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Goodbye Cruel World


  1. The Only Flame In Town
  2. Home Truth
  3. Room With No Number
  4. Inch By Inch
  5. Worthless Thing
  6. Love Field
  7. I Wanna Be Loved
  8. The Comedians
  9. Joe Porterhouse
  10. Sour Milk-Cow Blues
  11. The Great Unknown
  12. The Deportees Club
  13. Peace In Our Time
  14. Turning The Town Red
  15. Baby It's You
  16. Get Yourself Another Fool
  17. I Hope You're Happy Now
  18. Motel Matches
  19. Sleepless Nights
  20. Deportee
  21. Withered and Died

The Only Flame In Town

From: William Vaughan 


Here's Elvis Costello's "The Only Flame in Town".
This transcription is based on the live version of the Ryko
reissue of "Goodbye Cruel World", but it works well with the
studio version too, except in some places they use the ending
chords in the middle and there are some walk ups - enjoy.


Intro E

*verse 1*
E              F#m     
I know a girl, got my mind in a mess

G#m                   A             G#m  F#m
I never heard her say goodnight and God bless

      B                         E
She's not the only flame in town

E    F#m    G#m

*verse 2 - same except were noted*
And when we're alone we never quarrel
I'm miles away, now here's the moral
                                E    E7
She's not the only flame in town

*chorus*

A      B            G#m          C#m
She's not the only flame in town

D                  
She's got to stop thinking that I'm

A                         E
Carrying this torch around

*verse 3 - same as verse 1*
He struck a match and lit up her face
We should have struck a match girl 
To burn down the whole place
Now you're not the only flame in town

*verse 4 - same as verse 2*
But you blew hot and cold
Turnmy heart to a cinder
And with each passing day
You'd be less tender and more tinder
Now you're not the only flame in the town



*chorus - same*
She's not the only flame in town
She's got to stop thinking that I'm
Carrying this torch around

*verse 5 -same as verse 1 except where noted*
Thought I saw your face in the fire
But its so hard to remember
Even an inferno can cool down to an ember
Now you're not the only flame


E   F#m    G#m                   E     F#m   G#m
             You're not the only flame

G#m                 E       F#m    G#m
You're not the only flame in town

Home Truth

Room With No Number

Inch By Inch

From: William Vaughan 

Here's Elvis Costello's "Inch by Inch" off of "Goodbye Cruel
World".  Listen to the bass line as to where to come in with the
b d  f# notes - you can leave them out, but if playing by
yourself, it adds a lot.  The notes have been left out of the
verses.


Intro b  d  f#   G  Bm

*verse 1*
G   Bm
     You can take a powder you can take a drink

G   Bm
    You can keep the shrink and the kitchen sink

Bm               Bm/A      Bm/G       Bm/F#
Write my name in heaven in invisible ink

Bm/F# F#m                          Bm  F#m
      I just woke up from dreaming,     I think

*verse 2*

G  Bm
   You can take me over you can give me a lip

G  Bm
   You can take me under you can give me the slip

Bm            Bm/A      Bm/G         Bm/F#
Take off everything or tear me off a strip

F#m
Like a lady in the camber and another in the clip

*chorus*

G             Em
Don't move a muscle baby

Bm         Em
Don't even flinch

        Bm      Bm/A  Bm/G
You can miss me by a mile

Bm/F#   Em      Bm
Or just inch by inch


        G    
Inch by inch, Inch by inch


Em              F#m      Bm
You can pull me up again inch by inch

        G
Inch by inch, as pulses race

          Em            F#m       Bm    G  Bm
I long to see that look upon your face


*verse 3 same as verse 2*
You can take me outside you can take me apart
You can take me upstairs you can take me to heart
You made me love you when you thought you were smart
Don't try to stop me when you told me to start

*same as other chorus*
Don't move a muscle baby
Don't even flinch
You can miss me by a mile
Or just inch by inch

Inch by inch, Inch by inch
You can pull me up again inch by inch
Inch by inch, as pulses race
I long to see that look upon your face

          Em            F#m       Bm   (fade)
I long to see that look upon your face

Worthless Thing

From: William Vaughan 


The chords for the full band version are in () - the others are for the solo 
acoustic performance on the Ryko reissue.  Also, capo on the 2nd fret to play 
along with the full band version, on the first fret for the solo version



Intro (acoustic)  D     Gm     D    Gm    D
Intro (full band)  Em  F#m  G  A  D 3xs and hold on last D

D                      Bm
How many times can you jump out of the cupboard

       F#m                        A
Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered

D                         Bm
You can live forever in a split second of fame

F#m                               A
Come on down, the price is right, whats you name

      G               D
While crocodile makes good shoes

      G                   D
And a dog may changes his coat

Bm                    F#m
I can't change what's written on your 

Bm     F#m         Em
face tonight and I quote


*Chorus*

     Bm             F#m
Oh I wish you could see

Bm        F#m            Em
Quite how much you could mean to me

   (Em  F#m  G   A   D)
    G
You worthless thing
               
           (Em                 Em  F#m  G)                   
            D                   G
If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome

Bm      F#m            Em
I might pay this kings ransom

       (Em  F#m  G   A   D)
    G                   D    Dsus2 
You worthless thing


*verse 2 - same*
They commit blue murder along union avenue
Then they sell you souvenir matches
Nightclubs full of grave robbers from Memphis, Tennessee
And Las Vegas body snatchers

And he's carrying a warning
Can't you see how his eyes glint
Keep you bloody hands off my life
Your affectionate fingerprint

*same as first chorus except no D  and Dsus2 on acoustic version*
Oh I wish you could see
Quite how much you could mean to me
You worthless thing
If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome
I might pay this kings ransom
You worthless thing

