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[Note from Pete Atkin, concerning the chords shown here:
There are several melodic suspensions (in other words stuff the melody does
that you don't necessarily also have to do in the accompanying chords)
and a lot of chords (especially in the verse) can take quite a bit of
thickening out with added maj7s, 6s and 9s etc. In practice I hardly ever
play it exactly the same way twice anyway, but this is the basic harmonic shape]
The bards of old were bold about their claims upon posterity | C / Dm Em | Cm / Ab G7 |
Petrarch, Shakespeare and Ronsard were never slow to guarantee | C / Dm Em | C / A7 / |
Their loved ones' immortality | Dm11 / Gaug / |
They never said Farewell, they said So long -- | Fmaj7 / Fminmaj7 / | C / A7 / |
So long lives this and this gives life to thee | Fmaj7 / Fm / | Fm / G7 / |
They didn't doubt the power of a rhyme | F / Fm / | C / A7 |
Or the durability of scribbled pages | F / Fm / | Gm7 / A7 / |
And so they wrote immortal lines to Time | F / Fm / | C / A7 / |
That gave their love affairs to all the ages | F / Fm G7 | C / / / |
And if eternity were still a good address | Gm7 / A7 / | Dm11 / E7 / |
And if my skill were greater, fears were less | Am / E7 / | Am / C7 / |
I'd do the same for you, my dear | Fmaj7 / Fm / | C / A7 / |
But since it isn't and they aren't | F / Fm / | C / A7 / |
I can't see my way clear | Fmaj7 / G7 / | C / G7 / |
To promising the permanence of all our joy and sorrow | C / A7 / | Dm11 / Gaug / |
Very far beyond the early evening of tomorrow | C / A7 / | Dm11 / Gaug / |
You can't expect to be | C / D / |
Remembered like somebody in a song | F Ab Bb G7 | C / A7 / |
Whose name fits to a string of quavers | B7 / F / | Dm7 / G7 / |
Or last for anything like as long | F / Fm / | C / G7 / |
No-one in times to come | C / D / |
Will read your praises written down to stay | F Ab Bb G7 | C / A7 / |
In balanced lapidary phrases | B7 / F / | Dm7 / G7 / |
Not that they wouldn't if I knew the way | F / Fm / | C / E7 / |
You'd be there | Am / / / |
With all the ladies of the sonnets, dark and fair | Fmaj7 / / / | Em / F / |
If only I could work the trick | C / C7 / |
Of giving local habitation to the air | Dm / Bb / | A7aug A7 Dm / |
But it just doesn't seem to click | Dm7 / / / | G9 / / / |
You'll never hear from me | C / D / |
That your name will live until the sun is cool | F Ab Bb G7 | C / A7 / |
You can't expect to be remembered | B7 / F / | Dm7 / G7 / |
You wouldn't catch me being such a fool | F / Fm / | C / A7 / |
You wouldn't catch me being such a fool | F / Fm / | C / A7 / |
You wouldn't catch me being such a fool | F / Fm / | C / / / ||
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