Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
---------------------------------------
From the album 'Magical Mystery Tour'
Transcribed by Howard Wright
hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com
Because the recording of this song involved a lot of playing around with
tape speeds, you need to tune down your guitar by a whole step.
So instead of tuning your bottom string to E, tune to D, then tune the other
strings to this by playing at the 5th/4th fret (you know the routine ...)
You should end up tuned to DGCFAD.
This means that the song is based on the C chord for the guitar, but it
ends up being in the key of Bb.
I've tried to give a guitar part that does justice to all the things that are
going on in the song. For the first bit it's fairly straight forward since the
song has a guitar playing here, but later on I've tried to tab out a guitar
version of what the cellos and trumpets are doing.
Of course you can't play all of the song on just one guitar - but you can do
a pretty good job. I've written the chords above each line of tab if you just
want to strum along, and the words are underneath the line of tab.
Intro:
------
This is played on the mellotron, but you can do it fairly easily on guitar.
G Gmaj7 G7 Am G F C
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A---3--3--3--3--3--3--1--0--------1--------0----------------
F---4--4--4--4--4--4--2--1------2--------0------2----0------
C---5-----4-----3--3----------2--------0--------3----2------
G--------------------------------------------------3--------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Chorus:
-------
C Gm7
D-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------3------------------------3--3--
F---0------------------------------------3-------------------3--3-------
C---2------------------------------------3----------------3-------------
G---3------------------------------------5------------3h5---------------
D----------------------------------------3------------------------------
Let me take you down cos' I'm going to Strawberry fields
A7
D----------------0----------0--0----------------------------
A------2--2----2------------------2--2----------------------
F---0--------0-----------0----------------------------------
C--------------------0h2------------------------------------
G--------------------0--------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Nothing is real
F A7
D-------1---------------------0-------------------------------
A----1--1-----------------------2----2------------------------
F----2--------------------0-------0---------------------------
C----3---------------0h2--------------------------------------
G----3---------------0----------------------------------------
D----1--------------------------------------------------------
And nothing to get hung about
F C
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A---1-----------1------1---------------------------------------
F---2-----------2------0---------------------------------------
C---3-----------3------2---------------------------------------
G---3-----------3------3---------------------------------------
D---1-----------1----------------------------------------------
Strawberry fields forever
Verse 1:
--------
G Gmaj7 G7
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A---3--3------3--3-----3--3---1---0-------------------------
F---4--4------4--4-----4--4---2---1-------------------------
C---5---------4--------3------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Living is easy with eyes closed
Am Am/G F
D-------0---------0---------------1------1----------------------
A-------1---------1---------------1---1------1------------------
F-------2---------2-------------2------------2------------------
C-----2---------2---------------3-------------------------------
G---0------0--------------------3-------------------------------
D-------------3-------------0h1---------------------------------
Misunderstanding all you see
F G C G/B Am Am/G
D---------1----------3----------------------------------0----------
A---------1----------3----------------------------------1----------
F---------2-------4----------------0---------0----------2----------
C------3----------5----------------2---------0----------2----------
G------3-------------------------3---------2---------0-------------
D--0h1--------1/3-------------------------------------------3------
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out
F G F C
D--------1-----------3---------------1-------------------------
A------1-------------3---3-----------1--1--0h1-----------------
F------2-------------4---4-----------2--2--0-------------------
C------3-----------------5--------------3----------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--0h1----------1/3-------------0h1----------------------------
It doesn't matter much to me
Chorus:
-------
C Gm (no chord )
D--------------------------------------3-------------------------
A--------------------------------------3-------------------------
F--------------------------------------3-------------------------
C--2-----------------------------------5------0------------------
G--3-----------------------------------5---1-----1-----1------1--
D--------------------------------------3------------3------1-----
Let me take you down cos' I'm going to Strawberry fields
(no chord)
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------
F-----------------------------------------------------------
C-----------------------------------------------------------
G---7--------------7----------------------------------------
D---0--------------0----------------------------------------
Nothing is real
F G A7
D-----1----------3-----0--------------------------------------
A-----1----------3-----2--------------------------------------
F-----2----------4-----0--------------------------------------
C-----3----------5-----2--------------------------------------
G-----3----------5-----0--------------------------------------
D-----1----------3--------------------------------------------
And nothing to get hung about
F C
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A---1---------1-------1-------------------------------------
F---2---------2-------0-------------------------------------
C---3---------3-------2-------------------------------------
G---3---------3-------3-------------------------------------
D---1---------1---------------------------------------------
Strawberry fields forever
Linking phrase:
---------------
This is the little downwards scale played on a harp-like instrument.
Leave all strings to sustain as much as possible.