Bm               F#m
All the cars and pills and girls

    G                 F#m
Who tore his shirt to tatters

       Em
Do you know how tall he was

  (Em  F#m   G)
              G
Cause that is all that really matters

       Bm                F#m
Do you know his mother's last name

       G               F#m
Do you think that he's divine

                Em
You've seen the film

    (Em  F#m   G)
                G 
You've read the book

                                (Em  F#m  G   Em  [F#m hold])

You're drinking vintage Elvis Presley wine


*verse 3 - same*
Bored out of your tiny mind while life is twice as large
They'll cut her down to size on television
She's available and beautiful, but with more time to devote
They're going to take this cable now
And stick it down your throat
So this is an obituary 
Which should be right and fitting
For every clock work cat and 
Conceivable kitten

* same as other chorus 2 with noted exceptions)
Oh I wish you could see
Quite how much you could mean to me
You worthless thing
If you were ten feet taller and almost handsome
I might pay this kings ransom
You worthless thing

Full band fade on (Em  F#m G  A  D)
Acoustic
D        G
Aaahhh   You worthless thing
Aaahhh   You worthless thing

Love Field

I Wanna Be Loved

The Comedians

Joe Porterhouse

Sour Milk-Cow Blues

The Great Unknown

The Deportees Club

Peace In Our Time

Turning The Town Red

Transcribed by Zac (rae4@ix.netcom.com)


Intro:          C - G/B - F(add G)/A - G/B
                C - G/B - F(add G)/A - G/B

 C        G/B  F(add G)/A  G    C
 You've been taught      that this won't do
      F      F/E    Ebdim           Em
 They put me in the picture but the film turned blue
   Eb+             G
 A glimpse of you, Turning The Town Red.
   F                Fm                    C
 A head full of brand new words and a mouth full of shocks
   F            Fm              C
 You're a big boy now, with a face to stop clocks.

G
Turning the town red.
Fmaj7                           (Fm)
Turning the town red.

Fm                Cm/G                      Ab   Cm/G
You made your bed, and now you'd better dream in it.
        Fm                      Cm/G            Ab          G             F
 The word that you once whispered, now you're screamin' it.

C    G/B  F(addG)/A  G   C
Days drip down       the damp wallpaper.
 F      F/E Ebdim                  Em           Eb+                     Em7/D
 Pictures plastered on the ivy creeper between your old toy soldiers
                C#min7b5
 and your mother's sleepers.

G
Turning the rown red.
Fmaj7                           (Fm)
Turning the town red.

Fm                Cm/G            Ab            Cm/G
You made your bed, you'd better face the consequence.
Fm                        Cm/G     Ab     G             F
A black pool opened at my feet into a dream sequence.

G
Turning the town red.
Fmaj7                           D/F#
Turning the town red.
G
Turning the town red.
Fmaj7                           (Fm)
Turning the town red.

    C      G/B     F(add G)/A  G
You know I heard her call my     name
                C
At least, I think that's what she said.
         F              F/E     Ebdim               Em    Eb+
Surely I'm the correlation that's gonna cause her shame
    Em7/D            C#m7b5
So, what's she doing in my bed?

G
Turning the town red.
Fmaj7                           D/F#
Turning the town red.
G
Turning the town red.
Fmaj7                           D/F#
Turning the town red.
G                               }
Turning the town red.   }       Repeat until fade.
F/G                             }
Turning the town red.   }


Slightly obscure voicings:

F(add G)/A

3
1
2
3
O
x

C#m7b5:

O
5
4
5
4
x

That should be mostly right, there are some unusual root countervoicings 
Bruce throws in (typical BT bass playing) but those are the guitar 
chords.  The voicings might be slightly different - El does lots of 
stuff with the thumb reaching over the neck.

The electric guitar (12 String?) is pretty easy to follow, just a G 
major scale running down from either C, F, or D if anybody REALLY 
cares I can attempt the tab for those.

Baby It's You

Get Yourself Another Fool

I Hope You're Happy Now

Motel Matches

Sleepless Nights

(Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)

Deportee

Withered and Died

Transcribed by Marika Whaley (whaley.24@osu.edu)

Opening figure:

           D/A            G/B
E|---------2--------|---------3--------|
B|3(hold)--1--------|3(hold)--3--------|
G|010------2--------|010------0--------|
D|---42----0--------|---42----0--------|
A|---------0--------|---------2--------|
E|------------------|------------------|



D                                      G     A            D
This cruel old country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
G              A
teased me and lied.
     D                                 G
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
 A                          D
My dreams have withered and died.
G                       F#m         Em
Once I was bending the tops of the trees,
       F#m           Em        Bm         A
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
 D                                   G
Then I took up with a girl from the West.
 A              D      G             A
They'd run and hide, they'd run and hide.
 D                                        G
Count one to ten and she's gone like the rest.
 A                           D
My dreams have withered and died.
 G                     F#m        Em
If I was a butterfly, lived for a day,
 F#m         Em        Bm     A
I could be free just blowing away.
 D                                  G
Silver moon sailor and silver moonshine
        A        D     G        A
On the water so wide, water so wide,
 D                                     G
Slip from the bed of a good friend of mine
 A                           D
My dreams have withered and died.
 G                      F#m         Em
Once I was bending the tops of the trees
 F#m                 Em         Bm        A
Kind thoughts in my head, kind voices to hear.
 D                                G     A             D
This cruel country has driven me down, teased me and lied.
 G             A
Teased me and lied.
 D                                     G
I've only sad stories to tell to this town.
 A                           Bm
My dreams have withered and died
 A                           G
My dreams have withered and died
 A                           D
My dreams have withered and died

 G     A      Asus4 (alternates with A)    D