Marc Cohn Tabs:
- Walking In Memphis »
Marc Cohn
Walking in Memphis
tabbed by: Joed (gocaps99)
this is the guitar version. the first part is many piano but there the same chords
define C/G base-fret 1 frets 3 3 2 0 1 0}
[F]Put [G]on my [C]blue suede [Am]shoes and I[F] board[G]ed the pl[C]ane[Am]
[F]Touched down in the [G]land of the [C]Delta [Am]Blues
[F]In the middle of the [G]pouring [C]rain [Am]
[F] W[G].C. [C]Handy, [Am][F]won't you look down [G]over [C]me? [Am]
[F]Yeah, I got a [G]first cl[C]ass ticket [Am]
But I'm a[F]s blue as a [G]boy can b[C]e...
{start_of_chorus}
Then I'm wal[Am]king in Mem[F]phis, [G] [C]
[Am]I was walking with my [F]feet ten [G]feet off [C]Beale,
[Am]Walking in Mem[F]phis, [G] [C]
[Am]But do I really [F]feel the [G]way I feel? [Gsus] [C/G]
{end_of_chorus}
[F]Saw the [G]ghost of [C]Elvis[Am] on[F] [G]Union ave[C]nue[Am],
[F]Followed him [G]up to the [C]gates of [Am]Graceland
Then I [F]watched him [G]walk right [C]through[Am]
Now, se[F]curity they [G]did not [C]see him[Am]
They just[F] hovered a[G]round his[C] tomb[Am].
But there's a [F]pretty little [G]thing [C]waiting for the [Am]King
[F]Down in the [G]jungle [C]room
{C:Chorus}
{C:Bridge}
{start_of_chorus}
[Csus] [C] [Csus] [C]
They've got[Csus] gospel in the [C]air [Csus] [C]
And Reverend Green [E7]be glad to [F]see you
When you hav[F#dim]en't got a [G7]prayer [C/G] [C]
But boy you got a prayer in Mem[F]phis...[G] [C] [Am]
{end_of_chorus}
[F]Now, Muriel [G]plays pi[C]ano[Am] [F]every [G]friday at the [C]Holly[Am]wood
[F]And they [G]brought me down to [C]see her[Am]
[F]And they [G]asked me if I[C] would[Am]
[F]Do a [G]little [C]number[Am]
And I[F] sang with [G]all my [C]might[Am]
She said "[F]Tell me, are [G]you a [C]Christian, [Am]child?"
And I said "[F]Ma'am, I [G]am ton[C]ight."
{C:Chorus}
[F]Put [G]on my [C]blue suede [Am]shoes and I [F]board[G]ed the plane [C] [Am]
[F]Touched down in the [G]land of the [C]Delta [Am]Blues
[F]In the middle of the [G]pouring [C]rain [Am]
[F]Touched down in the [G]land of the [C]Delta [Am]Blues
[F]In the middle of the [G]pouring [C]rain [Am]
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Michael Average |
#1 by Michael Vanderveen at Sep 28, 2007 at 10:11 AM EST |
| delta blues won the melbourne cup! maybe it was an omen! get on get plenty aye simply | |
|
No Picture
Alexxx <3 Lead Player |
#2 by Alexxx <3 at Sep 29, 2007 at 11:32 AM EST |
| It's about a spiritual awakening for Marc Cohn. It's about him touring around Tennessee and Tunica and revisiting landmark sites in blues and rock and embracing the significance. Muriel I've heard was an actual performer at Hollywood, which is Tunica. She's dead now though. And yeah, WC Handy, godfather of BLues, wrote Beale Street Blues at The Beale Street clubs. So walking ten feet off the Beale would be the street which is a musical landmark. Blue Suede Shoes is a reference to the guy who wrote the song, not Elvis. I forgot his name, but Elvis basically purchased the rights from him and performed it. | |
|
No Picture
Jon Wanna Be |
#3 by Jon Leff at Sep 29, 2007 at 9:57 PM EST |
| i love the line: "But do i really feel the way I feel?" haha, and when he says "Ma'am I am tonight!!!!" | |
|
No Picture
Shreder Dude Wanna Be |
#4 by Shreder Dude at Sep 30, 2007 at 9:58 AM EST |
| vadge, y do u hate this song? its amazing! | |
|
No Picture
chris Average |
#5 by chris jenko at Sep 30, 2007 at 11:34 AM EST |
| This song is about a young man from Cleveland's first trip to Memphis - his first trip anywhere really. An aspiring singer/songwriter, he is amazed, inspired and in love with the south as he grows personally and professionally. | |
|
No Picture
Jimmy Lead Player |
#6 by Jimmy Chezz at Sep 30, 2007 at 8:53 PM EST |
| metboy111 you have to be the dumbest person I 'know'. I'm pretty sure mosy pf the people I know at my college don't know that street, have you ever thought its just a well known thing from your culture? cus its never come up on TV or conversation in 18 years | |
|
No Picture
kelson Average |
#7 by kelson white at Oct 2, 2007 at 8:42 AM EST |
| this is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. i've never been to memphis, but part of me wants to go, just because of this song. i love marc cohn's voice, especially on the line "She said, 'Are you a Christian child?', and I said, 'Ma'am I am tonight!' " this song really has no special meaning to me other then the fact i just love it to complete death. i love the piano and the lyrics and just the sound. it is a flat out great song | |
|
No Picture
silent Rhythm Player |
#8 by silent support at Oct 2, 2007 at 8:15 PM EST |
