Elvis Costello - Crimes Of Paris guitar tab
From: schnitzi@east.isx.com (Mark J. Schnitzius)
Crimes Of Paris
from Blood and Chocolate
tabbed by
Clyde MacFadden (mls377@nwu.edu)
Mike Sturgess (mls377@nwu.edu)
Mark Schnitzius (schnitzi@east.isx.com)
Intro: G
G C D G C G
I thought it was you and your optimist's view of the clock
G G/F
And how it's always another day
E Am
Just after twelve o'clock's struck
Am Am/G# D
You said "Now I only want you so I don't have to promise"
Am C
But tiny children in grown-up clothes
C/E D D/C D/B D/A
Whispered all the Crimes of Paris
CHORUS
G C D
You're not the girl next-door or a girl from France
G G/F C/E C/D
Or the cigarette-girl in the sizzle hot-pants
C G/B D/A G
All the words of love seem cruel and crass
C G/B D/A E (possibly G)
When you're tough and transparent as armoured glass
C G/B D/A E
You're everywhere girl in an everyday mess
Am C G C G
Who'll pay for the Crimes of Paris
I heard that you fell for the "Hell or to Hammersmith Blues"
In the tiny torn up peices of his mind he's irresistible too
Now it's hard to say now if he's only stupid or smart
When he crawled through the door
And poured out more of his creeping-Jesus heart
Chorus
E E7
And it's all here and now
Am Am/B Am/C A/E
She hit him with that paper-weight Eiffel Tower
Dm G Dm G
And I tried to hold on to you but I don't know how
C C/B C/A# C/A
And I find it hard to swallow good advice
Am Am/B Am/C Am/D
Like going down three times to only come up twice
Am/D# Am/E G C G
Come up twice
She's so convenient, he's always stiff as hair-laquer
It's hard to discover now he's in love with her
It was her way of getting her own back
You never did anything she couldn't do on her own
You're as good as your word and that's no good to her
You'd better leave that kitten alone
Chorus
Fade out:
(repeat last four bars of chorus)
Am | C | G C G | G C G...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments from Clyde MacFadden (mls377@nwu.edu):
The tough thing about Crimes of Paris (as in many EC songs) is that he's
actually only playing five chords on the guitar, but the changes in the
bass notes and the vocals are what you really hear. So, if you play it by
yourself the way EC does on the album, it sounds like you're missing a lot
of important changes- and you are. Luckily, it's not too tough to work the
bass notes into the chords on this one...I imagine that's how Elvis played
it as he was writing it, and if he ever performed it by himself.
Mark's chords were on the right track, but his choruses and a few other
parts were off. There are a few frustrating things about playing this song
on guitar. One is the pesky G with F bass (there's no F major in the song)
in the verses, which is tough to play on guitar. It sounds *okay* if you
play a G7 there- the F will be in the chord, just on top instead of on the
bottom. A similar problem is the Am with G# bass- which can be solved by
flatting the A on the G string (what the hell chord is that anyway?
Ammaj7?????) As for chords like C/E and G/B, well, the bass notes are in
the normal major chords anyway, but I included the bass notation for
fingerpicking purposes- or if any bass players want to give it a shot.
[...]
Whew! I guess that's it. Only Costello could make such a mess out of G,
C, D, Am, and E. I mean that as a compliment.
If anyone thinks I messed up, feel free to add corrections. And if anyone
thinks this is on target and wants other transcriptions, just ask. I don't
have the time to do this every night, but if I have the time, I'll figure
any Costello song out. I've even been trying to put together some guitar
arrangements for songs from "The Juliet Letters" to play with my sister
(no way my voice can handle some of that stuff...). It's easy to hear the
notes clearly with the Brodskys, but trying toactually play that stuff on
guitar is a different matter. Even the occasional stuff that resembles
good ole Costello pop melodies ("Why must I always apologize...") is way
more complex than it sounds.
You know, I said I was going to study tonight...
-Clyde
From: kevinmoore@cruz.com (Kevin Moore)
(use Monaco font for proper chord alignment)
G G/F
And how it's always another day
E7 Am
Just after twelve o'clock's struck
Am Ami/G# D
You said "Now I only want you so I don't have to promise"
G G/F C/E C
Or the cigarette-girl in the sizzle hot-pants
C G/B D/A G/B
All the words of love seem cruel and crass
C G/B D/A G/B
When you're tough and transparent as armoured glass
C G/B D/A E/G#
You're everywhere girl in an everyday mess
E E/D
And it's all here and now
Am Am/B Am/C A/E
She hit him with that paper-weight Eiffel Tower
Dm G Dm G
And I tried to hold on to you but I don't know how
C C/B C/Bb A
And I find it hard to swallow good advice
Am Am/B Am/C ?/D ?/D#
Like going down three times to only come up twice
A/E
Come up twice
***analysis***
The recurring device here is a major chord with the flat 7th in the bass.
It happens on "another day" "cigarette girl" and "here and now" and "good
advice".
Also lots of 1st & 2nd inversion chords. The most original part is the
bridge with the bassline walking up beneath the Am chord. Ami/B is, by
itself very dissonant, as the B isn't part of an Am or Am7, but in context
it sounds great. The end of the bridge is really strange with the same line
continuing through D D# E with the Beatles-like chanting going on against
it-I don't know what to call those chords.
Anyone care to analyze the lyrics? I like the line about going down 3 times
to only come up twice.
Kevin Moore
kevinmoore@cruz.com
