Empire State Of Mind | Chords + Lyrics (no capo)
Intro
||: F# | F# | Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 :||
Oh, New York. Oh, New York.
Verse 1
||: F# | F# | Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 :||
Grew up in a town that is famous as a place of movie scenes.
Noise is always loud, there are sirens all around and the streets are mean.
If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that’s what they say.
Seeing my face in lights or my name in marquees found down on Broadway.
| A# | A# |
Even if it ain’t all it seems, I got a pocketful of dreams, baby, I’m from,
Chorus 1
| Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 | F# | C# |
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in,
| Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 | F# | C# | Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 |
New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York, New York, New York.
Verse 2
On the avenue, there ain’t ever a curfew, ladies work so hard.
Such a melting pot, on the corner selling rock, preachers pray to God.
Hail a gypsy cab, takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn bridge.
Someone sleeps tonight with a hunger far more than an empty fridge.
I’m gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams, baby, I’m from,
Chorus 2
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in,
New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York, New York, New York.
Middle 8
| Bmaj7 | Bmaj7 |
One hand in the air for the big city. Street lights, big dreams, all looking pretty.
| C#no3 | D#m | A# | A# |
No place in the world that can compare, put your lighters in the air, everybody say, yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah!
Chorus 3
In New York, Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York.
These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York.
End
| F# |
Empire State Of Mind | Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)
Intro
||: E | E | Amaj7 | Amaj7 :||
Oh, New York. Oh, New York.
Verse 1
||: E | E | Amaj7 | Amaj7 :||
Grew up in a town that is famous as a place of movie scenes.
Noise is always loud, there are sirens all around and the streets are mean.
If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that’s what they say.
Seeing my face in lights or my name in marquees found down on Broadway.
| G# | G# |
Even if it ain’t all it seems, I got a pocketful of dreams, baby, I’m from,
Chorus 1
| Amaj7 | Amaj7 | E | B |
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in,
| Amaj7 | Amaj7 | E | B | Amaj7 | Amaj7 |
New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York, New York, New York.
Verse 2
On the avenue, there ain’t ever a curfew, ladies work so hard.
Such a melting pot, on the corner selling rock, preachers pray to God.
Hail a gypsy cab, takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn bridge.
Someone sleeps tonight with a hunger far more than an empty fridge.
I’m gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams, baby, I’m from,
Chorus 2
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in,
New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York, New York, New York.
Middle 8
| Amaj7 | Amaj7 |
One hand in the air for the big city. Street lights, big dreams, all looking pretty.
| Bno3 | C#m | G# | G# |
No place in the world that can compare, put your lighters in the air, everybody say: Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah!
Chorus 3
In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York.
These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, hear it for New York.
End
| E |
Empire State Of Mind Chords: Exploring the Progressions
Originally performed on the piano in the key of F#, I’ve adapted Empire State of Mind for guitar by placing a capo on the second fret and thinking of it as if in the key of E.
It’s a great exercise to take a song originally arranged for a different instrument and create your version.
The verse and bridge use I, IV, and IIIx, like this:
||: E (I) | E | Amaj7 (IV) | Amaj7 :||
| G# (IIIx) | G# |
I’ve created some TAB for how you could play this—you can find it here: Empire State Of Mind – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The chorus starts on IV, returns to I, and resolves on V, like this:
||: Amaj7 (IV) | Amaj7 | E (I) | B5 (V) :|| x2
| Amaj7 | Amaj7 |
The middle eight (sometimes called the bridge) introduces VI (C#m), like this:
| Amaj7 (IV) | Amaj7 | B5 (V) |
| C#m (VI) | G# (IIIx) | G# |
The outro follows the chorus progression, but I’ve altered the extensions, using add9 and add4, like this:
||: Aadd9 (IV) | Aadd9 | E (I) | Badd4 (V) :|| x2
| Aadd9 | Aadd9 | E |
Since several of Empire State of Mind’s chords include extensions, let’s break them down:
- Amaj7 – Formed by adding a major 7th to an A major triad.
- B5 – A power chord containing only roots and 5ths, making it neither major nor minor.
- Aadd9 – Created by adding a 9th (B) to an A major triad.
- Badd11 – Formed by adding an 11th (E) to a B major triad.
I’ve provided TAB for all sections—start with that before adjusting it to suit your arrangement.
In the end, all you’ll need to play Empire State of Mind is a simple chord chart, like this one.
Empire State Of Mind Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Empire State Of Mind Chord Chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Empire State Of Mind iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Empire State of Mind wasn’t originally meant to be an Alicia Keys single!
Co-written with Jay-Z, the song was intended as his track, featuring Keys on the chorus.
When the single was released, Keys announced that a “broken-down version” would appear on her next studio album, The Element of Freedom (2009), with her taking the lead vocals.
The initial version featured Jay-Z rapping for one verse, but this was scrapped, leaving only Alicia’s vocals. At first, the new version—Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down—wasn’t even released as a single. However, after selling so many digital copies, the label decided to officially release it in the U.K.
From that point, Empire State of Mind’s success soared, charting in over 16 countries.
At live performances, Keys often changes the lyrics to reference the city or region she’s playing in—at one point even singing about North Wales, a world away from New York.
Empire State Of Mind Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Empire State Of Mind (Alicia Keys) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: