Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al (Ukulele)

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Chords

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Paul Simon From: "Graceland" (1986) Tabbed by: maguri Tuning: soprano C ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHORDS
       g-C-E-A
F      2-0-1-0
Gm     0-2-3-1
Gm7    0-2-1-1
C      0-0-0-2
Csus4  0-0-1-3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAIN RIFF (intro / chorus / interlude / outro)
      F   C     Gm7    F   C     F  
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  
A|----0---3--3--1-|----0---3--3-3--|
E|----1---0--0--1-|----1---0--0-0h1|
C|----0---0--0--2-|----0---0--0-0--|
g|----2---0--0--3-|----2---0--0-0h2|
There is a little lick or riff in the verse, which is played on an electric guitar. Here's a suggestion how to integrate this lick into the accompaniment:
[Verse]
  F                Gm7   Csus4  C   F                Gm7   Csus4 C [ F ]
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
A|--0-------------|--1-----3---3---|--0-------------|--1-----3-3-3-0-|
E|--1--3--1---1---|--3--1--1---0---|--1--3--1---1---|--3--1--1-1-0-1-|
C|0----0--0---0---|2----2--0---0---|0----0--0---0---|2----2--0-0-0-0-|
g|2----2--2---2---|0-------0---0---|2----2--2---2---|0-------0-0-0---|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Intro] (guitar and synth) | F C Gm7 | F C F | (full band) | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | [Verse 1]
F 
 A man walks down the street

       Gm7        Csus4       C
He says, Why am I soft in the middle now?

F 
 Why am I soft in the middle?

        Gm7         Csus4   C
When the rest of my life is so hard!

F 
 I need a photo-opportunity

Gm7       Csus4     C
 I want a shot at redemption

F 
Don't want to end up a cartoon

    Gm7      Csus4 C
In a cartoon graveyard
[Bridge]
F 
Bonedigger, Bonedigger,

Gm7          C
 Dogs in the moonlight

F                 Gm7          C
 Far away from my well-lit door

    F 
Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly

Gm7              C
Get these mutts away from me!

           F                       Gm7       C
You know, I don't find this stuff amusing anymore
[Chorus]
F               C
If you'll be my bodyguard

Gm7           C         |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
I can be your long lost pal

F              C
I can call you Betty

    Gm7              C 
And Betty, when you call me

       |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
You can call me Al
[Verse 2]
F 
 A man walks down the street

       Gm7        Csus4      C
He says, Why am I short of attention?

     F 
Got a short little span of attention

   Gm7       Csus4      C
And whoa, my nights are so long!

F 
 Where's my wife and family?

Gm7        Csus4 C
 What if I die   here?

F 
 Who'll be my role-model?

Gm7          Csus4  C
 Now that my role - model is
[Bridge]
F 
Gone, gone

   Gm7                  C
He ducked back down the alley

         F                  Gm7           C
With some roly-poly, little bat-faced girl

     F 
All along, along

           Gm7           C
There were incidents and accidents

          F                      | Gm7 C |
There were hints and allegations
[Chorus]
F               C
If you'll be my bodyguard

Gm7           C         |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
I can be your long lost pal

F              C
I can call you Betty

    Gm7              C 
And Betty, when you call me

       |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
You can call me Al ...   Call me Al ...
[Solo] (pennywhistle) | F | Gm7 C | F | Gm7 C | | F | Gm7 C | F | Gm7 C | | F | Gm7 C | F | Gm7 C | | F | Gm7 C | F | Gm7 C | [Interlude] (guitar and synth) | F C Gm7 | F C F | (full band) | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | [Verse 3]
F 
 A man walks down the street

      Gm7          Csus4   C
It's a street in a strange world

F 
 Maybe it's the Third World

Gm7             Csus4      C
 Maybe it's his first time around

F 
 He doesn't speak the language

  Gm7       Csus4 C
He holds no currency

  F 
He is a foreign man

Gm7       Csus4   C
 He is surrounded by the
[Bridge]
F 
Sound, the sound 

Gm7            C
 Cattle in the marketplace

F                            | Gm7 C |
 Scatterlings and orphanages

          F 
He looks around, around

        Gm7           C
He sees angels in the architecture

F
 Spinning into infinity

         Gm7       C
He says, Amen! and Hallelujah!
[Chorus]
F               C
If you'll be my bodyguard

Gm7           C         |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
I can be your long lost pal

F              C
I can call you Betty

    Gm7              C 
And Betty, when you call me

       |   F  C |  Gm7 C  |
You can call me Al ...   Call me...
[Verse]
F               Gm7      Csus4 C
 Na, na, na, na, na, na, na    na...

F               Gm7      Csus4 C
 Na, na, na, na, na, na, na na na na ...

F               Gm7      Csus4 C
 Na, na, na, na, na, na, na    na...

F               Gm7      Csus4 C
 Na, na, na, na, na, na, na na na na ...
[Bridge]
F           | Gm7 C |
Mmmh, mmmh

F           | Gm7 C |
 Mh, mh

F           | Gm7 C |
Mmmh, mmmh

F           | Gm7 C |
 Mh, mh
[Break] | N.C. | % | (bass solo) [Chorus] | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | | F C | Gm7 C | [Outro]
F               C              | Gm7 F/C C    |
If you'll be my bodyguard ...
| F C | Gm7 C |
F              C        | Gm7 F/C C    |
I can call you Betty ...
| F C | Gm7 C |
F               C              | Gm7 F/C C    |
If you'll be my bodyguard ...
| F C | Gm7 C |
F              C        | Gm7 F/C C    |
I can call you Betty ...
| F C | Gm7 C | (repeat and fade)