Telephone Line Chords Guitar Tab

Definitive Collection (Bonus CD) Tabs:

Telephone Line
Composed by: Jeff Lynne  ELO
Chords: Ray Costello "The Gribleys"
Based on live version.
2 minor chord changes made 4-10-2004 RC
Dm7 changed to Ddim on 28-12-2005 - many thanks to benjclarke
Chord Definitions:
Chords defined with * are played as Bar Chords
All other chords in the positions as shown in definitions below.
A       - X 0 2 2 2 0
Am      - X 0 2 2 1 0
Amaj7   - X 0 2 1 2 0
A7      - X 0 2 0 2 0
Bm      - 2 2 4 4 3 2
Bbdim   - X X 2 3 2 0
C#m     - 4 4 6 6 5 4
D       - X X 0 2 3 2
Dmaj7   - X 0 0 2 2 2
Ddim    - X X 0 1 0 1
E       - 0 2 2 1 0 0
E6      - 0 2 2 1 2 0
F#m     - 2 4 4 2 2 2
Intro:
Synth Telephone Sound
Am*   G*    F*    G*
A          Amaj7
Hello--how are you?
A7                                           Bbdim       Bm
Have you been alright, through all those lonely loney loney loney nights,
E        Bm           C#m
That's what I'd say,     I'd tell you everything
D             E           Amaj7       Dmaj7
If you'd pick up that telephone.
A            Amaj7
Hey--how you feelin'
A7
Are you still the same
Bbdim               Bm         E
Don't you realize the things we did we did were all for real not a dream
Bm     C#m
I just can't believe
D           E            Amaj7    Dmaj7       Amaj7           Dmaj7
They've all faded out of view.           Yeah Yeah  ooh   ooh ooh
A          F#m                  D           E
Shoo wop   doo be doo doo wop   doo wah doo lang
A         F#m           D           E
Blue days black nights  doo wah doo lang
A        F#m
I look into the sky
D                             E
(the love you need ain't gonna see you through.)
A     F#m
And I wonder why
D                              E
(the little things are finally coming true.)
Chorus:
A             F#m                D                   E6    Ddim
Oh  Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twi - light
A            F#m                D                   E6    Ddim    G*  A*
Oh Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twi - light
Synth Fill:
Am*   G*    F*    G*
A                 Amaj7
O.k. so no--one's answering,
A7                                                      Bbdim
Can't you just let it ring a little longer longer longer   wo wo
Bm            E      Bm                         C#m
I'll just sit tight, through the shadows of the night
D       E           Amaj7    Dmaj7      Amaj7              Dmaj7
Let it ring for evermore.         Yeah  Yeah      ooh  ooh ooh
Chorus:
A          F#m                   D           E
Shoo wop   doo be doo doo wop    doo wah doo lang
A         F#m           D           E
Blue days black nights  doo wah doo lang
A        F#m
I look into the sky
D                             E
(the love you need ain't gonna see you through.)
A     F#m
And I wonder why
D                              E
(the little things are finally coming true.)
A            F#m                D                   E6    Ddim
Oh Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twi - light
A            F#m                D                   E6    Ddim
Oh Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twi - light
G*   A*
F*   G*   A*
F*   G*   A*

Source: GuitarMasta.net
http://www.guitarmasta.net/e/electric_light_orchestra/.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Craigy Average	#1 by Craigy t at Apr 25, 1973 at 10:37 PM EST
	haha my dad loves it too lol it reminds me of him

No Picture Matt Rhythm Player	#2 by Matt quinn at Nov 11, 1973 at 4:16 AM EST
	If I remember correctly, this song's also on the Wedding Singer soundtrack. In any event, it's a great song.

No Picture There are some Average	#3 by There are some who call me: Asbjørn Hæstrup at Aug 19, 1978 at 4:10 AM EST
	i like this song.

No Picture Flappy Average	#4 by Flappy Bob at Feb 5, 1981 at 12:35 AM EST
	I burned out my dad's ELO eight track with him a few years ago. Now we listen to supertramp.

