[Intro BPM 120 - G#m7b5/D = xx0102 - CAPO 1st fret for original key] -----Bm--------Bm/F#-Bm/A--Bm---------Bm/F#-Bm/A ||:--/---/---/___/---/---|--/---/---/___/----/--:||[x2]
[Keyboard riff] e |-2--2----keep Bm ringing apart from any part fretted with first finger B |-3--3------------------- G |-4--4------------------- D |-4--4------------------- A |-2--2-----0------------- E |-X--X--0h2--------------
[Verse 1 - Chug with no drums] [Bm] When I was young, it seemed that [Gmaj7] life was so [F#m7] wonderful, [(G)] A [A] miracle, oh, it was [G] beautiful, [E7/G#] magical, And all the [Bm] birds in the trees, well, they'd be [Gmaj7] singing so [F#m7] happily, [(G)] Oh, [A] joyfully, oh, [G] playfully [E7/G#] watching me
[Verse 2 - Full drums but slap snare] But then they [Bm] sent me away, to teach me [Gmaj7] how to be [F#m7] sensible, [(G)][A] Logical, oh, re - [G] sponsible, [E7/G#] practical, And then they [Bm] showed me a world where I [Gmaj7] could be so de - [F#m7] pendable, [(G)] Oh, [A] clinical, oh, intel - [G] lectual, [E7/G#] cynical
[Chorus - Just bass drum Bxxb Bxxx] There are [D] times when all the world's a - [G#m7b5/D - XX0102] sleep The questions run too [Gmaj7/D - XX0432] deep for such a simple (drums in) [C] man- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ----- [G] ---, Won't you (just bass drum) [D] please, ...please, tell me what we've [G#m7b5/D] learnt, I know it sounds ab - [Gmaj7/D] surd, Please, tell me who I [C] am- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ----- [G] --! -----C-----Em/B-----Am7---G |-/--/--/--/--|--/--/--/--/--|
[Verse 3 - Full snare] I said now, [Bm] watch what you say, they'll be [Gmaj7] calling you a [F#m7] radical, [(G)] A [A] liberal, oh, fan - [G] atical, [E7/G#] criminal, Oh, won't you [Bm] sign up your name? We'd like to [Gmaj7] feel you're ac - [F#m7] ceptable, [(G)] Re - [A] spectable, oh, pre - [G] sentable, a [E7/G#] vegetable, oh, take it, take it!
[Verse 4 - Sax solo - Full drums] ...Yeah! ---Bm----------Gmaj7-F#m7------(G)-A------------G------E7/G# |--/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-| ---Bm----------Gmaj7-F#m7------(G)-A------------G------E7/G# |--/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|
[Chorus - drums as per others] But at [D] night, when all the world's a - [G#m7b5/D] sleep, The questions run so [Gmaj7/D] deep for such a simple [C] man [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ---, [G] Won't you [D] please, please, tell me what we've [G#m7b5/D] learnt? (Oh, won't you tell me? Umm, tell me what!) I know it sounds ab - [Gmaj7/D] surd-----!, (Can you hear me? I know!) (Oh, won't you help me?) Please, tell me who I [C] am- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ---- [G] --, (Tell me who I am-------------!) who I [C] am- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ----- [G] --,
Who I [C] am- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ----- [G] --, who I [C] am- [Em/B] ------ [Am7] ----- [G] ---! Yeah!
[Outro - Fade to End] ----B7-------------------------------------Em----Em7 ||:-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|-/--/--/--/-|
==================================================================== [Coda - with bass notes] This nine bar pattern repeats to the fade
h = Hammer-on notes
B7 e |-------2--2---------|--2-----------------|-------2--2---------| B |-------0--0---------|--0-----------------|-------0--0---------| G |-------2--2---------|--2-----------------|-------2--2---------| D |-------1--1---------|--1---0-h1----------|-------1--1---------| A |----0--2--2------0--|--2---------2--0----|----0--2--2---------| E |--2-----------------|--------------------|--2-----------2--1--|
Em Em7 B7 e |--------------------|-------2--2---------|---2----------------| B |---0--------0--0----|-------0--0---------|---0----------------| G |---0--------0--0----|-------2--2---------|---2----------------| D |---2-----2--0--0----|-------1--1---------|---1---0-h1---------| A |---2----------------|----0--2--2------0--|---2---------2--0---| E |---0----------------|--2-----------------|--------------------|
B7 Em Bm/D (Bm/F#) G e |-------2--2---------|--0------2----------|---3----------------| B |-------0--0---------|--0------3----------|---3----------------| G |-------2--2---------|--0------4----------|---4----------------| D |-------1--1---4--3--|--2---2--0------4---|---5----------------| A |----0--2--2---------|--------------------|--------------------| E |--2-----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
[Additional Notes] Bm Bm/F# Bm/A Bm Bm/F# Bm/A e |---2--2--2--2------------|---2--2--2--2------------| B |---3--3--3--3------------|---3--3--3--3------------| [x2] G |---4--4--4--4------------|---4--4--4--4------------| D |---4--4--4--4------------|---4--4--4--4------------| A |---2--2--2--2--------0---|---2--2--2--2--------0---| E |---------------0-h2------|---------------0-h2------|
