Chords for The Mike Douglas Show - June 11, 1970

A lot of new singers on our show, but few have had the raves that this next gentleman is getting.
You know who's worked, don't you, David?
James Taylor, yes.
Yes.
We think he's going to be a big star in 1970.
Oh, I think he's, I think the man is definitely a poet. _
And I'm a huge fan of his.
I don't know him personally, but I just wanted to hear him.
His album is one of my favorite albums.
It's very poetic and very special.
So let's listen to James Taylor.
_ _ _ _ [C#] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ This is pretty much a lullaby for _ my _ nephew, who's also named James.
_ _ But for me too, and for you, if you want it.
_ [F#] _ _ _ [D#m] _
_ _ _ [G#] _ _ _ _ _
_ [C#] _ _ _ _ [G#] _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A#m] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ _ _
_ [A#m] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [Fm] _ _ _ [F#] _ _
_ [C#] _ _ _ [G#] _ _ _ [D#m] _
_ _ _ _ And [G#] _ _
_ _ _ _ [F#] _ as the moon rises, he [D#m] sits [G#] by [C#] his fire, _ [A#m] thinking [F#] about women and [C#] glasses [G#] of beer.
_ [F#] _ _
Closing his eyes as [D#m] the [C#] doggies retire, _ [A#m] he sings [F#] out a song which is [C#] soft, but it's clear,
_ [A#m] as if [D#] maybe someone _ [G#] could hear. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
He [C#] says, good night, [F#m] you moonlight [D#m] _ _ _ [C#] ladies.
_ [A#m]
Rock-a [F#]-bye, sweet baby [C#] James, _ _ _ _ [A#m] deep greens [F#] and blues are [C#] the colors I choose. _
[A#m] Won't you let me go [D#] down in [G#] my _ dreams?
Yes, [F#] and rock-a-bye, [G#] sweet [C#] baby James. _ _
_ Now the first of [G#] December _
[F#m] is covered with [Fm] snow. _ _
Yes, [A#m] and so was the [F#] turnpike down [C#] from [Fm] Stockbridge
to Boston. _ _
_ [A#m] Though the Berkshires [F#] seem dreamlike [C#] on account of [Fm] that frosting,
with [F#] 10 miles [C#] behind me [G#] and 10 [D#m],000 more to go.
Oh, _ _ [G#] _
_ there's _ [F#] a song that they sing [D#m] when they take [C#] to the highway.
[A#m] A song [F#] that they sing when they [C#] take to the [G#] sea.
_ [F#] A song that they sing of [D#m] their [C#] home in the sky.
[A#m] Maybe you can't [F#]
believe it [C#] if it helps you to sleep, but [A#] you know [A#m] singing seems [D#] to work fine
[G#] for me. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [C#] So good night, [F#]
you _ [D#m] moonlight _ [C#] _ ladies.
_ [A#m] Rock-a-bye, [F#] sweet [C#] baby James,
_ _ _ _ [A#m] deep greens [F#] and blues [C#] are the colors I choose.
_ [A#m] Won't you let me [D#] go down in [G#] my dreams?
_ _ _ [F#]
Time to rock-a [C#]-bye, sweet _ baby.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
Blossom, [D] smile, [A] sun, sunshine down my way.
_ _ Lately _ I've been _ lonesome.
_ [E]
Blossom, [D] it's been [A] much too long a day.
It _ seems my dreams have frozen, [G] _
melt [F#m] my cares [E] away. _ _
_ _ _ [A] Send the sunshine [E] down [A] my [E] way
[C#m] whenever _ [F#] you call my [B] name. _ _
_ _ I [A] know [B] what [A] you [E] mean [A] to [E] say to [C#m] me.
[F#] Girl, it's all [B] the same. _ _
_ _ [E] _ Blossom, [D] there's [A] an empty _ road behind. _
_ Sit you [F#m] down beside me.
[E] _ Blossom, [D] there's a [A] sweet _ dream
on my mind. _ _
_ There's a song _ inside me.
[G] Take [A] these chains [E] away.
_ _ _ _ _ [A] Send the sunshine _ [E] down [A] my [E] way now
[C#m] whenever you [F#] call my [B] name.
_ _ _ _ _ I [A] know [B] what [A] you [E] mean [A] to say [E] to [C#m] me.
Girl, [F#] it's all the [B] same.
_ I [E] said blossom, [D] smile, [A] sun, sunshine down my _ way.
Lately, [F#m] child, I've been _ [A] lonesome.
[E] Blossom, _
[D] it's [A] been much too long a day.
_ It seems my dreams have [B] frozen, _ [G] _ [F#m] melt my cares [B] away. _ _ _ _
_ [E] La.
La [D] [A] la la la.
La.
La la _ _ _ _ _ _ la _ la.
[E] _ _
_ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ [Cm] Your _ _ _ [N] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ music _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ is causing a lot of interest in the music world.
Is being successful and well-known
one of your goals?
Is this what you've aim for?
Well, I suppose it has been for a long time.
You
That's what I was working for.
But _ it's kind of a dichotomy.
It brings up all kinds of _ _ _ problems
as to what I really want to [C#m] do and what it really means to me.
_ _ In that song, do you mind talking about a song?
No. _
I think that if I had Tolstoy here,
I'd ask him about war and peace.
And I just don't think it's right.
But let's go ahead [N] anyway.
The songs that you write take a turn usually at the end.
In that song, it starts with there's a cowboy.
And then this is the song that he sings, which is the chorus.
And it's good night, moonlight ladies.
And _ then the end, it _ gets personal.
It gets about you. _
_ Well, sort of half of it was written for my nephew
and half of it for me. _ _ _ _
_ And then the last stanza is very Hasidic,
if you'll pardon a pedantic term, in that you say,
you can believe [Em] if you [A] want.
I'm [E] just paraphrasing.
You can believe if you want to.
But singing works just fine for me.
_ Is that exactly what it's supposed to mean?
Well, it's [A] redundant to talk about lyrics.
_ [G#] And, uh.
Well, we could talk about sex.
OK.
You like that?
_ _ [N] Have you ever pulled on an artichoke?
_ _ Not recently.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Shucks, folks.
I don't know what to say.
_ _ It's a beautiful song, James.
That's the point.
And next time you're on with me, I
won't even go into the music.
I'll go right to the hard stuff.
You're one of the few artists signed by the Beatles
to record on their Apple label.
How did that whole thing come about, James?
Yes, well, I was.
_ I spent some time in New York City
making music with a rock and roll band in the village, _ _
paying my dues, as they say.
You know, whatever. _ _
And _ I _ quit that group because New York City
got to be a little bit too much in the commercial music
business and everything.
And I felt I'd [G#m] travel in Europe some.
So I went over there and got [N] into my mind
the idea of making an album.
And I made some demo tapes.
I bought about $20 worth of studio time _
and started peddling myself around the different rock
merchants over there.
_ And met with not too favorable response.
_ And then _ _ I got in touch with an old friend of mine
named Peter Asher, who I'd known from the United States. _
He introduced my stuff to the [F#] Beatles.
And they [A#] seemed to like it.
I'm not with them anymore.
I noticed that.
One of those.
The second album is a better album than the first album,
don't you think?
Do you like them both as much?
Well, I like the second one better.
It's a different [N] kind of concept.
We did it all very rapidly.
_ And we did a lot of the, _ _ we didn't
do too much vocal overdub.
We did mostly, it was done live.
And it seems to be, you know, it seems to me
to be a more live album and more spontaneous and stuff.
James Taylor, _ continued success with your album,
Sweet Baby James on Warner Brothers.
And _ are those your formal, is that your formal attire?
Yeah, this is about it.
I didn't want to overdress.
I asked [G#] David about that.
He said, no, his formal attire is a white t-shirt.