JONI MITCHELL - "i had a king" Tablature
Official JONI MITCHELL Tablature & Sheet Music »
Subject: TAB: *** Joni Mitchell - I Had A King ***
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 01:02:50 GMT
Lines: 199
NNTP-Posting-Host: pc095049.lincoln.ac.nz
I Had A King - Joni Mitchell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from the album "Joni Mitchell"
transcribed by Jared White <whitej@lincoln.ac.nz>
thanks to Howard Wright for the tuning.
Notes: This is from Joni's first album, and is very lovely to play. The shapes
are not difficult - the tune is mostly played on the open strings - but it is
important to play legato and let notes ring. Most importantly, emphasise the
melody notes in measures 13 to 21, which are played mainly on the low A and D
strings - it can be difficult to draw these out of the other notes. As with
any other tune, listen to the recording if you can. Comments, suggestions,
corrections etc. please Email me. Enjoy!
Tuning DADEAD, Capo 7. 4/4, quarter note = 108.
Notes all quavers; * = quaver rest
Intro:
|--------------0----------|------------------------|-------------0----------|
|-----------0-----0-------|-------0-----------0----|----------------0-------|
|-----3-------------------|-3-----------3----------|-------1----------------|
|--------4-----------4----|----4-----------4-------|----------2--------2----|
|-----------------------5-|----------5-----------0-|----3-----------------3-|
|--0----------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|
4 Verse:
|-------------------------|-------------0----------|------------------------|
|--------0-----------0----|*---------------0-------|-------0-----------0----|
|--1-----------1----------|-------3----------------|-3-----------3----------|
|-----2-----------2-------|*---------4--------4----|----4-----------4-------|
|-----------3-----------0-|----5-----------------5-|----------5-----------0-|
|-------------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|
I had a king in a tenement castle
7 crescendo............
|--------------0----------|------------------------|-------------------0----|
|-----------------0-------|-------0-----------0----|-------------------0----|
|--------1----------------|-1-----------1----------|----*--------0-----0----|
|-----------2--------2----|----2-----------2-------|-------0-----0----------|
|-----3-----------------3-|----------3-----------0-|-------0----------------|
|--0----------------------|------------------------|-0--------0-----0-----0-|
Lately he's taken to painting the pastel walls brown
10
|-----------0-------------|----------0-------------|-------------0----------|
|-----------0-------------|-------------0----------|----------------0-------|
|--0-----0--------0-------|-1-----*--1-------------|-1--------1-------------|
|--0-----------------0----|-0--------0-----0-----0-|----0--------------0----|
|-------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
|-----0--------0--------0-|----0--------------0----|-------0-------------(0)|
He's taken the cur - tains down He's
13 (emphasise melody notes!!.......)
|-----------0-----------0-|------------------------|----------0-------------|
|--------0-----------0----|-0--------0-----------0-|-0--------------------0-|
|--0----------------------|-3-----3-----------3----|-1-----1-----------1----|
|-----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|
|--------------0----------|-5-----------0----------|-3-----------0----------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
Swept with the broom of contempt and the rooms have an empty ring
16
|--------------0----------|----------0-----------0-|----------0-----------0-|
|--0--------0-----0-------|-0-----0-----------0----|-0----------------------|
|--0-----0-----------0----|-0----------------------|-3-----3-----------3----|
|-----0-----------0-----0-|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|
|--2-----------0----------|-------------0----------|-5-----------0----------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
He's cleaned with the tears of an actor who fears for
19
|-------------------------|-------------0----------|-0-----------0----------|
|--0--------0--------0----|-0--------0-----0-----0-|----0-----0-----0-----0-|
|--1-----1--1-----1--1----|-0-----0-----------0----|-------0----------------|
|-----0-----------0-------|----0--------------0----|-------0-----------0----|
|--3-----------0--------0-|-2-----------------2----|-------2-----------0----|
|-------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
the laughter's sting....
