, and so
C G Am F
I've got to push on through. But while am gone
C G Am F
Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright.
C G Am F
Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright.
C G Am F
Ev'rything's gonna be alright. Ev'rything's gonna be alright.
C G Am F
Ev'rything's gonna be alright ya. Ev'rything's gonna be alright so
C G Am F
No woman, no cry,
C F C G
No woman, no cry
C G Am F
No my little sister don't shed no tears
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
Said I remember when we used to sit
C G Am F
In the government yard in Trenchtown
C G Am F
And then Georgie would make the fire light
C G Am F
As it was like a wood burning through the night
C G Am F
Then We would cook corn meal porridge
C G Am F
Of which I'll share with You
C G Am F
My feet is my only carriage, and so
C G Am F
I've got to push on through. But while am gone
C G Am F
No woman, no cry,
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
Oh my little darlin' don't shed no tears
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
Little darlin' don't shed no tears
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
C G Am F
Little sister don't shed no tears
C F C G
No woman, no cry.
End of song Play again?
Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on G. 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 C major side because it opens on C and C is heard 60 times against 38 for 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 | 60× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | — |
| 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 | 49× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 49× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 38× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 38× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 60× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | — |
| 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 | 49× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 49× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 196 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×49
- G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×38
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×10
The move to watch is F → C, heard 49 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 C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — 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
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. C, G, F, Am carry the song: I–V–IV–vi relative to C, III–VII–VI–i relative to Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on G, letting the C 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.
Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry 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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