Home » H » Harding John Wesley »

Harding John Wesley - Roy Orbison Knows Chords

Artists:  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # 

Roy Orbison Knows Chords

(ver. 1)
Harding John Wesley
Credits: Song written by John Wesley Harding
 
 
Chords: E {0 2 2 1 0 0}
    Esus4 {0 2 2 2 0 0} or {0 0 2 2 0 0}
       E7 {0 2 0 1 0 0}
        A {5 7 7 6 5 5}
       A7 {5 7 5 6 5 5}
      C#m {4 4 6 6 5 4}
       Cm {3 3 5 5 4 3}
       Bm {2 2 4 4 3 2}
       F# {2 4 4 3 2 2}
       G# {4 6 6 5 4 4}
        B {7 9 9 8 7 7}
       B7 {2 2 1 2 0 2} - bass-E string can be unplayed
       A: {0 0 2 2 2 0}
    Asus4 {0 0 2 2 3 0}
      A7: {0 0 2 0 2 0}
        D {2 5 4 2 3 2} or {2 0 0 2 3 2}
        B {x x 4 4 4 x}
 
Naming convention 1)bass runs are shown in square brackets [G# A  A# B]
                  2)only a few bass strings to be played when   ...............
                    a line of dots is used above chords, e.g.   E E F# F# G# G#
                  3)only play strings 2, 3 & 4 (B, G & D) for      ,,,,,
                    the end B: & A: chords with commas above:      B: A:
Note: This file is in 80 column format.  One line's chords extend beyond 80 col
so have been put on the next line (after the lyrics and a backslash character).
 
 
                  ROY ORBISON KNOWS (THE BEST MAN'S SONG)
                  =======================================
 
E                           A         C#m      F#
  Well your voice grips me tight like fingers
 
            A       B         E   [bass run: G# A  A# B]  B7
  Takes hold of whatever's inside
 
E                           A               C#m      F#
  Though we try to harmonize with different singers
                                                          ...............
        A                    B                   E  A: E  E E F# F# G# G#
  When we're out of tune at least we'll know we tried
 
 
 
A             B
  Baby its a hopeless feeling
 
D
  Leaves Mister Logic reeling
 
     A                    E
  I love you I know, but what does that mean
 
          C#m                            F#
  When the   only place forward is where we've just been
 
       A                        A
  Its time to think twice, its time to decide
 
   E      [G#    A      A#  B] B7
  Turn and keep walking or be my bride
 
                     A: Asus4 A:
  Or be my bride, yeah, 
 
                E Esus4 E
  Or be my bride
 
                E        E7 A:                C#m     C#m Cm Bm F#
  Well Roy Orbison, he knows  that I can't forget you
 
           A            B              E [G# A  A# B] B7
  Well he told me last night at forty-five
 
E                    E7     A:             C#m    C#m Cm Bm F#
  Hope this honesty doesn't honestly upset you
                                                                       .........
              A                     B                           E A: E E F# G# A
  He said to lie is death to love - I know it's still alive, yeh
 
 
 
A                B
  Baby when the mornings breakin'
 
D
  So many actresses 've already started fakin'
 
     A                            E
  I love you I know, but its not such a big deal
 
           C#m                          F#
  I'm gonna   tape you this song on my reel to reel to reel
 
       A                    A7
  Its time to think twice, make up your mind
 
   E     [G#     A    A#    B] B7
  Take me to the altar  or leave me behind
 
                           A               E  Esus4  E
  Or leave me behind, yeah, or leave me behind
 
 
 
 
           E                    A                    C#m     C#m Cm Bm F#
  Well my memories, they lie to me just because they want to
 
               A                       B              E   B7
  Well like a runaway train, you know, I have no control
 
E                                  E7 A                         C#m      C#m Cm/
  I'm gonna tell 'em where you live    so that they can go and haunt you  \Bm F#
                                                                    ........
            A                          B               E (E7) A: E  E F# G A
  And take back and take back all the parts of me you stole  
 
 
 
