Old Friends ( Paul Simon )

                        from the Bookends album 1968



Transcribed by : Jean-Marc Orliaguet  
( jmo@fy.chalmers.se, http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo )


Capo 4th fret


9/8 Fmaj7   Cmaj7                Fmaj7    Cmaj7              
e-|--0--------------------------|--0--------------------------|
B-|--1--------0-----------------|--1--------0-----------------|
G-|--2--------0-----------------|--2--------0-----------------|
D-|--3--------2-----------------|--3--------2-----------------|
A-|-----------3-----------------|-----------3-----------------|
E-|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
 
    Old    friends               Old      friends


6/8 Dm7                G7                C          C/B    Am
e-|--------0-----1-----1--------------|--0--------------------------------|
B-|--3--------------------------------|--------------3-----1--------------|
G-|--------0-----2--------------------|--------0--------------------------|
D-|--3-----------------------------0--|--------------------------------2--|
A-|-----------------------------------|--3-----------2-----0--------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|

    sat   on    their park bench  like   bookends                       A


     G                                  
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--0-----1-----3-----1-----0-----1--|--0--------------------------------|
G-|-----------------------------------|--------0--------------------------|
D-|-----------------------------------|--------------0--------------------|
A-|--------0-----2-----0-----2-----0--|-----------------------------------|
E-|--3--------------------------------|--3-----------------3-----1-----0--|

   news - pa - per  blown through the  grass             falls  on    the


    Am                                  Em/G
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--------------------1--------------|--------------------0--------------|
G-|--------------2--------------------|--------------0--------------------|
D-|--------2--------------------------|--------2--------------------------|
A-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|--3--------------------------------|

   round       toes             of the  high     shoes             of the


   Fmaj7             Cmaj7                               Cadd9
e-|--0--------------------------------|--0--------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--0-----------------3--------------|
G-|--2--strum----------0--strum-------|--0--strum----------0--strum-------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--2-----------------2--------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|--3-----------------3--------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

    Old             friends


   Fmaj7             Cmaj7              Dm7                G7    
e-|--0--------------------------------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--3-----------------------0--------|
G-|--2-----------------0--------------|--------0-----2--------------------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|--------------------3-----------3--|

    Old             friends             win - ter  com - pa - nions   the


9/8 Fmaj7    Em7              6/8 Dm7               G7
e-|--0--------0--------0--------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1--------3--------3--------|--3-----------------------3--------|
G-|--2--------0-strum--0-strum--|--------0-----2-----------------0--|
D-|--3--------2--------2--------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|-----------2--------2--------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------0--------0--------|--------------------3--------------|

    old      men                  Lost  in   their   o -  ver - coats


     C          C/B   Am            9/8  Am
e-|--0--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B-|--------------3-----1--------------|--------------1-----------------|
G-|--------------------------2--------|----------2---------------------|
D-|--------2-----------------------2--|------2-------------------------|
A-|--3-----------2-----0--------------|--0-----------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------0--------|

   wait - ing   for   the      sun - set                          the


     G                              6/8  Am
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--0---1---3---1---0----------------|--------------1--------------------|
G-|-----------------------0-----------|--------2----------------------2---|
D-|-----------------------------0-----|-----------------------------------|
A-|------0---2---0--------------------|--0-----------------0--------------|
E-|--3---------------3-------3-----3--|-----------------------------------|

   sounds of the city  sifting through  trees              settle  like


     G                                   F
e-|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B-|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G-|--------------------0--------------|--------------------2-------------|
D-|--------------0--------------------|--------------3-------------------|
A-|--------2--------------------------|--------3-------------------------|
E-|--3--------------------------------|--1-------------------------------|

    dust                      on  the  shoulders                 of   the


   Fmaj7             Cmaj7            
e-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--0--------------0-----------------|
G-|--2-----------------0--strum-------|--0--strum-------0--strum----------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--2--------------2-----------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|--3--------------3-----------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

   Old              friends     


    Dm7               G7                 C              
e-|--------0-----1-----1-----0--------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--3-----------------------------3--|--0--------------------------------|
G-|--------0-----2--------------------|--0--------------------------------|
D-|--3--------------------------------|--2--------------------------------|
A-|--------------------------0-----2--|--3--------------------------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|

    Can   you    i -  ma  - gine us    years from   to  - day 


     F                 Fm                Cmaj7
e-|-----------1-----------------1-------|--------------------0--------------|
B-|--------1-----1-----------1-----1----|--------------0-----------0--------|
G-|-----2-----------2-----1-----------1-|--------0-----------------------0--|
D-|--3-----------------3----------------|-----------------------------------|
A-|-------------------------------------|--3--------------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

   sharing     a      park    bench       quietly                        how


    Dm7                G7                Am
e-|--------0-----1--------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--3----------------(3)----0--------|--------------------1--3-----------|
G-|--2-----0-----2-----0--------------|--------------2--------------------|
D-|--3--------------------------------|--------2--------------------------|
A-|-----------------------------------|--0--------------------------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|

    ter - ri  -  bly strange to   be   seventy


9/8 Fmaj7      Cmaj7             6/8 Dm7               G7
e-|--0-----------------------------|--------0-----1-----1-----0--------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------------|--3-----------------------------3--|
G-|--2-----------0-----------------|--------0-----2--------------------|
D-|--3-----------2-----------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--------------3-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------|--------------------3--------------|

    Old        friends               mem -  o  - ry   bru  - shes  the


9/8 Am          Em7              6/8 Dm7               G7  
e-|--0-----------0-----------------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------|--3-----------------------0--------|
G-|--2--strum----0--strum----------|--------0-----2-----------------0--|
D-|--2-----------2-----------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--0-----------2-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|--------------0-----------------|--------------------3--------------|

   same        years                 si  - lent - ly  sha  - ring  the


     C          C/B    Am               Am 
e-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--------------3-----1--------------|--1-----------------1--------------|
G-|--------0-----------------2--------|--------2-----------------2--------|
D-|--------------------------------2--|--------------2-----------------2--|
A-|--3-----------2-----0--------------|--0-----------------0--------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
 
    same        fears     


9/8 Fmaj7      Cmaj7               
e-|--0-----------0-----------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------------|
G-|--2--strum----0--strum----------|
D-|--3-----------2-----------------|
A-|--------------3-----------------|
E-|--------------------------------|  
                                         to Bookends Theme ...



Lyrics :


Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes 
of the high shoes of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends

Can you imagine us years from today, 
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears
  


        jmo@fy.chalmers.se            http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo