DEACON BLUES - Steely Dan ------------------------- From the album AJA Transcribed by Howard Wright hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com All chord shapes given at the end. ============================================================================== Updates and corrections ----------------------- I've made a couple of small updates to this transcription since sharing the original version, details below. July 2015 --------- In the verse, after the line "that's all in the past" the chords used to be written as: B7#9 E7 B7#9 E7 That last E7 is wrong, it should be E7#9, so I've updated the chords below. Thanks to Geoff Hunter for highlighting this. Previous -------- In the chorus, after the line: "Drink scotch whiskey all night long" I used to have the chords as F#maj7 Fmaj7 (wrong). A while back I changed this to Am/F# Fmaj7. Close, but still not quite right! I think the right sequence is actually F#7-5 Fmaj7 (3rd time lucky). The same sequence also comes up in a few other places in the song - all have now been updated below. ============================================================================== INTRO ----- Cmaj7 Gsus2/B Bbmaj7 Fsus2/A Dmaj7 Asus2/C# Cmaj7 Gsus2/B Ebmaj7 E7#9 VERSE 1 ------- G13 F13 G/A F13 This is the day of the expanding man G13 F13 G/A D9 That shape is my shade there where I used to stand Fmaj7 E7-9 Am7 Bb13 It seems like only yesterday I gazed through the glass E7 B7 At ramblers, wild gamblers B7#9 E7 B7#9 E7#9 That's all in the past G13 F13 G/A F13 You call me a fool you say it's a crazy scheme G13 F13 G/A A7 This one's for real I already bought the dream Fmaj7 E7-9 So useless to ask me why Am7 Gm7 F#7-5 Fmaj7 Throw a kiss and say goodbye Csus2/E I'll make it this time D9 F/G I'm ready to cross that fine line CHORUS ------ Am7 Em7 I'll Learn to work the saxophone Dm7 Cmaj7 I play just what I feel Bbmaj7 Am Am/G F#7-5 Fmaj7 Drink scotch whiskey all night long Csus2/E Fmaj7(Viii) Am7 And die behind the wheel Em7 They got a name for the winners in the world Dm7 Cmaj7 I want a name when I lose Bbmaj7 Am Am/G F#7-5 Fmaj7 They call Alabama the crimson tide Csus2/E Fmaj7(Viii) Am7 Em7 Call me Deacon Blues (Deacon Blues) Dmaj7 Asus2/C# Cmaj7 Gsus2/B Ebmaj7 E7#9 VERSE 2 (Chords as VERSE 1) ------- My back to the wall a victim of laughing chance This is for me the essence of true romance Sharing the things we know and love with those of my kind Libations, sensations which stagger the mind I crawl like a viper through these suburban streets Make love to these women languid and bittersweet I'll rise when the sun goes down Cover every game in town A world of my own I'll make it my home sweet home CHORUS ------ As before except for the last line of chords. Play these instead : Dmaj7 Asus2/C# Cmaj7 Gsus2/B Bb13 Gsus2/B Then it goes into ..... INSTRUMENTAL ------------ Cmaj7 Em7 A13 D7#5#9 G13 B7#9 Em7 A13 Fmaj7 F#7#9 Gmaj7 B7#9 Repeat these two lines once Then play the INTRO chords to lead into the last verse... VERSE 3 ------- G13 F13 G/A F13 This is the night of the expanding man G13 F13 G/A A7 I take one last drag as I approach the stand Fmaj7 E7-9 I cried when I wrote this song Am7 Gm7 F#7-5 Fmaj7 Sue me if I play too long Csus2/E This brother is free D9 F/G I'll be what I want to be CHORUS OUTTRO ------ Same as first half of 1st Verse - except play D9-5 instead of D9 Keep repeating this half verse to fade Chord Shapes ------------ A=10, B=11 to make the shapes simpler to type out EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE 8X998X 7X778X 6X776X 5X556X AXBBAX 9X99AX Cmaj7 Gsus2/B Bbmaj7 Fsus2/A Dmaj7 Asus2/C# EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE x68786 07678x 353453 3x345x 131231 1x123x Ebmaj7 E7#9 G13 G13 F13 F13 (Take your pick !) EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE x0543x x5455x 133210 07676x 5x5555 6x678x G/A D9 Fmaj7 E7-9 Am7 Bb13 EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE 020100 x24242 x2123x 3x3333 2x332x x7x788 E7 B7 B7#9 Gm7 F#maj7 Csus2/E EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE 3x321x x79787 x57565 x02210 3x2210 2x2310 F/G Em7 Dm7 Am Am/G F#7-5 EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE x8a9a8 5x567x x54566 242355 3x443x x5x554 Fmaj7(Viii) A13 D7#5#9 F#7#9 Gmaj7 D9-5 EADGBE 5x56xx A7Back to Steely Dan and Donald Fagen guitar tabs
Last updated: July 2020
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