'39
Queen, from _A_Night_at_the_Opera_
transcription by
ken@batman.austin.ibm.com (Ken Goach)
pat@jaameri.gsfc.nasa.gov (patrick m. ryan)
Notes:
On the studio version of this song, there are two guitars.
This is an approximation for playing it on just one. Use
a capo on the first fret.
intro
X X X X Am Am Am Am
G G
G D Em C G D C G
---3-------2------0----0----0-----3----2---0------3------
---3-------3------0----0----1-----3----3---1------3------
---0-------2------0----0----0-----0----2---0------0------
---0-----0-0------2----2----2-----0--0-0---2-0_2--0------
---2-2_3--------2-2--2-2--3-3-----2--------3------2------
-3------------------------------3-3---------------3------
G D Em C G D G G G G (folk strum)
---3-------2------0----0----0-----3--2---------
---3-------3------0----0----1-----3--3---------
---0-------2------0----0----0-----0--0---------
---0-----0-0------2----2----2-----0-----3-2-0--
---2-2_3--------2-2--2-2--3-3-----2------------
-3------------------------------3-3------------
G (pickup chord) D Em
In the year of '39.... Assembled here the volunteers
C~ G D Em Em7 In the
days when lands were few Here the ship sailed out into the
C~ D(add G) Dmaj G
Blue and sunny morn Sweetest sight ever seen.
G D B7
And night followed day, and the story tellers say
Em Am (then passing notes C B A F#)
That the score brave souls inside
G D
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
C Em C D C (G) D------
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried. G C G
Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away,
G D
Don't you hear me calling you
G F#/G Em D C B/G Am
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
Em D G
In the land that our grandchildren knew.In the C~, I add D&G on top:
|--3
|--3
|--0
|--2
|--3
|--X
Likewise, the D add G is
|--3 (where you add the G)
|--3
|--2
|--0
|--X
|--X
In the year of '39 assembled here the Volunteers
In the days when the lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen.
And night followed day
And the storytellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried.
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew.
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
The Volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey, to a new home we'll away
But my love this cannot be
For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
Your mother's eyes in your eyes cry to me.
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All the letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
For my life
Still ahead
Pity Me.Notes:
I often play Amin7 rather than plain Amin.
The odd chords listed in the chorus I play:
F#/G B/G
|--3 |--3
|--3 |--3
|--0 |--0
|--0 |--0
|--0 |--2
|--2 |--X
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-= Sitting in the corner you are naked and alone,
No one listened to your plea's you created me.
INTERNET: A.McCormack@dct.ac.uk
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-
From: s5793nag@sun10.vsz.bme.hu (Tom)
It wos the asking, and I think the chords in the intro of a Queen
song ( '39 ) is not
x x Am Am Am Am
G G
I think the intro
C C Am E
B Eb B C F G G
the first line is sure!
bye
BigTom
s5793nag@sun10.vsz.bme.huFrom: v.d.drift@ams.chem.ruu.nl
'39 - Queen
>From the album A Night At The Opera
Written by Brian May
I have seen some other chords, I think these are the *real* ones.
Comments and suggestions are welcome by e-mail.
Koen van der Drift < v.d.drift@ams.chem.ruu.nl>
Intro:
| C | C | Cdim | C | Am | Am | E | E | Bb | Bb | Eb | Eb | G | G |
| G | D | Em | C | G | D | C | G | G | D | Em | C | Cmaj7 | D7 | G | D7 Em
In the year of '39 assembled here the volunteers
C G D7
In the days when lands were few
Em G
Here the ship sailed out into the
C G D7 G
Blue and sunny morn, sweetest sight ever seen.
D7 Ebdim
And the night followed day, and the storytellers say
Em Am
That the score brave souls inside
G D7
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
C D7 G |D7|
Never looked back, never feared, never cried.
G C G
Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away,
G D7
Don't you hear me calling you
G Bm Em D6 C Bm Am
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
Bm D7 G
In the land that our grandchildren knew.
Bridge:
| Eb | Eb | Cm | Cm | C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 | A | A | A | A |
| C | C | Cdim | C | Am | Am | E | E | Bb | Bb | Bb | Eb | Eb | G |
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey, little darling we'll away
But my love this cannot be
For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes cry to me.
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All the letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
Em7 D7 G
For my life, still ahead, pity me.
