Set Fire To The Rain chords

by Adele

Song Key: D Minor (Relative Minor of F Major)

Key Signature: 1 flat (Bb)

Time Signature: 4/4 (♩)

Tempo: 108 bpm (Moderately)

Vocal Range: Bb3 - D5


Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Chords: Dm, F, C, Bb, Gm, Am

Chord Chart Legend
Dm C Major F Major F Major barre chord Gm Gm V2 Am Bb Major Bb Major barre chord C Major C Major barre chord G Major
Lefties Chord Chart Legend
Dm-LH C Major-LH F Major-LH F Major barre chord-LH Gm barre chord-LH Gm V2-LH Am-LH Bb Major-LH Bb Major barre chord-LH C Major-LH C Major barre chord - LH G Major-LH

Set Fire To The Rain

The Relative Major Key of Dm is highlighted - Transpose to any other key. 
               Dm        F         C        Gm
Intro: 4/4 ‖        |         |         |        ‖ 
          
            Dm       F                  C                Gm
1. I let it fall, my heart    And as it fell you rose to claim it
          Dm             F                   C
   It was dark and I was o-ver    Un-til you kissed my lips and you saved me

      Dm             F                C                  Gm
2. My hands, they're strong    But my knees were far too weak
      Dm            F                C
   To stand in your arms    With-out fal-ling to your feet

                      Bb                 Gm
Bridge: But there's a side to you that I ne-ver knew, ne-ver knew
                Dm
        All the things you'd say, they were ne-ver true, ne-ver true
                Bb                           C
        And the games you'd play, you would  al-ways win, al-ways win

                  Dm                             C  
Chorus: But I set fire to the rain    Watched it pour as I touched your face
                 Gm
        Well, it burned while I cried    'Cause I heard it  
                           Dm           C
        Screaming out your name    Your name

          Dm       F              C           Gm
3. When I lay with you    I could stay there, close my eyes
            Dm       F                C
   Feel you here for-e-ver    You and me to-ge-ther, noth-ing gets bet-ter

                        Bb                 Gm
Bridge:'Cause there's a side to you that I ne-ver knew, ne-ver knew
                Dm
        All the things you'd say, they were ne-ver true, ne-ver true
                Bb                          C      
        And the games you'd play, you would al-ways win, al-ways win

                  Dm                             C  
Chorus: But I set fire to the rain    Watched it pour as I touched your face
                 Gm
        Well, it burned while I cried    'Cause I heard it  
                           Dm           C
        Screaming out your name    Your name

              Dm                              C
Chorus: I set fire to the rain    And I threw us in-to the flames
                 Gm
        Well, it felt some-thing died 'cause I knew that that was
                 Bb               C
        The last time    The last time

                   Bb               F
Bridge: Some-times I wake up by the door
                       Am                      C
        That heart you caught must be wait-ing for ya'-a
              Bb                       F
        E-ven now when we're al-rea-dy o-ver
                Am                         C
        I can't help my-self from look-ing for ya'-a 

                  Dm                             C  
Chorus: But I set fire to the rain    Watched it pour as I touched your face
                 Gm
        Well, it burned while I cried    'Cause I heard it  
                           Dm           C
        Screaming out your name    Your name

              Dm                              C
Chorus: I set fire to the rain    And I threw us in-to the flames
                 Gm
        Well, it felt some-thing died 'cause I knew that that was
                 Bb               C
        The last time    The last time    Oh...

          Dm    Dm    C    C        Gm      Gm           Dm      C 
Outro:  | Oh...|    |    |  Let it |  burn |  Oh-oh-oh | oh | Oh-oh Let it |
          Dm       Dm     C      C         Gm      Gm    Bb       C 
        | burn...|     |  Oo... | Let it | bu... |     |     | ...urn |

Notes

  • For beginners that haven't learned barre chords, the are a few ways of playing Gm which will get you out of trouble, although they do require a bit of a stretch:

    a) 310033 - same as a G chord except the first finger starts on fret 1 instead of fret 2, and you include the optional note that is displayed on the charts.

    b) 31033x (very nice)
  • The alternative Gm chord on the charts is very easy, with a mini-barre on the 3rd fret over the first 3 strings, and playing the D string open. If you find this easy, it's time to start learning  barre chords.
  • You can replace the F chord with a Fmaj7 chord... see what you think. There are several options:
    Fmaj7: xx3210 / 103210 / 102210 / xx3555
  • Standard chord progression for Dm:
    Dm - Edim - F - Gm - Am - B♭ - C
    Most of the chords for a standard Dm progression were used in this song.
  • Usually a song finishes on the key chord of the song which would be Dm in this instance. Adele finishes on a C major chord which leaves you hanging - and in this instance,  works well.
  • Tip of the day: If it sounds good, use it!
  • Theory is a great tool, but don't let it stifle your creativity. Learn to rely on your ears as much as you rely on your theory.

Song Details:

  • Songwriters: Adele Adkins, Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith
  • Date: 2010
  • Lyrics Begin: I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it.
  • Performing Artist: Adele
  • Album: 21
  • Recorded: May 2009 – October 2010
  • Released: 24 January 2011
  • Single Release: 4 July, 2011
Songs by Adele on this site:
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