My Girl
As performed by the Temptations
Tabbed by G. Ludovici
I've included the bass intro, but raised it up an octave since a guitar with
standard tuning doesn't have the lowest notes.
For the verses, the guitar just plays up two major scales over and over.
The C scale and F scale for the first two versus, then D and G after the key change.
I worked to ensure the fingering pattern was similar and scale-like
throughout the entire song. During the chorus, strum freely to fill out
the sound. The strum patterns included are a simplified suggestion.
TUNING NOTE: If you play with the Temptations recording, you'll want to
tune all of the strings up about 10hz above standard tuning (less than a
semi-tone) or it'll sound a touch flat.
BASS INTRO (+8va):
e|------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |
G|-0------0---- |-0-----0----- |
D|------------- |------------- |
A|---3-3----3-3 |---3-3---3-3- |
E|------------- |------------- |
GUITAR INTRO:
C C
I've got
e|------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |
G|----------2-5 |----------2-5 |
D|------2-5---- |------2-5---- |
A|--3-5-------- |--3-5-------- |
E|------------- |------------- |
C F C F
sunshine on a cloudy day When
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
G|---------2-5- |------------- |---------2-5- |------------- |
D|-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |
A|-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |
E|------------- |-1-3--------- |------------- |-1-3--------- |
C F C F
it's cold outside, I've got the month of May
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
G|---------2-5- |------------- |---------2-5- |------------- |
D|-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |
A|-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |
E|------------- |-1-3--------- |------------- |-1-3--------- |
CHORUS (strum):
C Dm F G
I guess you'd say,
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1---3----3--|
B|-1----1---3----3- |-1----1---0----0--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2---0----0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3---0----0--|
A|-3----3---------- |----------2----2--|
E|----------------- |----------3----3--|
C Am F G
What can make me feel this way?
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1---3----3--|
B|-1----1---2----2- |-1----1---0----0--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2---0----0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3---0----0--|
A|-3----3---------- |----------2----2--|
E|----------------- |----------3----3--|
C Am F C
My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' 'bout
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1----0------0--|
B|-1----1---2----2- |-1----1----1------1--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2----0------0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3----2------2--|
A|-3----3---------- |-----------3------3--|
E|----------------- |---------------------|
Dm G
my girl My girl I've got
e|--1----------3--3-------------|
B|--3----------0--0-------------|
G|--2----------0--0-------------|
D|--0----------0--0-------------|
A|-------------2--2-------------|
E|-------------3--3-------------|
C F C F
so much honey the bee's envy me I've got
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
G|---------2-5- |------------- |---------2-5- |------------- |
D|-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |
A|-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |
E|------------- |-1-3--------- |------------- |-1-3--------- |
C F C F
a sweeter song than the birds in the trees. Well,
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
G|---------2-5- |------------- |---------2-5- |------------- |
D|-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |
A|-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |
E|------------- |-1-3--------- |------------- |-1-3--------- |
Repeate the chorus
CHORUS (strum):
C Dm F G
I guess you'd say,
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1---3----3--|
B|-1----1---3----3- |-1----1---0----0--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2---0----0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3---0----0--|
A|-3----3---------- |----------2----2--|
E|----------------- |----------3----3--|
C Am F G
What can make me feel this way?
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1---3----3--|
B|-1----1---2----2- |-1----1---0----0--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2---0----0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3---0----0--|
A|-3----3---------- |----------2----2--|
E|----------------- |----------3----3--|
C Am F C
My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' 'bout
e|-0----0---1----1- |-1----1----0------0--|
B|-1----1---2----2- |-1----1----1------1--|
G|-0----0---2----2- |-2----2----0------0--|
D|-2----2---0----0- |-3----3----2------2--|
A|-3----3---------- |-----------3------3--|
E|----------------- |---------------------|
Dm G
my girl My girl Oooooh
e|--1----------3--3-------------|
B|--3----------0--0-------------|
G|--2----------0--0-------------|
D|--0----------0--0-------------|
A|-------------2--2-------------|
E|-------------3--3-------------|
BREAK
BASS (+8va):
Whooo! Whoooooooooo!
e|------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |
G|-0------0---- |-0-----0----- |
D|------------- |------------- |
A|---3-3----3-3 |---3-3---3-3- |
E|------------- |------------- |
GUITAR:
C C
e|------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |
G|----------2-5 |----------2-5 |
D|------2-5---- |------2-5---- |
A|--3-5-------- |--3-5-------- |
E|------------- |------------- |
C F C F
Hey, hey, hey!
