If You Could Read My Mind

Words & Music:

Gordon Lightfoot

 

This is transcribed (with a nice fingerstyle arrangement!) in the September 2006 issue of Acoustic Guitar.

 

A                                G

If you could read my mind, love, what a tale my thoughts could tell.

A                            G

Just like an old time movie 'bout a ghost from a wishin' well.

 

PRE-CHORUS 1:

A           A7        DM7                  E              F#m7

In a castle dark or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet.

    D         A/C#     A

You know that ghost is me.

 

CHORUS 1:

    DM7          A/C#           Bm7           E                    A(add9)

And I will never be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can't see

 

If I could read your mind, love, what a tale your thoughts could tell.

Just like a paperback novel, the kind that drugstores sell.

 

PRE-CHORUS & CHORUS 2:

When you reach the part where the heartaches come, the hero would be me.

But heroes often fail.

And you won't read that book again because the ending's just too hard to take.

 

A  G  A  G

 

PRE-CHORUS 3 AND CHORUSES 3 & 4:

I'd walk away like a movie star who gets burned in a three-way script.

Enter, number two.

A movie queen to play the scene of bringing all the good things out in me.

But for now love, let's be real.

  DM7                   A/C#                Bm7                E

I never thought I could act this way & I've got to say, that I just don't get it.

DM7                A/C#                   Bm7                E                 A(add9)

I don't know where we went wrong, but the feeling's gone & I just can't get it back.

 

FIRST VERSE REPRISE:

 

PRE-CHORUS & CHORUS 4:

In a castle dark, or a fortress strong with chains upon my feet.

But stories always end.

And if you read between the lines, you'll know that I'm just tryin' to understand

The feelings that you lack.

DM7                   A/C#                Bm7                E

I never thought I could act this way & I've got to say, that I just don't get it.

DM7                A/C#                   Bm7                E                 A(add9)

I don't know where we went wrong, but the feeling's gone & I just can't get it back.