The Late, Great Johnny Ace Words & music by Paul Simon 1981 Abmaj7 |D7 |Abmaj7 |D7 | Abmaj7 |D7 I was reading a magazine Abmaj7 |D7 And thinking of a rock and roll song Abmaj7 |D7 The year was nineteen fifty four |G |G7 And I hadn't been playing that long |C F |C C7 When a man came on the radio |F Gm7 F/A|Bb9 | And this is what he said Am7 |Dm |E He said I hate to break it to his fans |Am7 |F |Am |Dm | But Johnny Ace is dead, yeah, yeah, yeah G |Abmaj7 Well, I really wasn't |D7 Such a Johnny Ace fan |Abmaj7 |D But I felt bad alI the same |Abmaj7 |D So I sent away for his photograph |G |G7 And I waited till it came |C F |C C7 It came all the way from Texas |F Gm7 F/A|Bb9 | With a sad and sim-ple face Am7 |Dm |E And they signed it on the bottom |Am7 |F |Am |Dm |G |C | | | From the Late Great Johnny Ace, yeah, yeah, yeah | It was the year of The Beatles | It was the year of The Stones | | | It was nineteen sixtyfour | Bb/D Fm I was living in London Eb |C B Bb Am|F#dim |Fm | With the girl from the summer be-fore | It was the year of The Beatles | It was the year of The Stones | | | A year after J.F.K. | Bb/D Fm Eb We were staying up all night |C B Bb G|F | And giving the days a-way Bb9 |Ebmaj7 Abmaj7 |Eb And the music was flowing amazing Bb7-9 |Abmaj7 |D7 |Abmaj | And blowing my way D7 |Abmaj7 |D7 On a cold December evening |Abmaj7 |D7 I was walking through the Christmas tide |Abmaj7 |D7 When a stranger came up and asked me |G |G7 If I'd heard John Lennon had died |C F |C C7 And the two of us went to this bar |F Gm7 F/A|Bb9 | And we stayed to close the place Am7 |Dm |E And every song we played |Am7 |F |Am |Dm7 |G | Was for The Late Great Johnny Ace, yeah, yeah, yeah Am/E | |Bb/F | | Am/E | |Bb/F | | Am/E | |Bb | Bbm/C#| Am/E | |Bb | Bbm/C#| Am/E | |Bb/F |Bbm/C# | Am/E | |Bb/F |Bbm/C# | Am/E | | | | Am/E | | | |
