Veronica

Words & Music:

Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus (Elvis Costello)

 

Another version has the verse chords as:  C   F   Em   Dm.  Then again, the verse chords could mirror the intro cords of C  G  Em  G.  Any of these versions seems to work well.

 

C    F    Em    G  [repeat as you'd like]

 

      C           F             C       G

Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?

What goes on in that place in the dark?

Well, I used to know a girl and I could have sworn

     F            G    Csus4    C

That her name was Veronica.

 

Well, she used to have a carefree mind of her own and a delicate look in her eye.

These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her name is Veronica.

 

CHORUS:

       Dm                    Dm/C#            Dm/C      G [or GM7]

Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes Veronica has gone to hide?

And all the time she laughs at those who shout her name and steal her clothes?

   F    F#dim7      G    Dm   Em   G   Dm   Em   G

Veronica-------, Veronica

 

Did the days drag by, did the favors wane?  Did he roam down the town all the while?

Will you wake from your dream, with the wolf at the door reaching out for Veronica.

 

Well, it was all sixty-five years ago when the world was the street where she lived.

And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea with a picture of Veronica.

 

BRIDGE:

        Am               Fm     Bb                              C

On the "Empress of India----" And as she closed her eyes upon the world,

    Am                                   Fm       Bb

And picked upon the bones of last week's news She spoke his name out loud again.

 

CHORUS:

 

Veronica sits in her favorite chair & she sits very quiet and still.

And they call her name that they never get right & if they don't then nobody else will

 

But she used to have a carefree mind of her own with devilish look in her eye

Saying "You can call me anything you like but my name is Veronica."

 

CHORUS:

 

       G     F    Em    G    C

Oh, Veronica!