A                  B
  But I no longer feel like crying,
 
D
  My nervous system's dying
 
     A                       E
  I love you I know, but I'm anaesthetised
 
       C#m                    Cm F#
  I was   foolishly hopeful, now I've realised
 
         A                    A7: (triplets)
  It was time to think twice, you had to go
 
     E                       C#m
  I hope that you blossom, I hope that you grow
 
    A                         A7: (triplets)
  Write me a postcard make it some little thing
 
  E                        C#m
  If you get married, I'll carry the ring
 
  A:                       B7  
  If you get married introduce me to him
 
        A:        Asus4  A:
  Introduce me to him
                           ,,,,,
                   E   A:  B: A: E
  Introduce me to him
 
 
 
Notes:
1. Will (see credits) tells me he was told by Wes that it is  played  in  D
   usually with a capo, but this was in about 1994.   On the CD,  I'm  sure
   I can hear a bass-E in the first bar or two so I've  transcribed  it  in
   open standard tuning.
 
2. I'm pretty certain that the words  are  correct  after  initially  being
   unsure who "'ve already started fakin'" and about "Write me  a  postcard
   make it .....", "I know it's still alive" and  "Mister Logic".   Whether
   you sing "or be my bride" etc. or "woah be my bride" is entirely  up  to
   you.
 
3. Don't worry too much about the specific chord fingerings  for  the  most
   part, nor that you have this uncontrollable urge to play an A7  of  some
   variety when "its time to decide" - Wes decided not too  just  for  that
   verse.
 
   or to request tabs for songs.  If you have a favourite  JWH  song  you'd
   like me to have a go at, let me know.   I now have the four full albums,
   "The Name Above The Title", "It Happened One Night",  "Why We Fight" and
   "Here Comes The Groom".  If I haven't got the songs,  I  could  only  do
   them if you send me an audio tape with them on.  If you could  work  out
   the lyrics, that would be a great help.  The songs  I've  tabbed/chorded
   so far are:
        From "The Name Above The Title":
                I Can Tell (When You're Telling Lies)
                Save A Little Room For Me
                The People's Drug
                The Person You Are
                Long Dead Gone              } lyrics supplied by 
                Backing Out                 } Alan Pulliam - thanks
        from "It Happened One Night":
                Roy Orbison Knows (The Best Man's Song)
                                           - thanks to Will Vaughan & "Sen"
                Kiss/Lovers' Society {coming shortly}
    and from "Here Comes The Groom"
                The Red Rose And The Briar  } thanks to Patrick Barnett
    and coming soon, the version not from "Here Comes The Groom" of
                When The Sun Comes Out      } thanks to Patrick again
 
   using a program such as "archie".   Cal Woods  &  Jim  Carson,  the  new
   maintainers of the Nevada archive have kindly placed in it a file to aid
   archie searches.  It is called "Nevada.Guitar.Archive".   You  can  find
   the guitar directory of any nearby mirror sites using:
 
   unix% archie -m5 -N Nevada.Guitar.Archive
 
   Host unix.hensa.ac.uk
 
       Location: /pub/uunet/doc/music/guitar
            FILE -r--r--r--         80  Jun 16 09:21  Nevada.Guitar.Archive
 
   Wes's tabs are archived under ???/guitar/h/john_wesley_harding
 
5. The FTP archive at Trinity College Dublin  (ftp.maths.tcd.ie)  has  also
   uploaded a lot of Wes songs in the directory:
        /pub/music/guitar/h/john_wesley_harding
 
   In addition to the songs I've worked out, there is  a  copy  of  Crystal
   Blue Persuasion, originally by Tommy  James  and  the  Chandelles  (sp?)
   which appears on "The Name Above The Title".  There doesn't appear to be
   a mirror site to Trinity College Dublin.
 
6. Enjoy!
 
 
Parallel lines DO meet but only incognito. Ryan Harding, Applied Optics, UKC
"Now no-one's sitting on the fence, whose garden will we end up sitting in?"
 - John Wesley Harding, "The Person You Are" from "The Name Above The Title"
            
Submit corrections

↑ Back to top | Tablatures and chords for acoustic guitar and electric guitar, ukulele, drums are parodies/interpretations of the original songs. You may use it for private study, scholarship, research or language learning purposes only