No Picture Jesse Wanna Be	#5 by Jesse ritchie at May 16, 1985 at 9:01 PM EST
	this song is amazing. but it's sad. it's about missing someone and waiting for them to call, i think. or calling them and they won't answer

No Picture Adam Average	#6 by Adam at Jan 8, 1992 at 11:29 AM EST
	Actually shik, there's an AMV floating around out there for Voices of a Distant Star set to this song. (Just found it, it's right here: http://www.makesitgood.net/videos/) After watching it, I realized a whole other side to this song, it became so much more emotional.

No Picture Rosa Wanna Be	#7 by Rosa Christiansen at May 12, 1995 at 3:57 PM EST
	my dad got me into ELO. we jam this record all the time.

No Picture knob Wanna Be	#8 by knob head at Dec 29, 1995 at 2:04 PM EST
	I always pictured a guy at a pay phone, standing in the rain (wait, that\'s a different song), putting his last dime in and hoping against hope for an answer.

No Picture Matt Wanna Be	#9 by Matt Aber at Jul 28, 2002 at 10:00 AM EST
	Sad, sad, sad, sad ... But for the longest time I heard it as "the little things are finally comming true" which usually is a happy statement. Now I know the true lyrics and it fits much better with the rest of the song.

No Picture they call me to Average	#10 by they call me tommy K at Oct 26, 2004 at 10:36 AM EST
	this song is amazing. but it's sad. it's about missing someone and waiting for them to call, i think. or calling them and they won't answer 1

No Picture Damien Wanna Be	#11 by Damien Pritchard at Sep 26, 2007 at 3:29 AM EST
	Favorite ELO song.. But, yes, pretty depressing. Seems to fit nicely with Voices from a Distant Star. oO

No Picture zach Wanna Be	#12 by zach morgan at Sep 28, 2007 at 9:06 PM EST
	sadness...........

No Picture mike Average	#13 by mike wellspeak at Sep 29, 2007 at 4:21 AM EST
	This song reminds me of when I was four or five years old, laying down in the backseat of the car, and driving through the mountains in upstate New York with my dad. Good times.

No Picture Viktoria Wanna Be	#14 by Viktoria Sashalmi at Sep 30, 2007 at 7:28 AM EST
	Did I mention? This is a SAD song???? Should be placed on anyone's Top Ten Saddest Songs of All Time list.

No Picture Rodney Wanna Be	#15 by Rodney at Sep 30, 2007 at 3:08 PM EST
	my dad loved elo..i think. he listened to this song when i was little, and i remember it. it reminds me of him and thats why i like it :)

No Picture luke Wanna Be	#16 by luke chaffey at Oct 1, 2007 at 11:51 AM EST
	I love this song to death! It reminds me of my Mom everytime I hear it... I remember being a little kid in Alabama and my Mom blasting this song as I went to sleep.

No Picture Daniel Wanna Be	#17 by Daniel Tucker at Oct 2, 2007 at 10:55 PM EST
	this song iz CURSED i tell u, wheneva i listen 2 it my phone goes totalli crazy !!

No Picture ryan Average	#18 by ryan mahony at Oct 3, 2007 at 1:12 AM EST
	Wow my Dad got me into them as well. Everytime I hear this song it reminds me of riding in hos old cars with him. I love my Dad.

No Picture Michael Average	#19 by Michael Marks at Oct 3, 2007 at 1:54 AM EST
	this song is in Billy Madison it's when Billy apologizes to someone for picking on them when they were younger then the guy crosses Billy's name off of his to kill list, puts on some lipstick, and lays down

No Picture Kael Average	#20 by Kael Nainggolan at Oct 4, 2007 at 1:51 AM EST
	this is about a man, after breaking up with his girl, sitting at home, calling her. she has plans that night even though he doesn't, he just longs to talk with her, and see how she's been doing, and remind her of all the good times they had together. that is all.

No Picture Frost Wanna Be	#21 by Frost Bite at Oct 5, 2007 at 5:07 AM EST
	I love this song. I love how it's just a one sided telephone conversation. I imagine this guy sitting on this desk, picking up his phone, and thinking over those exact lines before actually dialing anything. It's all in his head. The repetition of "lonely" and "longer" just prolongs his depression. And I also love how the voice sounds as if it was coming from a phone, then becomes clearer because it's all in his head.