You Can Call Me Al Tab

You Can Call Me Al
Paul Simon (metonymo tab)
 
Chords:
F      133211
C/g    332010
Bb/g   3x3333 (tumb, plus barre with index finger)
Gm     3x0333 (tumb, plus barre with index finger)
 
^      Strum down
v      Strum upwards
 
 
For the triplet bass notes:
Bb/g and Gm: barre with index finger, and thumb holds e-string and mutes a-string.
Also faster to play the F chord with tumb on the e-string.
 
May be easier to play in G, so at the bottom I ve included a version in G.
(although the main challenge is not the chords, but the rhythm/ strumming pattern
(see tab upstroke "v"/downstroke "^"), and integrating rhytm and singing.)
 
 
Intro and ref.
("If you'll be my bodyguard...")
 
         F       C      C     Bb           F      C      C     F
|--------1-------0------0--------|---------1------0------0-----1--|
|--------1-------1------1-----3--|---------1------1------1-----1--|
|--------2-------0------0-----3--|---------2------0------0-----2--|
|----------------2------2-----3--|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 
          F       C     C     Bb           F       C     C     F
|---------1-------0-----0--------|---------1-------0-----0-----1--|
|---------1-------1-----1-----3--|---------1-------1-----1-----1--|
|*--------2-------0-----0-----3--|---------2-------0-----0-----2-*|
|*--------3-------2-----2-----3--|---------3-------2-----2-----3-*|
|--------------------------------|-----------------3-----------3--|
|-1-1-1--------------------------|-3-3-3--------------------------|
 
 
 
Vers, part I
("A man walks down the street..."):
 
  F          C           F         Gm         F           C
|--------1---0---0---0---1---1---|--------3---1---1---1---0---0--|
|--------1---1---1---1---1---1---|--------3---1---1---1---1---1--|
|*-------2---0---0---0---2---2---|--------3---2---2---2---0---0-*|
|*-------3-------2-------3-------|--------0-------3-------2-----*|
|--------3-------3-------3-------|----------------3-------3------|
|-1-1-1--------------------------|-3-3-3-------------------------|
         ^   v   ^   v   ^   v            ^   v   ^   v   ^   v
 
Variation for part I (Chords instead of triplet bass):
  F           C           F         Gm          F           C
|-1---1---1---0---0---0---1---1---|-3---3---3---1---1---1---0---0--|
|-1---1---1---1---1---1---1---1---|-3---3---3---1---1---1---1---1--|
|*2---2---2---0---0---0---2---2---|-3---3---3---2---2---2---0---0-*|
|*3-------3-------2-------3-------|-0-------0-------3-------2-----*|
|-3-------3-------3-------3-------|-----------------3-------3------|
|---------------------------------|-3-------3----------------------|
  ^   v   ^   v   ^   v   ^   v     ^   v   ^   v   ^   v   ^   v
 
 
 
Vers, part II
(from "Bonedigger" to ref.):
 
  F                                Gm                C/g
|----------1---1---------1---1---|----------3---3---------0---0---|
|----------1---1---------1---1---|----------3---3---------1---1---|
|*---------2---2---------2---2---|----------3---2---------0---0--*|
|*---------3-------------3-------|----------0-------------2------*|
|----------3--------3----3-------|-------------------3----3-------|
|-1-1-1-------------1------------|-3-3-3------------(3)-----------|
           ^   v         ^   v              ^   v         ^   v
  Bone-digger,    bone-digger   Dogs  in  the   moon-light
 
 
 
 
Intro: F C C Bb / F C C F
 
F     C             F
A man walks down the street
Gm               F           C
He says why am I soft in the middle now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo-opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
 
   F
   Bonedigger, bonedigger
   Gm          C
   Dogs in the moonlight
   Far away my
   well-lit door
   Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly
   Get these mutts away from me
   You know I don't find this stuff
   amusing anymore
 
      F               C     C    Bb
      If you'll be my bodyguard
            F       C    C    F
      I can be your long lost pal
      I can call you Betty
      And Betty when you call me
      You can call me Al
 
A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And wo my nights are so long
Where's my wife and family
What if I die here
Who'll be my role-model
Now that my role-model is
   Gone, gone
   He ducked back down the alley
   With some roly-poly little
   bat-faced girl
   All along, along
   There were incidents and accidents
   There were hints and allegations ...
 
       Ref.
 
A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the Third World
Maybe it's his first time around
He doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by
   The sound, the sound
   Cattle in the marketplace
   Scatterlings and orphanages ...
   He looks around, around
   He sees angels in the architecture
   Spinning in infinity
   He says Amen! and Hallelujah!
 
       Ref.
 
 
********
 
Transposed to G:
 
(strumming pattern in tab above)
 
Intro: G D D C / G D D G
 
G     D             G
A man walks down the street
Am               G           D
He says why am I soft in the middle now ...
 
   G
   Bonedigger, bonedigger
   Am          D
   Dogs in the moonlight ...
 
      G                D     D    C
      If you'll be my bodyguard
            G       D    D    G
      I can be your long lost pal ...
X