| This song is about a spiritual awakening (according to Marc Cohn) The reference to "Blue Suede Shoes" is not about Elvis Presley, but about Carl Perkins who recorded the song in Memphis for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Perkins' ill-luck in a car wreck stopped him touring to promote the record, allowing Elvis' cover version to become a massive hit. Presley's copy was done at RCA studios in Nashville. The narrator tells of seeing "The ghost of Elvis up on Union Avenue and followed him up to gates of Graceland". Sam Phillips' studios were called "Memphis Recording Service" and were at 706 Union Avenue. "Security didn't see him" is probably a comment on the story that Bruce Springsteen once successfully scaled the wall at Graceland, trying to deliver a song he wrote. Apparently Elvis wasn't there. "There's catfish on table and gospel in the air" marks the dichotomy between secular and sacred. Catfish is the standard blues metaphor for sexual intercourse. (The word is also interchangeable with the slang expression for the female sex zones). "Catfish" thus would appeal to the bodily instincts, whereas "gospel" would be to the intellect. The metaphor gains more credence since Al Green supposedly renounced secular music after being scalded with grits by a jealous girlfriend. | |
|
No Picture
Ben Wanna Be |
#9 by Ben Koss at Oct 3, 2007 at 4:09 AM EST |
| I grew up with my dad playing this song constantly. But I hadn't heard it for years until I rediscovered it this week. And now I find myself playing it constantly....PS- I t makes me want to go to Memphis so bad, even though I haven't a clue what Memphis is really like. | |
|
No Picture
by fires light Rhythm Player |
#10 by by fires light she cried at Oct 3, 2007 at 6:33 PM EST |
| But do I really feel the way I feel??? yes, I do feel asthough this is opne of the best classics i have heard ever... I'm sure of it | |
|
No Picture
Matt Average |
#11 by Matt at Oct 4, 2007 at 4:41 AM EST |
| The beginning tells of being born into a world of rebelliion(blue suede shoes), apart from God(Memphis,Egypt), and sadness(rain). It progresses to him having a vision 'Saw the Ghost of Elvis, one Union never knew' Graceland is heaven and when he mentions tomb and King,these are references to Jesus. Jungleroom was Elvis' party room and symbolizes the rejoicing in heaven when Jesus defeated death. Muriel introduces him to Jesus and he accepts. The choir begins to sing symbolizing "all heaven rejoices when one soul is saved" | |
|
No Picture
¿Josh Rhythm Player |
#12 by ¿Josh Kirkpatrick? at Oct 8, 2007 at 5:36 AM EST |
| God i love this song. | |
|
No Picture
Brandon Average |
#13 by Brandon Weathers at Oct 8, 2007 at 5:23 PM EST |
| What does Beale mean? as in "walking with my feet ten feet of of Beale"? someone answer me, please | |
|
No Picture
chris Average |
#14 by chris jenko at Oct 8, 2007 at 7:20 PM EST |
| Great song. Wish Marc Cohn didn't suffer from the popularity of this one. He has much to offer. Usually, when people complain about 'hating' a song, it's because it was overplayed on the radio and other airwaves too much. It's been awhile since its success, so now I don't hear that song on the radio hardly. (yes, it plays once in a blue moon here in SoCal). Peace | |
|
No Picture
Mauricio Average |
#15 by Mauricio Avendaño at Oct 9, 2007 at 4:38 AM EST |
| I've got to say i love this song, I am 23 and all my friends listen to rap, i wish they would listen to good music like this. | |
|
No Picture
Jonathan Rhythm Player |
#16 by Jonathan Matuszyk at Oct 10, 2007 at 12:17 PM EST |
| karatekid2007 you have to be the dumbest person i know. "Beale" means, Beale Street. Have you never heard of Beale St. in downtown Memphis before. You need to get out more. No i'm not from Memphis either. | |
|
No Picture
Eric Average |
#17 by Eric at Oct 11, 2007 at 4:49 AM EST |
| I think this song is about the narrator who was searching for musical inspiration in Memphis and ended up with a spiritual awakening. I think this because of all the reverences he makes to famous musicians and song writers. Especailly when he says: "W.C. Handy- won't you look down over me." He also makes refrence to praying, and towards the end of the song he says he is Cristian. Great song. | |
|
No Picture
yomomma!! Wanna Be |
#18 by yomomma!! at Oct 11, 2007 at 1:11 PM EST |
| i hate this song more than any song ever. | |
|
No Picture
katie Average |
#19 by katie focner at Oct 13, 2007 at 9:17 AM EST |
| Eloiro, it's Union avenue not Union never knew | |
|
No Picture
Aaron Wanna Be |
#20 by Aaron Frederick at Oct 14, 2007 at 7:03 AM EST |
| gr8 sng so powerful thru the piano wrk...god bless this sng its so peaceful at da same time | |
|
No Picture
Max Wanna Be |
#21 by Max Contreras at Oct 14, 2007 at 3:09 PM EST |
| metboy111 - also, getting out more has nothing to do with knowing a about a street. You would be much more likely to gain that info from the net or if you are in the right country, then staying at home watching TV - going out developes an entirely different kinda of knowledge | |
|
No Picture
Ryan Average |
#22 by Ryan Noffke at Oct 16, 2007 at 8:35 AM EST |
| As someone who's spent the past three years of his life in the shadow of the Bluff City (Memphis), I can say that this song captures the kitschy, slightly grimy feel of the city. | |
Popular Guitar Tabs