...HAPPY BIRTHDAY... by Stevie Wonder
--------------------.................

*from 'Hotter Than July' (1980)*


Intro:

C  F, C, Bb  Eb, Bb, Am  Em  Am, G  F/G (x2)

Verse 1:

            C                       F, C
You know it doesn't make much sense,
               Bb               Eb, Bb
There ought to be a law against;
    Am                    Em  Am
Any-one who takes offense,
   G         F/G
At a, day in your celebration.

        C                     F, C
'Cos we all know in our minds,
           Bb                 Eb, Bb
That there ought to be a time,
     Am               Em, Am
That we can set aside;
   G             F/G
To show just how much we love you.

Bridge 1:

        F                                G
And I'm sure you would agree; what could fit more perfectly,
        F                          F/G
Than to have a world party, on the day you came to be?

Chorus 1:

      C               F, C
Happy birthday to you,
                      F, C
Happy birthday to you,
      F     C
Happy birth-day.

      C               F, C
Happy birthday to you,
                      F, C
Happy birthday to you,
      F     C
Happy birth-day.

Verse 2:

       C                F, C
I just never understood,
      Bb                    Eb, Bb
How a man who died for good,
          Am                    Em, Am
Could not have a day that would,
   G                 F/G
Be set aside for his recognition.

        C                  F, C
Because it should never be,
        Bb                    Eb, Bb
Just be-cause some cannot see,
    Am                   Em, Am
The dream as clear as he.
     G                       F/G
That they, should make it be-come an illusion.

Bridge 2:

       F                            G
And we all know everything, that he stood for, time will bring.
       F                                     F/G
For in peace our hearts will sing; thanks to Martin Luther King.

Chorus 2:

      C               F, C
Happy birthday to you,
                      F, C
Happy birthday to you,
      F     C
Happy birth-day.

      C               F, C
Happy birthday to you,
                      F, C
Happy birthday to you,
      F     C
Happy birth-day.

Middle 8:

Dm7                         Am7
 Why has there never been a holiday,
Dm7                         Ab          Bb         C
 Where peace is celebrated, all through-out the wo-rld?

Verse 3:

    C               F, C
The time is overdue,
        Bb                  Eb, Bb
For peo-ple like me and you,
    Am                     Em, Am
Who know the way to truth;
   G                 F/G
Is love and unity to all God's children.

          C                F, C
It should be a great event,
        Bb                        Eb, Bb
And the whole day should be spent,
   Am               Em, Am
In full remembrance,
   G                                 F/G
Of those who lived and died, for the oneness of all people.

Bridge 3:

   F                    G
So let us all begin, we know that love can win.
       F                              F/G         F#/Ab
Let it out; don't hold it in, sing it loud as you can...

*KEY CHANGE*
------------

Chorus 3:

      C#              F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
                      F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
      F#    C#
Happy birth-day.

      C#              F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
                      F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
      F#    C#
Happy birth-day.

Chorus 4:

      C#              F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
                      F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
      F#    C#
Happy birth-day.

      C#              F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
                      F#/C#, C#
Happy birthday to you,
      F#    C#
Happy birth-day.

Coda:

C#           B
 Ha.....ppy, birthday.
      Bbm              Ab       F#/Ab
Happy birth-day, happy birth-da...y. (Ooh, yeah).
C#           B
 Ha.....ppy, birthday.
      Bbm              Ab       F#/Ab
Happy birth-day, happy birth-da...y. (Ooh, yeah).

(Spoken):

C#                                B
 We know the key, to unity of all people,
                                       Bbm
Is in the dream that you had so long a-go,
                                          Ab  F#/Ab
That lives in all of the hearts of people,
                C#
That believe in unity.
B
 We'll make the dream become a reality;
Bbm             Ab                             F#/Ab
 I know we will, because our hearts tell us so.

Outro:

C#           B
 Ha.....ppy, birthday.
      Bbm              Ab       F#/Ab
Happy birth-day, happy birth-da...y.
C#           B
 Ha.....ppy, birthday.
      Bbm              Ab       F#/Ab
Happy birth-day, happy birth-da...y.

(Repeat to Fade)


CHORD DIAGRAMS:
---------------

   C       F     Bb      Eb      Am      Em

 EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE
 x32010  x33211  x13331  x68886  x02210  022000

   G       F/G     F       Dm7     Am7     Ab

 EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE
 320003  303210  133211  xx0211  x02013  466544

   Bb     F#/Ab    C#     F#/C#    B       Bbm

 EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE  EADGBE
 x13331  4443xx  x46664  x44322  x24442  x13321


Tabbed by Joel from cLuMsY, Bristol, England, 2004 (clumsyband@hotmail.com)