Artist's Name       -       John Lennon
                                    Song Title       -       Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
                                         Album       -       [Single]
                       Approximate Song Length       -       3 min 32 sec
                                  Release Date       -       November 24, 1972

The Story Behind the Tab:


       Twenty-one and three quarter days before Christmas, 2005, I was looking through
Lennon songs and happened upon Happy Xmas (War Is Over). For me, this is one of those
with a melody that can't be lost. Though I had forgotten it, Happy Xmas came rushing
to me the second I started to play it. I hope itrushes back to you as well!


Notes:


       Each pair of parenthesized chords below represents a single point in time. The
of the two is used to better illustrate Lennon's "XMajor-Xsus2-Xsus4-XMajor" pattern,
the second puts the final chord in its correct lyrical position. Of historical interest
this song was originally released as a single in 1972 as a protest song against the Vietnam
That year, John and Yoko bought the usage of scores of billboards in eleven cities and
them all with a simple, unified message: WAR IS OVER! IF YOU WANT IT MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM
& YOKO. It latered appeared on Lennon's Shaved Fish (1975) anthology album. This is an 
covered song. Such renown artists as Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, U2,
Buffet, and Melissa Etheridge have all released their own versions of this song. Other
include Julian & Sean Lennon, Sense Field, Die Roten Rosen, Street Drum Corps/ Bert
and the Pop Idols. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, 
comments! Have fun with it!


Transcribed By: Nathan Bartman
E-mail Address: NateBartman@yahoo.com
AIM Name: Nate Bartman


Intro           (Whispered)

                Happy Christmas Kyoko


                (Whispered)

                Happy Christmas Julian

Verse I                    A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                So this is Christmas


                    (A)           Bm     Bsus2     Bsus4     (Bm)

                And what have you done


                  (Bm)       Esus4     E     Esus2     (E)

                Another year over


                      (E)             A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                And a new one just begun


                    (A)        D     Dsus2     Dsus4     (D)

                And so this is Christmas


                  (D)           Em     Emadd9     Esus4     (Em)

                I hope you have fun


                    (Em])         Asus4       A     Asus2     (A)

                The near and the dear ones


                    (A)         D     Dsus2     Dsus4     D

                The old and the young

Chorus            (D)        G

                A very Merry Christmas


                                A

                And a happy New Year


                                  Em7       A

                Let's hope it's a good one


                            D         E7

                Without any fear

Verse II                       A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                And so this is Christmas


                    (A)          Bm     Bsus2     Bsus4     (Bm)

                For weak and for strong


                    (Bm)         Esus4     E     Esus2     (E)

                The rich and the poor ones


                    (E)         A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                The world is so wrong


                    (A)      D     Dsus2     Dsus4     (D)

                And so Happy Christmas


                    (D)           Em     Emadd9     Esus4     (Em)

                For black and for white


                    (Em)       Asus4     A     Asus2     A

                For yellow and red ones


                      (A)          D     Dsus2     Dsus4     D

                Let's stop all the fight

Chorus                       G

                A very merry Christmas


                                A

                And a happy New Year


                                  Em7       A

                Let's hope it's a good one


                            D       E7

                Without any fear

Verse III                      A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                And so this is Christmas


                    (A)          Bm     Bsus2     Bsus4     (Bm)

                And what have we done


                  (Bm)       Esus4     E     Esus2     (E)

                Another year over


                  (E)            A     Asus2     Asus4     (A)

                A new one just begun


                    (A)      D     Dsus2     Dsus4     (D)

                And so Happy Christmas


                   (D)           Em     Emadd9     Esus4     (Em)

                We hope you have fun


                    (Em)         Asus4     A     Asus2     (A)

                The near and the dear ones


                    (A)         D     Dsus2     Dsus4     (D)

                The old and the young

Chorus                       G

                A very merry Christmas


                                A

                And a happy New Year


                                  Em7       A

                Let's hope it's a good one


                            D       E7

                Without any fear


Outtro          A     Asus2     Asus4     A

                War   is        o     -   ver


                Bm     Bsus2     Bsus4     Bm

                If     you       want      it


                Esus4     E     Esus2     E

                War       is    o     -   ver


                A     Asus2     Asus4     A

                Now


                (Shouted)

                Yay!


                (Shouted)

                Happy Christmas!


                (Shouted)

                Happy Christmas!


                (Shouted)

                Happy Christmas!


"I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it."

                                                    - Igor Stravinsky