• Song:

    City Middle

  • Artist:

    The National

The National, City Middle

AT LONG LAST somebody has put some chords up.

This is by no means an easy song to pick out. There are a lot of tracks and there seems 
be a degree of improvisation particularly
in the low synthy noises so, it won't be exact by any stretch of the imagination but I 
give you what are some damned
close chords and will certainly be recognisable as the song. It's just with all the 
you've then got woodwind, a violin and a
piano, it's a bloody nightmare.

I will give you the chords and any important 'licks' that recur.

Whenever I give a chord with a specific bass note (e.g. G/B) please pay attention 
it matters a lot in this song.

At the first instance of "I have weird memories of you" I have given three slightly 
D/A chords. While they shouldn't
really be treated as separate chords it serves to highlight the musical idea of going 
the 'e' to the 'f#' and down to 'b', which
at concert pitch (w/o capo) is 'g' to 'a' to 'd'.
I recommend playing it this way for the first line, but it's up to you if you want to do 
every time it appears.

________________________________________

*CAPO on 3rd*

e|-0-----0--3----2---0------0---0------0--------2----2-----2------0---0----0---------|
B|-0-----1--0----3---3------2---3------3--------3----0-----3------0---3----0---------|
G|-0-----0--0----4---2------0---0------2--------2----2-----4------0---0----2---------|
D|-2-----2--0----4---0------2---2------0--------0----0-----4------0---2----2---------|
A|-2-----3--2----2---x------0---3------0--------0----0-----2------2---2----0---------|
E|-x-----x--x----x---x------x---x------x--------x----x-----2------3---0----0---------|
   Em/B  C  G/B  Bm  Dsus2  A7  Cadd9  Dsus2/A  D/A  D6/A  B  G6  Em7  Asus2/E


"Karen take me to..."  (fret positions given WITHOUT capo)
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----10--11--13--10--------------------10--11--13--13----------------------|
G|12------------------12--10--------12--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Em/B                  C                   G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
                    Bm
Where they hang the lights
           Em/B                    C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
      La di la

[repeat]

Em/B                     A7
I've got five hundred in twenties
               Cadd9
And I've got a ton of great ideas
    Dsus2
I'm really worked up
    Em/B                 A7
I'm on a good mixture, I don't want to waste it
    Cadd9                   Dsus2
I'm on a good mixture, I do not want to waste it
  Em/B            A7                      Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
    Dsus2
I'm really worked up

Em/B                  C                   G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
                    Bm
Where they hang the lights
           Em/B                    C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
      La di la

[repeat]

Dsus2/A------D/A---------D6/A     Em/B
             I    have   weird    memories of you
        G
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
B
I have weird memories

D/A              Em/B
    I have weird memories of you        (there is also a guitar track on the
             G                           CD that repeats 'f# b  b' over and
Pissing in a sink, I think               over which colours the harmony
             Bm/F#                       significantly. Add your own f#s if
I have weird memories of you             you like)

 Em/B            A7                       Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
    Dsus2
I'm really worked up
  Em/B            A7                       Cadd9
I wanna go gator around the warm beds of beginners
    Dsus2
I'm really worked up

Em/B                  C                   G/B
Karen, take me to the nearest famous city middle
                    Bm
Where they hang the lights
           Em/B                    C
Where it's random, and it's common versus common
Dsus2
      La di la

[repeat]

D/A              Em/B
    I have weird memories of you
        G
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
B
I have weird memories

D/A              Em/B
    I have weird memories of you
             G
Pissing in a sink, I think
             B
I have weird memories of you

D/A                         Em
Parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
         G6                           B
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed
         D/A                         Em
You were parking your car, you said, I'm overwhelmed
         G6                           B
You were thinking out loud, you said, I'm overwhelmed


            D                        Em
You said, I think I'm like Tennessee Williams
                    G
I wait for the click
               B
I wait, but it doesn't kick in
  D                       Em
I think I'm like Tennesse Williams
                    G
I wait for the click
               B
I wait, but it doesn't kick in

D/A              Em/B
    I have weird memories of you
        G
Wearing long red socks and red shoes
B
I have weird memories

D/A              Em/B
    I have weird memories of you
             G
Pissing in a sink, I think
             B
I have weird memories of you

D/A            Em
la da da da...
G6             B

D              Em
la da da da...
G6             B

D/A          Em          Em7        Asus2/E....
I have weird memories of you

_______________________________________

If you're going to perform this with a band, then do some listening, have a think about 
you yourself want to do, and let this
serve as a guideline for your arrangement.

Any queries,
jreid38@qub.ac.uk

Please don't forget to rate, and comment if you think you've spotted something that I haven't.
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