#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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Title: Roy Orbison Knows (The Best Man's Song)
Artist: John Wesley Harding
Album: It Happened One Night [L-FIEND CD 137] Track 16
Credits: Song written by John Wesley Harding
Transcription started by "Sen"
continued by William Vaughan
transposed to E major and edited by Ryan 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.
4. Feel free to email me with any comments (see header for email address)
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
These are archived on the guitar tab archives, ftp.nevada.edu and its
mirror sites such as ftp.uwp.edu - you can find local mirror sites by
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!
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Parallel lines DO meet but only incognito. Ryan Harding, Applied Optics, UKC
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"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"
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