The Beatles – Tell Me Why (Bass Tab)
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Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; released on the album
"A Hard Day's Night". Also released as the B-side to "If I Fell"
and "I Should Have Known Better" in several European countries.
"Tell Me Why" was mainly a Lennon composition, with lyrics probably
based on his real life experiences with his wife Cynthia.
Musically, the song is not the most forward-looking one on the "A
Hard Day's Night" album; instead, it sounds like a song by a girl
group, up to the typical (D-Bm-Em-A) chord progression that is
present throughout (except for the intro, bridge and outro). The
chord progression is also broken by a "half-reprise" of the intro
in the end of every line of the refrains (except the one that's
followed by the bridge), creating two six-bar phrases instead of four
(in contrast to the verses, which are straight eight-bar sections).
The bridge entirely breaks away from the main four chords, starting
with a G Major chord (which was, in turn, also common for pop and rock
songs at that time). The outro grows out of the final refrain with a
downward chromatic movement in the chords and the bass (B-A#-A),
(slightly resembling the ending of "It Won't Be Long"), then ending on
D Major.
The arrangement consists of two electric rhythm guitars, bass, drums
(Paul plays a walking bassline in the refrains and in the bridge, and
there are some nice drum fills and rolls done by Ringo) and a
piano played by George Martin. There is no lead guitar part.
The vocals are sung in duet with the exception of the bridge. John
sings the upper part in the refrains, which is unusual, with Paul
(or it may even be George) taking the lower part. The verses are sung
half-solo, half-duet, and there is a line (the third) sung in
falsetto by Paul and George in the bridge.
Intro:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|-----------7---------------|-----------7---------------|
A|7--------------------------|7--------------------------|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|-----------7---------------|-----------7---------------|
A|7--------------------------|7--------------------------|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
Tell me
Refrain:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7---------7-----|
A|5------5-------------------|7--------------------------|
E|--------------7------7-----|---------------------------|
me, Tell me
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7---------------|
A|5------5-------------------|7--------------------4-----|
E|--------------7------7-----|------------------5--------|
me. Well, I gave
Verse:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------5-----/5------5-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|7------7------7------7-----|
you everything I had, but you
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|7------7------7------7-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|5------5------5------5-----|
left me sitting on my own, Did you have
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|4-/-5--5------5------5-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|7------7------7------7-----|
to treat oh, so bad? All I
me
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|7------7------7---7--7-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|5------5------5------5-----|
do is hang my head and moan. Tell me
Refrain:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7---------7-----|
A|5------5-------------------|7--------------------------|
E|--------------7------7-----|---------------------------|
me, Tell me
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7------7--------|
A|5------5------2------2/----|7--------------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
me. If it's some-
Verse:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------5------5------5-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|7------7------7------7-----|
thing have or done, tell me
I said
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|7------7------7------7-----|---------------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|5------5------5------------|
what and a- po- lo gize, And if you
I'll
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------5-----/5------5-----|---------------------------|
E|---------------------------|7------7------7------7-----|
don't, really can't go on holding
I
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|7------7------7------------|
A|7------7------7------7-----|---------------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
back these tears in my eyes. Tell me
Refrain:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------0-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7------7--7-----|
A|5------5-------------------|7------7-------------------|
E|--------------7------7-----|---------------------------|
me, Tell me
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------5------4-/-5--5-----|5----------5------5--------|
E|---------------------------|---------------------7---5-|
me. Well, I'm
Bridge:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|-------2------5------2-----|-------2------5------2-----|
E|3--------------------------|3----------------------3-3-|
begging on my bended knees, if you'll
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|-------4------7------4---7-|-------4------7------4-----|
E|5--------------------------|5------------------------5-|
on- ly listen to my please,
Is there
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|---------------------------|-------9-------------9-----|
E|7------7------7---5--7-----|7-------------7----------7-|
Cause I
a - ny thing I can do?
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|7------5------4------2-----|0--------------------------|
E|---------------------------|-------3------2------0-----|
really can't stand I'm so in love with you.
that
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5--------------------------|---------------------------|
E|-----------7------7--------|0--------------------------|
Tell me
Refrain:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|-----------7---------------|
A|5------5-------------------|7--------------------------|
E|--------------7------7-----|---------------------------|
me, Tell me
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|5------4------2------0-----|2------0-------------------|
E|---------------------------|--------------3------2-----|
why you cried,
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|2------0-------------------|--------------2------------|
A|--------------4------2-----|0------4-------------4\----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
and why you lied to
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A/2------2--/2------2--2-----|1------1---1------1--1-----|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|
me.
Outro:
G|------ ------ ------ ------|------ ------ ------ ------|
D|---------------------------|---------------------------|
A|0----------0---------0-----|5--------------------------|
E|---------------------------|---------------------------|Please e-mail me for any corrections, or write a comment.