Joni Mitchell – I Had A King tab

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#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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From: whitej@kahu.lincoln.ac.nz (White, Jared Conway)

                  I Had A King - Joni Mitchell
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                from the album "Joni Mitchell"

                tabbed by Jared White 
                with thanks to Howard Wright for the tuning


For this song, it is important to let notes ring and to emphasise
the melody notes, particularly in measures 13 through 20, where the
melody is played on the 4th and 5th (ie bass A & D) strings - listen
to the recording.  Notes are all quavers; a * indicates a quaver rest.
Bracketed notes are optional.  Full lyrics are at the end.  Comments,
corections, suggestions, etc. *please* mail me.  Enjoy!


Tuning DADEAD, Capo 7.  4/4, quarter note = 108.

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--------------------|||-----------5-----------5-|----------5-----------5-|--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----||-------------------------|
I HAD A KING - JONI MITCHELL 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
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