Outtro:
| G | D | Em | C | Cmaj7 | D G | G | D G |
|
No Picture
spencer Wanna Be |
#1 by spencer mccarthy at May 31, 1975 at 11:57 AM EST |
| This song means a lot to me, when i first listened to it, i liked it for the music, didn't pay special attention to the lyrics. Number 39 has went on to become my favorite number, i use it everywhere and in everything i do. | |
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No Picture
edwin Wanna Be |
#2 by edwin henrriquez at Aug 24, 1975 at 6:30 AM EST |
| I really believe that this song is about going to war, coming back years later, and being exposed to what he has missed. The world has changed, and it's not the same place he'd left. The "volunteers" are the soldiers. I've never thought about the Space Travel interpretation..that's pretty interesting actually. And it's kind of convincing, with the "earth is old and grey" line. All in all, beautiful song. | |
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Tim Rhythm Player |
#3 by Tim Hanson at Feb 11, 1978 at 10:43 PM EST |
| I love this song, the whole starship theory makes it so much cooler. | |
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Steven Average |
#4 by Steven Daniel at Oct 25, 1979 at 11:26 AM EST |
| i love this song too! i especially love the "Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried." and "All my life Still ahead Pity Me." just the way brian may sings it is fantastic. | |
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Mr. Always Mezm Average |
#5 by Mr. Always Mezmerized (o)(o) at Mar 19, 1998 at 6:15 AM EST |
| I'm forever reminded of A Series of Unfortunate Events books when I here this for some strange reason. Maybe it's the 'Volunteers' or maybe its just the airs. Anyone else get that? Perhaps I should just go back to my book-filled hovel and keep my strange connections to myself. I'm damn serious though. Lemony Snicket through-and-through. | |
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James Wanna Be |
#6 by James Makowiecki at Mar 11, 2001 at 1:01 AM EST |
| I definitely feel that this song is about space travel. He even talks about the volunteers coming back to tell them of a "World so newly born" that they can go to because the "Earth is old and gray". The theory of relativity would explain the 100-year trip only aged the volunteers 1 year. Even in the line "For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas", it sounds like he is about to say "sailed across the milky way" because of the day in the line. I didn't know that May was an astronomer, but that even clinches it for me. An awesome song, nonetheless. | |
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Troy Wanna Be |
#7 by Troy Erskine at Jan 23, 2003 at 5:46 AM EST |
| 39 means the number of the song that Queen have in they CD if you count the songs from Queen 1 to 39 at the night at the opera you can count 39 songs! | |
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Alex Average |
#8 by Alex P at Apr 28, 2005 at 6:44 PM EST |
| Haha, it hits you the second time eh Scimitar? =) This song is really cool. It seems the whole space thing is a bit too much, but at the same time I somewhat agree that it might be about returning home to see everyone has aged or changed but you remain the same. The songs references to coming to the new world might most likely be referring to the pilgrims when they first left England for the new world (America). The settlers did afterall leave everything behind to start a new life, and most of them were volunteers. So it could easily be referring to that. Within that there is a love story too. Great song. | |
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I BAKE YOU MUFF Average |
#9 by I BAKE YOU MUFFIN at Oct 3, 2007 at 1:07 PM EST |
| i hate math. i love brians stories, theyre different! | |
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floyd Lead Player |
#10 by floyd lloyd at Oct 3, 2007 at 7:21 PM EST |
| This is one of those songs that can have more than one meaning (like they're rare)... it could be about space travel, or it could be about WWII. I can understand the WWII meaning better though, even though chances are it may be a "red herring." For instance: For so many years have gone and I'm older but a year is apparently about the Doppler effect, but could be taken as someone saying that a loved one taken to the war has "aged" (matured) much quicker than they have. | |
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Rich Average |
#11 by Rich Frazer at Oct 3, 2007 at 9:31 PM EST |
| I think the starship comment is a bit wacky. the song must be in part about going away, perhaps off to war (1939), or anywhere ... doubtful he was referring to a spaceship. May is an astronomer but, I still don't agree with it. | |
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Brett Professional |
#12 by Brett Czap at Oct 9, 2007 at 12:21 AM EST |
| quote from Brian May: It’s a science fiction story. It’s the story about someone who goes away and leaves his family and because of the time dilation effect, when you go away, the people on earth have aged a lot more than he has when he comes home. He’s aged a year and they’ve aged 100 years so, instead of coming back to his wife, he comes back to his daughter and he can see his wife in his daughter, a strange story. I think, also, I had in mind a story of Herman Hesse which I think is called ‘The River’. A man leaves his hometown and has lots of travels and then comes back and observes his hometown from the other side of the river. He sees it in a different light having been away and experienced all those different things. He sees it in a very illuminating way, cause I felt a little bit like that about My home at the time as well having been away and seen this vastly different world of Rock music. Totally different from the way I was brought up and I had those feelings about Home. | |
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massie Professional Badass |
#13 by massie at Oct 16, 2007 at 6:17 PM EST |
| Brian has said in interviews, and in concert, that the song is about a man going into a spaceship to find new worlds, and when he comes back he's only a year older, but the Earth is 100 years older. | |