• Song:

    If You Could Read My Mind

  • Artist:

    Gordon Lightfoot

  • Album:

    Gord's Gold, Volume 1

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                If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
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Tabbed by:fnljstce
Email:pjschlein@gmail.com

Capo second fret is usual, but you could change it to go with your voice.

This tab shows how to do the whole song fingerpicking with a single guitar.
I left out most variations/fills 'cause they're more for when there's at least two guitars. 
Suggestions are welcome.

Notes
(1) I like to use the D as a bass note too-it just sounds good.
(2) Here, do random picking. I gave a specific pattern as an example,
but you can do anything with it
(3) On the chorus, I think it normally is just the G twice for the first time G shows up. 
It just sounded drawn out to me, so I switched one G out for G/B. 
I put G/B first because the build sounds dramatic going G C D E. 
(4) I really had no clue what to do for the fill/outro.
 I played with a bunch of different stuff, and just kind of settled with what sounded okay. 
I'll gladly take suggestions for this part!

Chords:    
G (320003@1)   320003     Dm6/F 1x020x     C (x32010@1)   X32010  
D (xx0232@1)   X00232     Em (022000@1)  022000     G/B (143121@7) X2003x     Am7 (x02010@1) X02030

Intro/Interlude
  G(1) (320003@1)                             G (320003@1)                             
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0----------------------------0-----0-------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------0-----0---2-------2-----2---0-|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-3-----3----------------------------3-----3---------------------------|

Verse:
  G (320003@1)                                Dm6/F (2)                            
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------0-----0----------------------0-----0---0--------|
|------0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------2-----2-------2-------2------|
|----0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0-------0-----0-----0----|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--3-----3----------------------------1-----1-----1--------------------|

Chorus:
   G/B(3)     G (320003@1)        C (x32010@1)        D (xx0232@1)         Em(let Ring, obviously)
|-----------------3----------0------2-----2-----0---------------------|
|------3------0-----0----1-----1------3-----3---0---------------------|
|--------0------0-----0----0-----0------2-----------------------------|
|----0-----0------------------------0---------------------------------|
|--2----------2----------3----------------------2---------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

C (x32010@1)        G (320003@1)       G (320003@1)         C (x32010@1)      G/B (143121@7)      Am7 (x02010@1)      D (xx0232@1)        G|-----0----------3----------3----------0--------------------------2-----2----3-| (320003@1)|-1-----1----0-----0---0------0----1-----1-------3----------3-------3-----3--0-|
|---0-----0----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0-------0------0---0-------2--------|
|----------------------------------------------0-----0--2-------2-0----------2-|
|-3----------2---------2-----------3---------2---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Fill(4):
 G (320003@1)                                                            
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0------10-10-10/9-9-9-9/7-7-7-7---7-0--|
|---------------------------------------------------------8------|
|-3-----3--------------------------------------------------------|

Outro:
 G (320003@1)                                                            
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------6-6-6/5-5-5-5/3-3-3-3-2-2-0-0h2-|
|-3-----3--------------------------------------------------------|

|---------------------------------------------------------

[intro once or twice]

G (320003@1)                             Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts could tell
G (320003@1)                             Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie    'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B (143121@7)        G (320003@1)       C (x32010@1)                   D (xx0232@1)            EmIn (022000@1)a castle dark or a fortress strong  with chains upon my feet
    C (x32010@1)                G (320003@1)  GYou (320003@1)know that ghost is me
    C (x32010@1)          G/B (143121@7)          Am7 (x02010@1)         D (xx0232@1)                   GAnd (320003@1)I will never be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can't see

[intro]

G (320003@1)                              Dm6/F
If I could read your mind love,  what a tale your thoughts could tell
G (320003@1)                              Dm6/F
Just like a paperback novel      the kind that drugstores sell
G/B (143121@7)                G (320003@1)           C (x32010@1)                 D (xx0232@1)          EmWhen (022000@1)you reach the part where the heartaches come the hero would be me
    C (x32010@1)          G (320003@1)   GBut (320003@1)heroes often fail
    C (x32010@1)                 G/B (143121@7)      Am7 (x02010@1)                D (xx0232@1)              GAnd (320003@1)you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take

[Fillx2]

G/B (143121@7)      G (320003@1)        C (x32010@1)                 D (xx0232@1)                   EmI'd (022000@1)walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three way script
C (x32010@1)          G (320003@1)   GEnter (320003@1)number two
  C (x32010@1)            G/B (143121@7)             Am7 (x02010@1)            D (xx0232@1)                EmA (022000@1)movie queen to play the scene of bringing all the good things out in me
C (x32010@1)                        G (320003@1)   GBut (320003@1)for now love, let's be real
  C (x32010@1)                   G/B (143121@7)                 Am7 (x02010@1)             DI (xx0232@1)never thought I could act this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
  C (x32010@1)              G/B (143121@7)                 Am7 (x02010@1)               D (xx0232@1)              GI (320003@1)don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone and I just can't get it back

[Intro]

G (320003@1)                               Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love,   what a tale my thoughts could tell
G (320003@1)                            Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie   'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B (143121@7)         G (320003@1)      C (x32010@1)                  D (xx0232@1)            EmIn (022000@1)a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet
    C (x32010@1)            G (320003@1) GBut (320003@1)stories always end
    C (x32010@1)         G/B (143121@7)                    Am7 (x02010@1)              D (xx0232@1)            EmAnd (022000@1)if you read between the lines you'll know that I'm just tryin' to understand
    C (x32010@1)               G (320003@1)   GThe (320003@1)feelin's that you lack
  C (x32010@1)                   G/B (143121@7)                  Am7 (x02010@1)             DI (xx0232@1)never thought I could feel this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
C (x32010@1)                G/B (143121@7)                 Am7 (x02010@1)               D (xx0232@1)               G (320003@1)  
I don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone And I just can't get it back

[Outro]

************************************

| /   slide up
|    slide down
| h   hammer-on
| p   pull-off
| ~   vibrato
| +   harmonic
| x   Mute note
| b   Bend
| pb  Pre-bend
| br  Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend

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