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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 Dm6/F 1x020x C X32010
D X00232 Em 022000 G/B X2003x Am7 X02030
Intro/Interlude
G (1) G
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------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 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 C D 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 G G C G/B Am7 D G
|-----0----------3----------3----------0--------------------------2-----2----3-|
|-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
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------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
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------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 Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts could tell
G Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie 'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B G C D Em
In a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet
C G G
You know that ghost is me
C G/B Am7 D G
And I will never be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can't see
[intro]
G Dm6/F
If I could read your mind love, what a tale your thoughts could tell
G Dm6/F
Just like a paperback novel the kind that drugstores sell
G/B G C D Em
When you reach the part where the heartaches come the hero would be me
C G G
But heroes often fail
C G/B Am7 D G
And you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take
[Fillx2]
G/B G C D Em
I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three way script
C G G
Enter number two
C G/B Am7 D Em
A movie queen to play the scene of bringing all the good things out in me
C G G
But for now love, let's be real
C G/B Am7 D
I never thought I could act this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
C G/B Am7 D G
I don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone and I just can't get it back
[Intro]
G Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts could tell
G Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie 'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B G C D Em
In a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet
C G G
But stories always end
C G/B Am7 D Em
And if you read between the lines you'll know that I'm just tryin' to understand
C G G
The feelin's that you lack
C G/B Am7 D
I never thought I could feel this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
C G/B Am7 D G
I don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone And I just can't get it back
[Outro]
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| / 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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