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Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind Tabs

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If You Could Read My Mind Tabs

(ver. 3)
Gordon Lightfoot
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                If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
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Capo second fret is usual, but you could change it to go with your voice.


This tab shows how to do the whole song fingerpicking with a single guitar.
I left out most variations/fills 'cause they're more for when there's at least two guitars. 
Suggestions are welcome. 


Notes
(1) I like to use the D as a bass note too-it just sounds good.
(2) Here, do random picking. I gave a specific pattern as an example,
but you can do anything with it
(3) On the chorus, I think it normally is just the G twice for the first time G shows up. 
It just sounded drawn out to me, so I switched one G out for G/B. 
I put G/B first because the build sounds dramatic going G C D E. 
(4) I really had no clue what to do for the fill/outro.
 I played with a bunch of different stuff, and just kind of settled with what sounded okay. 
I'll gladly take suggestions for this part!  


Chords:    
G     320003     Dm6/F 1x020x     C     X32010  
D     X00232     Em    022000     G/B   X2003x     Am7   X02030

 
Intro/Interlude
  G (1)                              G                               
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0----------------------------0-----0-------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------0-----0---2-------2-----2---0-|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0---|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-3-----3----------------------------3-----3---------------------------|

Verse:
  G                                  Dm6/F (2)                            
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------0-----0----------------------0-----0---0--------|
|------0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------2-----2-------2-------2------|
|----0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0-------0-----0-----0----|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--3-----3----------------------------1-----1-----1--------------------|


Chorus:
   G/B(3)     G          C          D           Em(let Ring, obviously)
|-----------------3----------0------2-----2-----0---------------------|
|------3------0-----0----1-----1------3-----3---0---------------------|
|--------0------0-----0----0-----0------2-----------------------------|
|----0-----0------------------------0---------------------------------|
|--2----------2----------3----------------------2---------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

C          G         G           C        G/B        Am7        D          G
|-----0----------3----------3----------0--------------------------2-----2----3-|
|-1-----1----0-----0---0------0----1-----1-------3----------3-------3-----3--0-|
|---0-----0----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0-------0------0---0-------2--------|
|----------------------------------------------0-----0--2-------2-0----------2-|
|-3----------2---------2-----------3---------2---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

 Fill(4):
 G                                                              
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0------10-10-10/9-9-9-9/7-7-7-7---7-0--|
|---------------------------------------------------------8------|
|-3-----3--------------------------------------------------------|

Outro:
 G                                                              
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
|---0-----0---0-----0-----0--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------6-6-6/5-5-5-5/3-3-3-3-2-2-0-0h2-|
|-3-----3--------------------------------------------------------|

|---------------------------------------------------------

[intro once or twice]

G                               Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts could tell
G                               Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie    'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B          G         C                     D              Em
In a castle dark or a fortress strong  with chains upon my feet
    C                  G    G
You know that ghost is me
    C            G/B            Am7           D                     G
And I will never be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can't see


[intro]


G                                Dm6/F
If I could read your mind love,  what a tale your thoughts could tell
G                                Dm6/F
Just like a paperback novel      the kind that drugstores sell
G/B                  G             C                   D            Em
When you reach the part where the heartaches come the hero would be me
    C            G     G
But heroes often fail
    C                   G/B        Am7                  D                G
And you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take


[Fillx2]


G/B        G          C                   D                     Em
I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three way script
C            G     G
Enter number two
  C              G/B               Am7              D                  Em
A movie queen to play the scene of bringing all the good things out in me
C                          G     G
But for now love, let's be real
  C                     G/B                   Am7               D
I never thought I could act this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
  C                G/B                   Am7                 D                G
I don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone and I just can't get it back


[Intro]

G                                 Dm6/F
If you could read my mind love,   what a tale my thoughts could tell
G                              Dm6/F
Just like an old time movie   'bout a ghost from a wishin' well
G/B           G        C                    D              Em
In a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet
    C              G   G
But stories always end
    C           G/B                      Am7                D              Em
And if you read between the lines you'll know that I'm just tryin' to understand
    C                 G     G
The feelin's that you lack
  C                     G/B                    Am7               D
I never thought I could feel this way and I've got to say that I just don't get it
C                  G/B                   Am7                 D                 G    
I don't know where we went wrong but the feelin's gone And I just can't get it back

[Outro]

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| /   slide up
| \   slide down
| h   hammer-on
| p   pull-off
| ~   vibrato
| +   harmonic
| x   Mute note
| b   Bend
| pb  Pre-bend
| br  Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend

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