Chorus:
|--------------------0----|-5--------4-----0-------|-----------------(0)----|
|-----------0--------0----|-0--------0--------0----|---------0--------0-----|
|--3-----*--3--------3----|-------*----------------|-3----*--3--------3-----|
|--0--------0-----0-------|----0--------0--------0-|-0-------0-----0--------|
|-------------------------|-0--------0--------0----|-0----------------------|
|--0--0--------0--------0-|------------------------|-0--0-------0---------0-|
I can't go back there any - more You know my keys won't
25
|--5--------4-----0-------|------------------(0)---|-5--------4-----0-------|
|--0--------0--------0----|----------0--------0----|-0--------0--------0----|
|--------*----------------|-3-----*--3--------3----|-------*----------------|
|-----0--------0--------0-|-0--------0-----0-------|----0--------0--------0-|
|--0--------0--------0----|-0----------------------|-0--------0--------0----|
|-------------------------|-0--0--------0--------0-|------------------------|
fit the door You know my thoughts don't fit the man
28
|--------------0----------|------------------------|-------------0----------|
|-----------0-----0-------|-------0-----------0----|----------------0-------|
|-----1-------------------|-1-----------1----------|-------3----------------|
|--------2-----------2----|----2-----------2-------|----------4--------4----|
|--3--------------------3-|----------3-----------0-|----5-----------------5-|
|-(0)---------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|
They never can they never can
31 Ending:
|-------------------------|-------------0----------|------------------------|
|--------0-----------0---*|----------------0-------|-------0-----------0----|
|--3-----------3----------|-------1----------------|-1-----------1----------|
|-----4-----------4------*|----------2--------2----|----2-----------2-------|
|-----------5-----------0-|----3-----------------3-|----------3-----------0-|
|-------------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|
34
|--------------0----------|------------------------|------------------------|
|-----------------0-------|-------0-----------0----|-------0-----------0----|
|--------3----------------|-3-----------3----------|-3-----------3----------|
|-----------4--------4----|----4-----------4-------|----4-----------4-------|
|-----5-----------------5-|----------5-----------5-|----------5-----------5-|
|--0----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
37 ritardando.....................
|-------------------------|------------------------|--0--------------------||
|--------0-----------0----|-------0-----------0----|--0--------------------||
|--3-----------3----------|-3-----------3----------|--0--------------------||
|-----4-----------4-------|----4-----------4-----0-|--0--------------------||
|-----------5-----------5-|----------5-----------0-|--0--------------------||
|-------------------------|------------------------|--0--------------------||
(slow strum.....)
Alternative measures:
11 12
|-----------0-------------|-------------0----------|
|--------------0----------|------------------------|
|--1--------1--------1----|-1--------1--------1----|
|--0-----0--------0-----0-|----0-----------0-----0-|
|-------------------------|------------------------|
|-----0-------------(0)---|------(0)---------(0)---|
15 16
|-------------------------|-------------0----------|
|--0--------0--------0----|-0--------0-----0-------|
|--1-----1--------1-------|-0-----0-----------0----|
|-----0--------0--------0-|----0--------0-------(0)|
|--3--------3--------3----|-2--------2--------0----|
|-------------------------|------------------------|
19
|-------------------------|
|--0--------0--------0----|
|--1-----1--------1-------|
|-----0--------0--------0-|
|--3--------3--------3----|
|-------------------------|
LYRICS:
I had a king in a tenement castle
Lately he's taken to painting the pastel walls brown
He's taken the curtains down
He's swept with the broom of contempt
And the rooms have an empty ring
He's cleaned with the tears
Of an actor who fears for the laughter's sting-
Chorus:
I can't go back there anymore
You know my keys won't fit the door
You know my thoughts don't fit the man
They never can they never can
I had a king dressed in drip-dry and paisley
Lately he's taken to saying i'm crazy and blind
He lives in another time
Ladies in gingham still blush
While he sings them of wars and wine
But I in my leather and lace
I can never become that kind-
Chorus
I had a king in a salt-rusted carriage
Who carried me off to his country for marriage too soon
Beware of the power of moons
There's no one to blame
No there's no one to name as a traitor here
The king's on the road
And the queen's in the grove 'till the end of the year-
Chorus
This musical interpretation has been removed due to a legal threat from Moses & Singer LLP, representing the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) and The Music Publisher's Association of the United States (MPA).
Unfortunately, these threats are fueled by greed and being masked by a "copyright infringement." They claim tab sites are "hurting the songwriters," but it's a known fact that the publishing companies garner most of the revenue. Instead, they would prefer you to purchase the official JONI MITCHELL tablature which is an option we've always given our users. And due to the highly error-prone nature of tabs on the internet, many choose to go this route. These companies also do not realize that tablature sites help to promote their artists.
For more information on this onslaught, you can read the NY Times Article. We hope one of the larger tablature sites will have the money to fight this. Until then, we urge you all to keep tabbing songs and sharing them in any way you can.
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