CAT STEVENS - "father and son" Tablature
Official CAT STEVENS Tablature & Sheet Music »
The only real variation in this song is playing D, Bm7 and Bm.
Rest is fairly repetitive; though it's nice, you really
need the soul in your voice to carry it for the whole tune.
Did my best on the backing vox on last verse - timing's pretty
close I think.
FATHER AND SON
(Cat Stevens, from _Tea for the Tillerman_, 1970?)
G D C Am7
It's not time to make a change, just relax and take it easy
G Em
You're still young that's your fault,
Am D
there's so much you have to know
G D C Am7
Find a girl, settle down, if you want to, you can marry
G Em Am D
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
G Bm7 C Am7
I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy
G Em Am D
to be calm, when you've found something going on.
G Bm7 C Am7
But take your time, think a lot, think of everything you've got
G Em D G
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not
G-C G-C
Chorus:
G Bm C Am7
How can I try to explain? when I do he turns away again
G Em Am D
it's always been the same, same old story
G Bm C Am7
G Em D G
now there's a way and I know I have to go away
D C G G-C G-C
and I know I have to go
[Break. Unsure of which chord of D, Bm7, or Bm is played.]
Verse:
(away) (away)
It's not time to make a change, just sit down and take it slowly
(I) (know) (I have)
You're still young, that's your fault, there's so much you have
(to make this)
to go through
(decision) (alone)
Find a girl, settle down, if you want to you can marry
(know) [no?]
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
(stay) (stay, stay)
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside
(why?) (must) (you go and make this de-
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it.
cision) (alone?)
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them they know, not me
Now there's a way, and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go. (ends on single strum of G)
Someone else suggested playing C (add D), which adds the note
the voice sings. In fact, there's a whole bunch of added
notes not included here. This makes for a beautiful 2-guitar
solo, which, since it repeats the same chords, could be really
dull otherwise. If anyone can add to this, please do. The closest
I come is the G-C part (intro, ends of 1st verse, chorus and break)
where there's a little slide. One fairly easy way to play it is to
hold the C chord, add the G on the 1st string with your pinky and
slide the whole thing up, after hitting the second G:
e ---3----3s5----------------
b -1----1--------------------
or whatever...
BTW, any of you guys ever played this for your father?
Martin (Ted) Hermary
Department of Sociology
McGill University
855 Shebrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3A 2T7
e-mail: czth@musica.mcgill.ca
This musical interpretation has been removed due to a legal threat from Moses & Singer LLP,
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