D----1p0---------------------------------------------------
A---------1------------------------------------------------
F-----------3p0--------------------------------------------
C---------------3p2----------------------------------------
G--------------------3-------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------
Verse 2:
--------
G Gmaj7 G7
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A---3--------3---------3-----1---0--------------------------
F---4--------4---------4-----2---1--------------------------
C---5--------4---------3-----3---3--------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Noone I think is in my tree
Am Am7 F
D------------------------------------------------------------
A---1-----------1--------------1-----------------------------
F---2-----------0--------------2-----------------------------
C---2-----------2--------------3-----------------------------
G-------------------------------------0----------------------
D-----------------------------------------3------------------
I mean it must be high or low
F G C Am Am/G
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A---1--------------3------------------1----------------1----------
F---2--------------4------------------0----------------2----------
C---3--------------5------------------2----------------2----------
G---3--------------5------------------3----------------0----------
D---1--------------3---------------------------------------3------
That is you can't you know tune in but it's alright
F G F C
D------------------------------------------------------0------0---------
A---1---1---1---1---3---3---3---3------1-------1-------1------1---------
F---2---2---2---2---4---4---4---4------2-------2-------0------0---------
C---3---3---3---3---5---5---5---5------3-------3-------2---2-----2------
G---3---3---3---3---5---5---5---5------3---0---3---0---3----------------
D---1---1---1---1---3---3---3---3------1--------------------------------
That is I think it's not too bad
Chorus:
-------
C Gm
D---------------------------------------------6-6------------
A---------------------------------------------3-3------------
F---------------------------------------3-----3-3------------
C--2------------------------------------5--------------------
G--3------------------------------------5--------------------
D---------------------------------------3--------------------
Let me take you down cos I'm going to
Gm/E
D-------------------------------6-6-----------3--3--3--3--3----
A-------------------------------8-8----------------------------
F--------------3------------------------------0--0--0--0--0----
C--------------5-----------------------------------------------
G--------------5-------1---------------------------------------
D--------------3-------1-----0-------------0-------------------
Strawberry fields Nothing is real
F G A
D--------1---------3--------5----------------------------------
A--------1---------3--------5----------------------------------
F--------2---------4--------6----------------------------------
C--------3---------5--------7----------------------------------
G--------3---------5--------7----------------------------------
D--------1---------3--------5----------------------------------
And nothing to get hung about
F C
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--1-----------1-------1---------------------------------------
F--2-----------2-------0---------------------------------------
C--3-----------3-------2---------------------------------------
G--3-----------3-------3---------------------------------------
D--1-----------1-----------------------------------------------
Strawberry fields forever
Linking phrase:
---------------
D----1p0----------------------------------------------------
A---------1-------------------------------------------------
F-----------3p0---------------------------------------------
C---------------3p2-----------------------------------------
G--------------------3--------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Verse 3:
--------
G Gmaj7 G7
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A---3--3----3---3-----3---3--------1--0---------------------
F---4--4----4---4-----4---4--------2--1---------------------
C---5--5----4---4-----3---3--------3--3---------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
Always, no, sometimes think it's me
Am Am7 F
D------------------------------------------------------------
A---1--------1--------1-------1-------1----------------------
F---2--------2--------0-------0-------2----------------------
C---2--------2--------2-------2-------3----------------------
G-----------------------------------------------0------------
D----------------------------------------------------3-------
But you know I know when it's a dream
F G C Am Am/G
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------
F-----------------------------------------------------------
C-----------------------------------------------------------
G----------0-------0---2---3---------------0----------------
D--1---3-------3----------------3----0----------3-----------
I think a no I mean a yes but it's all wrong
F G7 F C
D--------------------------------------------------------------------
A--1--1--1--1---3--3--3--3-------------------------------------------
F--2--2--2--2---4--4--4--4-------------------0-----------------------
C--3--3--3--3---3--3--3--3---3-------------2----3p2p0----------------
G--3--3--3--3---5--5--5--5---3--0--3--0--3--------------3------------
D--1--1--1--1---3--3--3--3---1---------------------------------------
That is I think I disagree
Chorus:
-------
C Gm Gm7
D--------------------------------------3-------------------------------
A--1-----------------------------------3------------------3------3-----
F--0-----------------------------------3----------------3------3------3
C--2-----------------------------------5--------------5------3------3--
G--3-----------------------------------5-------------------------------
D--------------------------------------3-------------------------------
Let me take you down cos' I'm going to Strawberry fields
A7/E
D---0--------------0--0--0--0--0----------------------------------
A---2--------------2--2--2--2--2----------------------------------
F---0--------------0--0--0--0--0----------------------------------
C---2-------------------------------------------------------------
G---0-------------------------------------------------------------
D---0-------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing is real
F G A7
D-----1----------3-----0---------------------------------------
A-----1----------3-----2---------------------------------------
F-----2----------4-----0---------------------------------------
C-----3----------5-----2---------------------------------------
G-----3----------5-----0---------------------------------------
D-----1----------3---------------------------------------------
And nothing to get hung about
F C Am7 F C
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A---1---------1-------1--------1-------1---------1-------1--------
F---2---------2-------0--------0-------2---------2-------0--------
C---3---------3-------2--------2-------3---------3-------2--------
G---3---------3-------3--------0-------3---------3-------3--------
D---1---------1------------------------1---------1----------------
Strawberry fields forever Strawberry fields forever
F G F
D---1-----------3------1-----------5r3---1--0h1p0h1p0--------
A---1-----------3------1--------------------------------3-3--
F---2-----------4------2-------------------------------------
C---3-----------5------3-------------------------------------
G---3-----------5------3-------------------------------------
D---1-----------3------1-------------------------------------
Strawberry fields forever
Fade out over a chord of C
----------------------------
(cellos) (elec. gtr)
D-----------------------------------------1--0h1p0h1p0h1p0h1p0-----
A------------------------------------------------------------------
F-----------5------2-----------------------------------------------
C--------------3-5---3----2-3-5------------------------------------
G--3/1---3--------------5-------3-------3--------------------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------
(harp-thing)
D-------------------------------12--------------13--12--12---------15--13--
A-----------13--11-----11-----------13--11------------------11-------------
F---10--12-----------------12---------------12------------------12---------
C--------------------------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------------------
etc etc fade back in, a few weird noises etc etc...
Back to guitar tabs
Last updated: July 2020
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