"Mercy, Mercy Me"
Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On (1971)
Tabbed by Dylan Williams
Send questions or comments to dylan.williams.j@hotmail.com

Classic song from a classic album. The existing tab is incomplete, so I
figured I'd complete it.

This song uses major and minor seventh barre chords for rhythmic purposes.
You could ostensibly play these open or with a capo, but it is unadvised.

These are the shapes I use:

Emaj7     Cm7      C#m7     F#m     Amaj7     Bbm9
                                     sus2*
--XX--   --08--   --09--   --XX--   --XX--   --06--
--07--   --XX--   --XX--   --09--   --XX--   --08--
--09--   --08--   --09--   --11--   --07--   --06--
--08--   --08--   --09--   --11--   --09--   --06--
--09--   --08--   --09--   --10--   --09--   --06--
--07--   --XX--   --XX--   --09--   --07--   --08--


*: This is really just a matter of taste. You would probably prefer a plain
Amaj7, which would be XX7999.

After the verses, during the instrumental, there's a key change from E to F
major. Just move the verse chords up one fret.

-----
Intro
-----
Cm7   C#m7

Emaj7
Whoa-oh, mercy, mercy me,
C#m7
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no, no.
F#m
Where did all the blue skies go?
Amaj7sus2
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east.
Emaj7
Mercy, mercy me,
C#m7
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no, no.
F#m
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon
Amaj7sus2
our seas fish full of mercury,
Emaj7
Oh, mercy, mercy me.
C#m7
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no, no, no.
F#m
Radiation underground and in the sky;
Amaj7sus2
animals and birds who live near by are dying.
Emaj7
Oh, mercy, mercy me.
C#m7
Ah, things ain't what they used to be.
F#m
What about this over crowded land?
Amaj7sus2
How much more abuse from man can she stand?

(Repeats the verse chords one more time, and then a key change.)

Fmaj7   Dm7   Gm   Bbmaj7sus2

(And then it rests on that Bbm9 chord pretty much for the rest of the song.)