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |------------- |
G|---------2-5- |------------- |---------2-5- |------------- |
D|-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |-----2-5----- |---------0-3- |
A|-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |-3-5--------- |-----0-3----- |
E|------------- |-1-3--------- |------------- |-1-3--------- |
KEY CHANGE
Modulate up a whole step from C to D
Dm G G A
Hey, hey, hey! I don't
e|-1--1--1--1-- |--3--3--3--3- |--3--3--3--3- |-0-0-0-------|
B|-3--3--3--3-- |--0--0--0--0- |--0--0--0--0- |-2-2-2-------|
G|-2--2--2--2-- |--0--0--0--0- |--0--0--0--0- |-2-2-2-------|
D|-0--0--0--0-- |--0--0--0--0- |--0--0--0--0- |-2-2-2-------|
A|------------- |--2--2--2--2- |--2--2--2--2- |-0-0-0-------|
E|------------- |--3--3--3--3- |--3--3--3--3- |-0-0-0-------|
D G D D
need no money, fortune or fame I've got
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |-------------|
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |-------------|
G|---------4-7- |------------- |---------4-7- |---------4-7-|
D|-----4-7----- |---------2-5- |-----4-7----- |-----4-7-----|
A|-5-7--------- |-----2-5----- |-5-7--------- |-5-7---------|
E|------------- |-3-5--------- |------------- |-------------|
D G D D
all the riches, baby, one man can claim
e|------------- |------------- |------------- |-------------|
B|------------- |------------- |------------- |-------------|
G|---------4-7- |------------- |---------4-7- |---------4-7-|
D|-----4-7----- |---------2-5- |-----4-7----- |-----4-7-----|
A|-5-7--------- |-----2-5----- |-5-7--------- |-5-7---------|
E|------------- |-3-5--------- |------------- |-------------|
CHORUS in D (strum):
D Em G A
I guess you'd say,
e|-2---2---0---0--- |-3---3---0---0---|
B|-3---3---0---0--- |-0---0---2---2---|
G|-2---2---0---0--- |-0---0---2---2---|
D|-0---0---2---2--- |-0---0---2---2---|
A|---------2---2--- |-2---2---0---0---|
E|---------0---0--- |-3---3---0---0---|
D Em G A
What can make me feel this way?
e|-2---2---0---0--- |-3---3---0---0---|
B|-3---3---0---0--- |-0---0---2---2---|
G|-2---2---0---0--- |-0---0---2---2---|
D|-0---0---2---2--- |-0---0---2---2---|
A|---------2---2--- |-2---2---0---0---|
E|---------0---0--- |-3---3---0---0---|
D Bm G D
My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' 'bout
e|-2---2---2---2-- |-3---3---2---2----|
B|-3---3---3---3-- |-0---0---3---3----|
G|-2---2---4---4-- |-0---0---2---2----|
D|-0---0---4---4-- |-0---0---0---0----|
A|---------2---2-- |-2---2------------|
E|---------------- |-3---3------------|
Em
my girl
e|--0------|
B|--0------|
G|--0------|
D|--2------|
A|--2------|
E|--0------|
DESCENDING SCALE:
Now instead of the lead guitar, the entire orchestra starts repeating chords
and a scale until the song fades to silence. In case you're performing
this, I've set up a closing chord instead of the fade. I've also included a
lead-guitar style melody in case you're not comfortable with barre chords.
MELODY:
A G Bm A7 D
Talkin' 'bout my girl
e|----------------------------|
B|----------------------------|
G|--2-2-----------------------|
D|-------5-5---4-4---2-2------|
A|-------------------------5--|
E|----------------------------|
OR
BARRE CHORDS:
A G Bm A7 D
Talkin' 'bout my girl
e|--5--5--3--3--2--2--0--0--2--|
B|--5--5--3--3--3--3--2--2--3--|
G|--6--6--4--4--4--4--0--0--2--|
D|--7--7--5--5--4--4--2--2--0--|
A|--7--7--5--5--2--2--0--0-----|
E|--5--5--3--3--------0--0-----|
(Strum freely)
D Em Em
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl.
e|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
B|-3---3---3---3--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
G|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
D|-0---0---0---0--- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2---2---2---2---|
A|----------------- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2---2---2---2---|
E|----------------- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
A G Bm A7 D
I've even got the month of May
e|--5--5--3--3--2--2--0--0--2--|
B|--5--5--3--3--3--3--2--2--3--|
G|--6--6--4--4--4--4--0--0--2--|
D|--7--7--5--5--4--4--2--2--0--|
A|--7--7--5--5--2--2--0--0-----|
E|--5--5--3--3--------0--0-----|
(Strum freely)
D Em Em
with my girl. Talkin 'bout, talkin' 'bout, talkin' 'bout
e|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
B|-3---3---3---3--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
G|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
D|-0---0---0---0--- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2---2---2---2---|
A|----------------- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2---2---2---2---|
E|----------------- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0---0---0---0---|
A G Bm A7 D
my girl.
e|--5--5--3--3--2--2--0--0--2--|
B|--5--5--3--3--3--3--2--2--3--|
G|--6--6--4--4--4--4--0--0--2--|
D|--7--7--5--5--4--4--2--2--0--|
A|--7--7--5--5--2--2--0--0-----|
E|--5--5--3--3--------0--0-----|
(Strum freely)
D Em (slow down) Em D (Let ring)
Ooh, my girl. That's all I can talk about is my girl.
e|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0-------0------- |--2---------------||
B|-3---3---3---3--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0-------0------- |--3---------------||
G|-2---2---2---2--- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0-------0------- |--2---------------||
D|-0---0---0---0--- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2-------2------- |--0---------------||
A|----------------- |-2---2---2---2--- |-2-------2------- |------------------||
E|----------------- |-0---0---0---0--- |-0-------0------- |------------------||
FIN!
