Joni Mitchell - Cool Water guitar tab
Cool Water - by Bob Nolan, revised lyrics & arrangement by Joni Mitchell
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm, 1988
Transcribed by Howard Wright
Howard@jmdl.com
Tuning:
-------
low to high: DAEGAD
Joni notation: D77325
There are several electric guitars playing in this track, and not all of
them are Joni's. I think the two guitars panned far left and right are
Joni's, and the guitars in the centre of the stereo image are played
by someone else. The chords here are just for Joni's guitar part.
Joni uses a lot of upward strums on the top three or four open strings
between chords, a favourite technique of hers. I've indicated most of
these as xx0000 (I think of them as a kind of "punctuation" between
chords). In most cases, these open strings should be left to ring on
as the next chord is fingered.
To contrast with the open string chords, most of the shapes at the 5th
and 7th fret (5554xx and 7776xx) are played without using the top open
strings. Try adding an occasional open string to these shapes (as Joni
does), but try and play most of them using just the bottom four strings.
INTRO
------
(Keyboard solo)
(Guitar starts at 00:36)
D--------0----------------------------------------
A--------0----------------------------------------
G-----2--0----1--1---1--1--1--1----2-----2--------
E---2---------2--2---2--2--2--2----2---2----------
A-------------2---------2------------0------------
D-------------2---------2----------0--------------
(repeat above part once)
VERSE 1
--------
002200 xx0000 7776xx xx0000
All day I face the barren waste
002200 xx0000 7776xx
Without a taste of water
002200 xx0000
Cool water
5554xx 550000 7776xx 770000
Old Dan and I, our throats slate dry
999xxx 999000 555400 002200 xx0000
Our spirits cry out for water
7776xx 999000 xx0000
Cool clear water
Note: for the chords on "Old Dan and I ...", and for equivalent
sections of the other verses, Joni usually takes off the fingers
that are fretting the middle two strings before playing the chord
with the open strings. Exactly which fingers are removed can be
varied, e.g you can play 5554xx 550000 or 5554xx 550400.
Sometimes it sounds as though the two guitars played by Joni do
slightly different things here, so one might add the open strings
without changing the chord at all (5554xx 555400). Try different
variations here - the main thing is to contrast the chords that use
only the bottom four strings with the fuller sound of the chords
that also use the top open strings.
VERSE 2
--------
002200 xx0000 7776xx xx0000
Keep on movin' Dan, some devils had a plan
002200 xx0000
Buried poison in the sand
7776xx xx0000 999000 xx0000
Don't drink it man, it's in the water
2221xx 002200 xx0000
Cool clear water
MIDDLE 8
---------
5554xx 550000 7776xx 770000
In my mind I see a big green tree
5554xx 550000
And a river flowin' free
7776xx 770000 999000 xx0000
Waitin' up ahead for you and me
2221xx 002200
Cool clear water
repeat intro riff:
D--------0-------------------------
A--------0-------------------------
G-----2--0----1--1---1--1--1--1----
E---2---------2--2---2--2--2--2----
A-------------2---------2----------
D-------------2---------2----------
VERSE 3
--------
002200 xx0000 7776xx xx0000
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
002200 xx0000 7776xx
Each star's a pool of water
002200 xx0000
Cool water
5554xx 550000 7776xx 770000
But come the dawn we carry on
999xxx xx0000 555400 002200 xx0000
We won't last long without water
7776xx 999000 xx0000
Cool clear water
VERSE 4
--------
002200 xx0000 7776xx xx0000
Keep on movin' Dan, we're still in no-man's land
002200 xx0000
Dry bones and sand
7776xx xx0000 999000 xx0000
People never planned here for water
2221xx 002200 xx0000
Cool clear water
MIDDLE 8
---------
(It sounds like most of the open string strums on 5554xx
and 7776xx are done without removing any fingers this time).
5554xx 555400 7776xx 777600
In my mind I see a big green tree
5554xx 555400
And a river flowin' free
7776xx 770000 999000 xx0000
Waitin' up ahead for you and me
2221xx 002200
Cool clear water
D--------0-------------------------
A--------0-------------------------
G-----2--0----1--1---1--1--1--1----
E---2---------2--2---2--2--2--2----
A-------------2---------2----------
D-------------2---------2----------
VERSE 5
--------
002200 xx0000 7776xx xx0000
The shadows sway, they seem to say
002200 xx0000 7776xx
Tonight we pray for water
002200 xx0000
Cool water
5554xx 550400 7776xx xx0000
And way up there, if you care
999000 555400
Please show us where
002200 xx0000
There's good water
7776xx 999000 xx0000
Cool clear water
2221xx 002200 xx0000
Cool clear water
2221xx 002200 xx0000
Cool clear water
(repeat and fade)
