Cool Water - by Bob Nolan, revised lyrics & arrangement by Joni Mitchell -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm, 1988 Transcribed by Howard Wright hakwright (at) gmail (dot) 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)