If You Could Read My Mind Tab

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                If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
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Tabbed by: fnljstce
Email: pjschlein@gmail.com
 
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
e|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------0-----0----------------------------0-----0-------|
G|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------0-----0---2-------2-----2---0-|
D|---0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0---|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----3----------------------------3-----3---------------------------|
 
 
Verse:
   G                                  Dm6/F (2)
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------0-----0----------------------0-----0---0--------|
G|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2---0------2-----2-------2-------2------|
D|---0-----0---0-----0-----0-----0------0-----0-------0-----0-----0----|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-----3----------------------------1-----1-----1--------------------|
 
 
Chorus:
   G/B (3)    G          C          D           Em (let ring, obviously)
e|----------------3----------0------2-----2-----0----------------------|
B|-----3------0-----0----1-----1------3-----3---0----------------------|
G|-------0------0-----0----0-----0------2------------------------------|
D|---0-----0------------------------0----------------------------------|
A|-2----------2----------3----------------------2----------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
   C          G         G           C        G/B        Am7        D          G
e|-----0----------3----------3----------0--------------------------2-----2----3-|
B|-1-----1----0-----0---0------0----1-----1-------3----------3-------3-----3--0-|
G|---0-----0----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0-------0------0---0-------2--------|
D|----------------------------------------------0-----0--2-------2-0----------2-|
A|-3----------2---------2-----------3---------2---------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
 
Fill (4):
   G
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
G|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
D|---0-----0---0-----0-----0------10-10-10\9-9-9-9\7-7-7-7---7-0--|
A|---------------------------------------------------------8------|
E|-3-----3--------------------------------------------------------|
 
 
Outro:
   G
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------0-----0------------------------------------|
G|-----0-----0---2-------2-----2----------------------------------|
D|---0-----0---0-----0-----0--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------6-6-6\5-5-5-5\3-3-3-3-2-2-0-0h2-|
E|-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
 
 
[Fill x2]
 
 
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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