John Cale – Chinese Envoy (Guitar)

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Chords

I've loved this song for a long time, so melancholy and mysterious. With Music For A New Society being re-released today, it seemed like a good time to sit down and learn it. These chords are based on the original album version, not the remake on M:FANS. Haven't listened to that one enough to know if anything's different. The little melody that plays in the intro and during the choruses may not be totally right here. I play in Open Gm tuning, so with a capo on the 2nd fret, I can simply play the melody (which is just four notes, basically: CC-D-EEE-D-C, CC-D-EEE-D-C-B) while droning an open Am chord. Based on the sounds of the chords, I believe Mr Cale probably played the original in some sort of open This is my best attempt at the chord names that would approximate it in standard, but if anybody can do better please do! [Intro]/[chorus] x2: Am - Amadd4 - A5 - Amadd4 - Am Am - Amadd4 - A5 - Amadd4 - Am G6
           Fmaj7                                Cmaj7
She was a princess, much lower than people thought

   Fmaj7                                              Cmaj7
A master of nothing, a mistress of something she thought
[Chorus] x2 (instrumental)
          Fmaj7
She could talk about things that never mattered ever

Cmaj7
From one person's miserable life after another

          F
She could talk to the French and Germans at will

Cmaj7                                G
They'd never listen.. They never will
[Chorus] The chinese envoy was here, the chinese envoy was here but left [Chorus] The chinese envoy was here but left
Fmaj7                                               Cmaj7
Calling out her name you'd be surprised at what came

Fmaj7                                        Cmaj7
Galloping out of the darkness just like furniture

Fmaj7                                                                          Cmaj7
We'd have lost it all if it hadn't been for Cardinal Richelieu And all his courtiers
[Chorus] The chinese envoy was here, the chinese envoy was here but left [Chorus] The chinese envoy was here but left
G                      F
in his broken hearted pagoda.