KID CHARLEMAGNE - Steely Dan
----------------------------
From the Album 'Royal Scam'
transcribed by Howard Wright
hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com
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May 2002: Corrected a few chord shapes (thanks to Michael Putt for
his feedback and suggestions), added some tab for the intro and
instrumental/solo sections.
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INTRO:
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The basic sound of the intro is like a C7#9, with the contrast
of the major 3rd and minor 3rd (#9) highlighted. Strumming a
C7#9 shape works pretty well for this. Or, if you have another
player to hold the long C bass notes, you can get something a
little closer to the original keyboard part with the tab below:
(with C bass)
E---6----6----6----6----6----6-------
B---8----8----8----8----8----8-------
G---8h9--8h9--8h9--8h9--8h9--8h9-----
D------------------------------------
A------------------------------------
E------------------------------------
VERSE 1:
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Am G6
While the music played you worked by candle light
F6/9 Bb13
Those San Fransisco nights, they were the best in town
Am G6
Just by chance you crossed a diamond with a pearl
F6/9 Bb13
You turned it on the world, that's when you turned the world around
F6 G Am G6 Dm7 G6 F6
Did you feel like Jesus Did you realise
Em7 Fmaj7 Em7 Dm7
That you were a champion in their eyes ?
C7#9
(alternative for final C7#9 - see intro)
VERSE 2:
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On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene
But yours was kitchen clean
Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolour motorhome
Every A-frame had your number on the wall
You must have had it all
You'd go to LA on a dare and you'd go it alone
Could you live forever
Could you see the day
Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away
CHORUS :
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Dm7 Em7 Dm7 Em7
Get along Get along Kid Charlemagne
Dm7 Em7 F7 G7 C7
Get along Kid Charlemagne
(again, the tab from the intro section can be used with
the final C7 chord)
VERSE 3:
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Now your patrons have all left you in the red
Your low rent friends are dead
This life can be very strange
All those day-glo freaks who used to paint their face
They've joined the human race, some things will never change
Son you were mistaken
You are obsolete, look at all the white men on the street
CHORUS
------
Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne
Get along Kid Charlemagne
GUITAR SOLO
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The solo is transcribed in a separate file - here, I've
just given the chords and the two short phrases that link
some of the chord changes near the start of the section.
(chords above the corresponding bit of tab)
Em7b5 A7 Dm7 F/C
E----------------------
B--------2--3-5--6-----
G----------------------
D--------2--3-5--7-----
A----------------------
E----------------------
Bm7b5 E7 Am G6
E--------4--5-7--8-----
B----------------------
G--------4--5-7--9-----
D----------------------
A----------------------
E----------------------
Fmaj7 Csus2/E Dm7 B7
E--12-10--10--8--8--8--7--8--8--7--
B----------------------------------
G----------------------------------
D----------------------------------
A----------------------------------
E----------------------------------
Em7 D6 Cmaj7 Em7 D6/E
Am G6 F6/9 Bb13 F G Am G6
Dm7 G6 F6 Em7 Fmaj7 Em7 Dm7
C7#9
VERSE 4:
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Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail
Those test tubes and the scales, just get it all out of here
Is there gas in the car ?
Yes there's gas in the car
I think the people down the hall know who you are
Careful what you carry
Cause the man is wise
You are still an outlaw in their eyes
CHORUS
------
Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne
Get along Kid Charlemagne
OUTTRO:
-------
Fmaj7 Csus2/E Dm7 Cmaj7 Em7 Fmaj7 Csus2/E Dm7
Cmaj7 Em7 Fmaj7 Csus2/E Dm7 Cmaj7 Em7 Fmaj7
...etc - keep repeating
Chord Shapes:
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The rhythm guitar part in the song plays chord shapes that
mostly use just the top four strings. If you have someone else
to fill in the bass part this works well - just use the top 3
or 4 strings from the shapes below.
If you want to get the sound of full chord (including the bass
notes) on the guitar, the shapes below should work well. In some
cases, leaving out the note on the top E gives a more compact s
hape (e.g try 3x545x instead of 3x5453 for G6).
a=10, b=11
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x3234x x07555 3x5453 x87788 6x6788
C7#9 Am G6 F6/9 Bb13
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
1x3231 3x5433 x57565 x79787 x8a9a8
F6 G Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x8786x xa9a8x xxa9b8 0x533x x0522x
F7 G7 C7 Em7b5 A7
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
8xaaax 8x756x 7x776x x7675x x7x788
F/C or F/C Bm7b5 E7 Csus2/E
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
797877 x57777 x35453 x77777 133211
B7 D6 Cmaj7 D6/E F
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Last updated: July 2020
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