Good Year For The Roses Elvis Costello
Guitar Chords
Good Year For The Roses Elvis Costello
See notes at the bottom of the song.
Verse
A
I can hardly bear the sight of lipstick
D A
on the cigarettes there in the ashtray
A
Lyin' cold the way you left 'em,
D A
but at least your lips caressed them while you packed
D
Or the lip-print on a half-filled cup of coffee
A
that you poured and didn't drink
E
But at least you thought you wanted it,
A Asus A
that's so much more than I can say for me
Chorus
D E
What a good year for the roses
A
Many blooms still linger there
Bm E7
The lawn could stand another mowin'
A Asus A
Funny I don't even care
D E
As you turn to walk a-way
D A
As the door behind you clos-es
Bm E7
The only thing I have to say
A D C#m Bm A
It's been a good year for the ros - - - - - - - - - es
Verse
After three full years of marriage,
it's the first time that you haven't made the bed
I guess the reason we're not talkin',
there's so little left to say we haven't said
While a million thoughts go racin' through my mind,
I find I haven't said a word
From the bedroom the familiar sound
of a baby's cryin' goes unheard
Chorus
What a good year for the roses
Many blooms still linger there
The lawn could stand another mowin'
Funny I don't even care
As you turn to walk away
As the door behind you closes
The only thing I have to say
It's been a good year for the roses
Notes:
Intro
I try to play the intro in a way that resembles the record. Barre
the 2, 3, and 4 strings at the second fret to play the A chord.
See the tab below:
Repeat 2x
1------------|------------|------------|
2------2-2---|----2-2---2-|------------|
3------2-2---|----2-2---2-|------------|
4----2-2-2---|--2-2-2---2-|------------|
5--0-------2-|4-----------|--2-2-4-4---|
6------------|------------|------------|
The same passage is used as a fill at the end of each verse line
that ends with an A chord.
Chorus
The motion in the Bm-E7 progression is tabbed below. You need to
play this pattern while you're filling in the chords underneath.
I've included the A-Asus-A part (you don't need to fill in the
chords here) also. Again, barre the A chord. Catch the high A in
measure 3 with your pinkie:
Bm E7 A Asus A
1--------------|------------|------------5-------|------------|
2--2-3---2-3---|2-3---2-3---|----2---2-3---3-3-2-|------------|
3------4-----4-|----4-----4-|----2---------------|------------|
4--------------|------------|--2-2---------------|------------|
5--------------|------------|0-----0-------------|0-0-2-2-4-4-|
6--------------|------------|--------------------|------------|
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The above is solely MY INTERPRETATION of this great song, in a format aimed at learning guitarists.
No attempt has been made to copy or reproduce the artist's or publisher's sheet music for the song,
if such exists.
It can be used for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. To play the song as it should be played, you should
purchase the official sheetmusic for the song. You should also purchase and listen to the song to learn
the rhythm and timing of the song - this is essential if you wish to play the song with any degree of accuracy
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