King of New Orleans
Better Than Ezra
Transcribed by Eric Norcross
For Acoustic Guitar
www.EricNorcross.com
It’s pretty cut and dry. Listen to the song for pacing and strum pattern, then
follow the chord changes on this sheet.
Although keep in mind that the transfer from my .doc file to the internet
may have caused some chords to jump out of position, therefore you’ll have
to improvise, overcome and adapt... just like the Marines!
Intro: A F#m Bm E A (strum this A twice)
F#m
There's an angel on the stairs
Bm
(as if you'd even care)
When the lights go up,
E
And the sun has nearly gone down.
A F#m
Did you see him on the street?
Bm
Did you pass him at your feet?
Did you think aloud, "how dare they
E
even look me in the eye'?
D
And he loves the girls.
E
And he loves the boys.
Bm D
Going to make twenty dollars
E
before the weekends over.
A F#m
So set him up,
Bm
Let him fall.
E D
Turn him over in your hands.
A F#m D
God save the King of New Orleans.
A (twice, like in the intro)
F#m
Got a ticket to a show.
Bm
Going to see him take a blow.
When the drunk one said,
E
"Cat Stevens was the greatest singer!"
A (twice)
F#m
And did you kick him in the head?
Bm
Did you see the blood run down?
Did you laugh at all when the
E D
people walked right by and said aloud,
E
"You gutter punks are all the same.
Bm D E
"Probably make twenty dollars 'fore the weekends over."?
A F#m
So set him up,
Bm
Let him fall.
E D
Turn him over in your hands.
A F#m D
God save the King of New Orleans.
Interlude Riff:
A -5---5---5---5-4-5---5---5---5-4-5-4-|
E ---2---3---5-------2---3---5---------|
G D A G
Radio in my head
D A G
Radio in that car
Bm
Going down again,
D
He's going down again....
A F#m
Anyway you look, anyway you talk it over.
Bm
It's easier to let it slip out of your mind.
E
But it rips your heart out.
A F#m
Then it kicks your head in.
Bm
Just give him one more chance,
E D
Try to see the beauty in his world.
A F#m
All the way in on my hands, in on my feet,
Bm D
and shoulders. Going to make twenty dollars
E
before the weekends over.
A F#m
So set him up,
Bm
Let him fall.
E D
Turn him over in your hands.
A F#m D
God save the King of New Orleans.
A F#m D
God save the King of New Orleans.
Note: I always end it the two strums of the A, giving it a little
kick the ass. Of course you can always improvise your own little
riff.
