C'est La Vie

Words & Music:

Greg Lake & Pete Sinfield (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)

 

I've given both Rob Michel's Am easier version and bloodsucker's more true Dm version power tab (which is an excellent one).  For the latter, play in drop D tuning and use the open high E string as the "add 2" drone.  For both versions, use a simple arpeggio that sweeps all 6 six strings.  "C'est la Vie" is literally translated into English as "It's the life", but a better translations is it's common colloquial usage: "Such is life".  It is first on Works, Vol. I.

 

         Dm(add9)       C(add9)

         Am             G

C'est la vie, have your leaves all turned to brown?

         EbM6(#11)     C(add9)      Dm(add9)

         Am            G            Am

Will you scatter them around you?  C'est la vie...

Do you love?  And then how am I to know

If you don't let your love show for me?  C'est la vie...

 

CHORUS:

Gm7              Dm(add9)  Gm7              Dm(add9)

D                Am        D                Am

Oh----, c'est la vie----.  Oh----, c'est la vie.

    G           B         E                     Am

    Em7b5       E7        Asus4  A              Dm(add9)

Who knows?  Who cares for me--------?  C'est la vie...

 

In the night, do you light a lover's fire?

Do the ashes of desire for you remain?

Like the sea, there's a love to deep to show.

Took a storm before my love flowed for you.  C'est la vie...

 

CHORUS to DOUBLE-TIME SQUEEZBOX SOLO:

 

Like a song out of tune and out of time.

All I needed was a rhyme for you.  C'est la vie...

Do you give?  Do you live from day to day?

Is there no song I can play for you?  C'est la vie...

 

CHORUS:

 

Dm version chords (drop D tuning!)

Dm(add9) = 0 0 7 7 6 0        C(add9) = x 3 5 5 3 3         EbM6(#11) = x 1 3 0 3 0

Em7b5 = x x 2 0 3 3 to x x 2 0 3 0

E7 = x x 2 1 4 3 to x x 2 1 0 3

Asus4 = x 0 7 7 5 5           A = x 0 11 9 10 9             Gm7 = 5 x 5 7 8 6

 





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