Taylor Swift - Lover - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords C, G, D, Em, Gmaj7, F, Am Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G  D  C  C  G  D  C  C  G  Em  C  C 

G                 D                      C
 We can leave the Christmas light up till January
G                D                  C
 And this is our place, we made the rules
              G
And there's a dazzling haze
    D             C
A mysterious way about you, dear
G                        D                 C
 Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years

    G    D         C
Can I go where you go
       G      D       C                          G
Can we always be this close forever and ever and ah
        D               C
Take me out and take me home
       G   Gmaj7  Em  D  C
You're my, my,    my, my,  lover

G  D  C  C

G                 D              C
 We could let our friends crash in the living room
G            D                  C
 This is our place, we made the call
        G                      D                     C
And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you
     G                            D
I've loved you three summers now, honey,
       C
But I want them all

    G    D         C
Can I go where you go?
       G      D       C                          G
Can we always be this close forever and ever and ah
        D               C
Take me out and take me home
       G   Gmaj7  Em  D  C
You're my, my,    my, my,  lover

G       
Ladies and gentlemen
D
Will you please stand
Em                       F
With every guitar string scar on my hand
C                    G                    Am D
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
G                            D
My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
Em                           F
All's well that ends well to end up with you
C                  G                 Am D
Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover
    G                    F              C
And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me
             Am                     D
And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

    G    D         C
Can I go where you go?
       G      D       C                          G
Can we always be this close forever and ever and ah
        D               C
Take me out and take me home
       G   Gmaj7  Em  D  C
You're my, my,    my, my,  lover
           G   Gmaj7  Em  D  C
Oh, you're my, my,    my, my
               G   Gmaj7  Em  D  C
Darling you're my, my,    my, my,  lover

End of song Play again?

Taylor Swift - Lover Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Taylor Swift – Lover: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it opens on G and G is heard 36 times against 8 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	31×
Imaj7	Gmaj7	Tonic — home	G · B · D · F#	5×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	3×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	33×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	30×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	8×
bVII	F	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	F · A · C	3×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	8×
bII	F	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C	3×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	31×
IIImaj7	Gmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D · F#	5×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	3×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	33×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	30×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 7 different chords appear 113 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×27
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×3
Am D Gii → Vii → V Emiv → VII ×3
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is C → G, heard 27 times. From the G side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Em side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E 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 D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. C, G, D, Em carry the song: IV–I–V–vi relative to G, VI–III–VII–i relative to Em. F briefly darkens the picture: bvii — borrowed (mixolydian / parallel minor). Keep an ear on C → G (IV → I in G, VI → III in Em): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is C; the ear comes to rest in G.

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.