JONI MITCHELL - "i had a king" Tablature

Official JONI MITCHELL Tablature & Sheet Music »

cwrl!waikato!canterbury.ac.nz!MANUKA.lincoln.ac.nz!pc095049.lincoln.ac.nz!whitej
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

Return to JONI MITCHELL Tablature »

Official JONI MITCHELL Tablature & Sheet Music »