Adele - Set Fire To The Rain - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Db, Abm, Ebm7, Ebm, Gb, B, Bbm, Bbm7 Easy key C (capo 6)

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Capo 0

          Ebm      Gb
I let it fall, my heart
           Db                 Abm
And as it fell, you rose to claim it
        Ebm           Gb
It was dark and I was over
           Db
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me

    Ebm             Gb
My hands they're strong
         Db                Abm
But my knees were far too weak
     Ebm         Gb
To stand in your arms
         Db
Without falling into your feet

              B                    Abm
But there´s a side, to you, that I never knew, never knew
         Ebm7
All the things you'd say, they where never true, never true
        B                 Db
And the games you'd play, you would always, always win

           Ebm7
But I set fire to the rain
            Db
Watched it pour as I touched your face
          Abm
Well, it burned while I cried
                                 Ebm7             Db
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

Verso 2 - dedilhado:
     Ebm       Gb
When I lay, with you
          Db           Abm
I could stay there,  close my eyes
          Ebm    Gb
Feel you here forever
         Db
You and me together, nothing is better

                B                  Abm
Cause there´s a side to you that I never knew, never knew
         Ebm
All the things you'd say, they where never true, never true
        B                          Db
And the games you'd play, you would always, always win

           Ebm7
But I set fire to the rain
            Db
Watched it pour as I touched your face
          Abm
Well, it burned while I cried
                                 Ebm7             Db
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

       Ebm7
I set fire to the rain
         Db
And I threw us into the flames
          Abm
Well, it felt something died
                              Ebm                 Db
Cause I knew do that was the last time, the last time

Ponte:
          B                 Bbm
Sometimes I wake up by the door,
                Bbm7                   Abm
That heart you caught must be waiting for you
      B                      Bbm
Even now when we´re already over,
         Bbm7                     Abm
I can´t help myself from looking for you

       Ebm7
I set fire to the rain
            Db
Watched it pour as I touched your face
          Abm
Well, it burned while I cried
                                 Ebm7            Db
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

       Ebm7
I set fire to the rain,
         Db
And I threw us into the flames
          Abm
Well, it felt something died
                            Ebm7
'Cause I knew that was the last time
          Db
The last time, oh, oh

Ebm7  Db  Abm   Ebm7 Db
Let  it  burn

End of song Play again?

Adele - Set Fire To The Rain Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – Set Fire To The Rain: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Ebm and ends on Db. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Eb minor side because it opens on Ebm and Ebm is heard 20 times against 6 for Gb. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	6×
ii	Abm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb	13×
iii	Bbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F	2×
iii7	Bbm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F · Ab	2×
V/vi	Bb	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	—
IV	B	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D# · F#	6×
V	Db	Dominant — strongest pull home	Db · F · Ab	20×
vi7	Ebm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	12×
vi	Ebm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Eb · Gb · Bb	8×
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Ebm7	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb · Db	12×
i	Ebm	Tonic — home	Eb · Gb · Bb	8×
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	6×
iv	Abm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb	13×
v	Bbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F	2×
v7	Bbm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F · Ab	2×
V	Bb	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Bb · D · F	—
VI	B	Submediant — warm colour	B · D# · F#	6×
VII	Db	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Db · F · Ab	20×

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 8 different chords appear 69 times in total; 8 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

Abm Ebm7 Gbii → vi7 Ebmiv → i7minor plagal ×7
Abm Ebm Gbii → vi Ebmiv → iminor plagal ×5
Db Ebm7 GbV → vi7deceptive cadence EbmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×5
Db Ebm GbV → videceptive cadence EbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
B Db GbIV → VIV → V EbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2

The move to watch is Abm → Ebm7, heard 7 times. From the Ebm side it is iv → i7 (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the Gb side it reads ii → vi7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Abm, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ebm7, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — 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 Gb major shapes

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Ebm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Db, Abm, Ebm7, Ebm carry the song: V–ii–vi7–vi relative to Gb, VII–iv–i7–i relative to Ebm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Abm → Ebm7 (ii → vi7 in Gb, iv → i7 in Ebm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on Db, the song seals Gb 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.