[Chorus Riff arpeggios] C Em/B Am7 G (G/A)(G/B) e |----------------------|-------------------------| B |----------------------|-------------------------| G |---------0--------0---|---------0---------------| D |------2--------2------|------2------------------| A |---3--------2---------|---0--------------0--h2--| E |----------------------|------------3------------|
h = hammer-on note
Chord names and fret positions are relative to the capo: Bm = x24432 G = 320033 Em/B = x22000 Bm/F# = 224432 E7/G# = 420100 Am7 = x02010 Bm/A = x04432 D = xx0232 Em = 022000 Gmaj7 = 320002 G#m7b5/D = xx0102 Em7 = 020000 F#m7 = 242222 Gmaj7/D = xx0002 B7 = x21202 A = x02220 C = x32010 Bm/D = xx0432(G) = 3xxxxx
[Verse - Play arp but hit snare and all low strings at same time to get bass note] It's [C] nine o' - [G/B] clock on a [F/A] Saturday [C/G] [F] The regular [C/E] crowd shuffles [D7] in [G] There's an [C] old man [G/B] sitting [F/A] next to me [C/G] Making [F] love to his [G7sus4] tonic and [C] gin
He says, [C] Son, can you [G/B] play me a [F/A] memory? [C/G] I'm [F] not really sure [C/E] how it [D7] goes, [G] But it's [C] sad and it's [G/B] sweet and I [F/A] knew it complete [C/G] When [F] I wore a [G7sus4] younger man's [C] clothes
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-102210][G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F-120003][C/E-032013][G/D-x55433]
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] .. 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] ..And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Verse] Now [C] John at the [G/B] bar is a [F/A] friend of mine [C/G] He [F] gets me my [C/E] drinks for [D7] free [G] And he's [C] quick with a [G/B] joke or a [F/A] light up your [C/G] smoke, But there's [F] some place that's [G7sus4] he'd rather [C] be [C][F/C][F/C]
He says, [C] Bill, I be [G/B] lieve this is [F/A] killing me [C/G] As the [F] smile ran a - [C/E] way from his [D7] face [G] "Well, [C] I'm sure that [G/B] I could be [F/A] a movie [C/G] star If [F] I could get [G7sus4] out of this [C] place.
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F][C/Ei][G/D]
[Verse] Now [C] Paul is a [G/B] real estate [F/A] novelist [C/G] Who [F] never had [C/E] time for a [D7] wife [G] And he's [C] talking to [G/B] Davy who's [F/A] still in the [C/G] Navy And [F] probably [G7sus4] will be for [C] life
And the [C] Waitress is [G/B] practicing [F/A] politics [C/G] As the [F] businessmen [C/E] slowly get [D7] stoned [G] Yes, they're [C] sharing a [G/B] drink they call [F/A] loneliness, [C/G] But it's [F] better than [G7sus4] drinking a - [C] lone
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Verse] It's a [C] pretty good crowd [G/B] for a [F/A] Saturday [C/G] And the [F] manager [C/E] gives me a smile [D7][G] 'Cause he [C] knows that it's [G/B] me they've been [F/A] coming to see [C/G] To for - [F] get about [G7sus4] life for a [C] while
[Small Build][C] - [C] - [F/C] - [F/C]
And the [C] piano [G/B] sounds like a [F/A] carnival [C/G] And the [F] microphone [C/E] smells like a [D7] beer [G] And they [C] sit at the [G/B] bar and put [F/A] bread in my [C/G] jar And say [F] Man, what are [G7sus4] you doin' [C] here?"
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F][C/Ei][G/D]
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Notes] [Tab for piano figure at start of song] Use first finger to play B string then second for E as nail is longer - better articulation first 4 notes are 16th notes, then triplets for rest of phrase -------(fast--------slower---------------) E 1----------10h12--15-14-13-12- B 1----10h13--------------------16-15-14-13 G 2---------------------------------- D 0--(leave-ringing)--------------- sp = slight pause -------------------------------(sp)-- E 1---6h7h8-6h7h8-6h8----3h4h5--------3-- B 0---------------------------3---3h5--(let 3 ring) G 1----------------------------------- D 0-----------------------------------
[Tab for main Intro] E -3--5310--55--X---X--X---2--3------- B -5---300--65--1---1--1-311--3-5-6--- G -5---400--55--0---2--0---2--4------- D -5---500--77--2---3--2---0--5------- A -3---5xx--88--3---3--3------5------- E -----333-(55)-3---1--0------3------- Dr B S B S B S B S
E -3--53----55--X---1--1-0-- B -5---354--65--1---1--1-1-3 G -5---4----55--0---2--0--- D -5---5----77--2---3--0--- A -3---5----88--3---3--x--- E -----3---(55)-3---1--3--- Dr B S B S B S
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[Tab - Build up verse] E -0---1---3---1-1-1--- B -1---1---3---1-1-1--- G -0---2---4---2-2-2--- x 2 D -2---3---5---3-2-0--- A -3---3---3----------- E ---------------------
[Tab - Part of intro over harmonica] E -3--53----55--X----1--1-0-- B -5---354--65--1----1--1-1-3 G -5---4----55--0----2--0--- D -5---5----77--2----3--0--- A -3---5----88--3----3--x--- E -----3---(55)-3----1--3--- Dr B S B S B S