John Wesley Harding

I Can Tell

John Wesley Harding


Tom: Em

D             G C D            C       G                \
        I can tell when you're telling lies;             |
              C             Am      D                    |
        I can see it in your  tired eyes.                |
              G C D            C       G                 |
        I can tell when you're telling lies;              \ CHORUS
              C              Am           D               / ~~~~~~
        I can see it in your lack of surprise.           |
      Em      C                  Am            D         |
        I can see just where the truth doesn't lie,      |
                 Em      C       Am            D         |
        Watching you cut through the bind that ties.    /

     Em
        Once upon a time, a story with a happy end,
     C                 Am          C             D
        But that's all in the past, that's all around the bend,
     Em
        You can't appease me now, those stupid things you said,
     C                  Am               C                D
        And you can't please me now, and we can't start again.
                D                         C
        There's too much history, there's no clean sheets,
                D                       C
        When I get to hear his story it puts my feet to sleep;
             Am         D               D         Em
        It's automatic nothing 'bout a heart in a rage,
         C               Am                   C                  D
        Murdered by some cartoon villain who ripped out the last page.

        < C H O R U S >


     Em
        Happy ever after, prince apparent and his bride;
     C             Am          C           D
        All his disarming charm and her unfaithful sighs.
     Em
        He's scouting for success, and she's his girl guide.
     C              Am               C             D
        The day the die was cast, it was the day I died.
        D                               C
        Now your hits are up for grabs, now the chips are down,
            D                               C
        You could be jetting with the set instead of with that clown
            Am           D                  D               Em
        You wanted to be on a bridge; all bridges should be burned;
             C                Am                     C                 D
        Sometimes you must re-cross and that's something you've never learned.

        < C H O R U S >


     B7
        There are some tricks that you can't pull,
                   C            Cmaj7   Am  Am  Am7 Am7
        I mean the wool that is over my eyes.
     D
        That's what happens when looking for love
           G              C    D
        Becomes a game of I spy.
           C                  Am                                \
        I know you're combing someone's hair                     |
            D                  Em                                |
        Or someone's soothing you;                                \ DRUMS
           C      Cmaj7      Am                                   / ONLY
        A lie may well fool someone else                         |
                C                 D                              |
        But it tells the truth about you to you.    So          /

              G C D             C       G
        I can tell when you're telling lies;
              C             Am      D
        I can see it in your  tired eyes.
              G C D             C       G
        I can tell when you're telling lies;
              C              Am           D
        I can see it in your lack of surprise;

              G C D             C       G
        I can tell when you're telling lies;
              C             Am
        I can see it in your  tired eyes.
              G C D            C      G
        I can tell where your talent lies;
              C              Am           D
        I can see it in your lack of surprise;

     Em        C                 Am             D
        I can see just where the truth doesn't lie
                 Em         C    Am             D    G
        Watching you cut through the bind that ties.


                ========================

CHORDS:
~~~~~~

      G chord                        D chord

 e||---|---|-o-|  G        e||---|-o-|-----|  F#
 B||---|---|---|  B        B||---|---|-o---|  D
 G||---|---|---|  G        G||---|-o-|-----|  A
 D||---|---|---|  D        D||---|---|-----|  D
 A||---|-o-|---|  B        A||---|---|-----|  A
 E||---|---|-o-|  G        E||---|-x-|-----|  either use thumb on 2nd fret
                                                 or don't play bass-E string


      C chord                        Am chord

 e||---|---|---|  E        e||---|---|-----|  E
 B||-o-|---|---|  C        B||-o-|---|-----|  C
 G||---|---|---|  G        G||---|-o-|-----|  A
 D||---|-o-|---|  E        D||---|-o-|-----|  E
 A||---|---|-o-|  C        A||---|---|-----|  A
 E||---|---|---|  E        E||---|---|-----|  E

      Em chord                       B7 chord

 e||---|---|---|  E        e||---|-o-|-----|  F#
 B||---|---|---|  B        B||---|---|-----|  B
 G||---|---|---|  G        G||---|-o-|-----|  A
 D||---|-o-|---|  E        D||-o-|---|-----|  D#
 A||---|-o-|---|  B        A||---|-o-|-----|  B
 E||---|---|---|  E        E||---|-x-|-----|  either use thumb on 2nd fret
                                                 or don't play bass-E string


    Cmaj7 chord                     Am7 chord
 e||---|---|---|  E        e||---|---|-----|  E
 B||---|---|---|  B        B||-o-|---|-----|  C
 G||---|---|---|  G        G||---|---|-----|  G
 D||---|-o-|---|  E        D||---|-o-|-----|  E
 A||---|---|-o-|  C        A||---|---|-----|  A
 E||---|---|---|  E        E||---|---|-----|  E