You Can Call Me Al
written and performed by Paul Simon
from "Graceland."
Transcribed by Erik Strom.
F C F
A man walks down the street
Gm F C
He says why am I soft in the middle now
F C F
Why am I soft in the middle
Gm F C F
The rest of my life is so hard
C F
I need a photo-opportunity
Gm F C
I want a shot at redemption
F C F
Don't want to end up a cartoon
Gm F C
In a cartoon graveyard
F
Bonedigger Bonedigger
Gm C
Dogs in the moonlight
F Gm C
Far away my well-lit door
F
Mister Beerbelly Beerbelly
Gm C
Get these mutts away from me
F Gm C
I don't find this stuff amusing anymore
F C Bb
If you'll be my bodyguard
F C F C Bb F C F
I can be your long lost pal
C
I can call you Betty
Bb F C
And Betty when you call me
F C Bb F C F
You can call me Al
F C F
A man walks down the street
Gm F C
He says why am I short of attention
F C F
Got a short little span of attention
Gm F C F
And oh my nights are so long
C F
Where's my wife and family
Gm F C
What if I die here
F C F
Who'll be my role-model
Gm F C
Now that my role-model is
C
Gone Gone
Gm C
He ducked back down the alley
F Gm C
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
F
All along along
Gm C
There were incidents and accidents
F Gm C
There were hints and allegations
F C Bb
If you'll be my bodyguard
F C F C Bb F C F
I can be your long lost pal
C
I can call you Betty
Bb F C
And Betty when you call me
F C Bb F
You can call me Al
C F C Bb F C F C Bb F C F
Call me Al
F C F
A man walks down the street
Gm F C
It's a street in a strange world
F C F
Maybe it's the Third World
Gm F C F
Maybe it's his first time a-round
C F
Doesn't speak the language
Gm F C
He holds no currency
F C F
He is a foreign man
Gm F C F
He is surrounded by the sound
The sound
Gm C
Cattle in the marketplace
F Gm
Scatterlings and orphanages
C F
He looks around, around
Gm C
He sees angels in the architecture
F
Spinning in infinity
Gm C
He says Amen! and Halleluiah!
F C Bb
If you'll be my bodyguard
F C F C Bb F C F
I can be your long lost pal
C
I can call you Betty
Bb F C
And Betty when you call me
F C Bb F
You can call me Al
C F
Call me.
F C F Gm F C
Na na na na na na na na
F C F Gm F C F
Na na na na Na na na na na
F Gm C F Gm C
Hm, hm, hm hm
F Gm C F Gm C F Tacet Hm, hm, hm hm
F C Bb F C F C Bb F C
F C Bb F C F C Bb F C
Repeat and fade:
F C Bb F C F C Bb F C F
If you'll be my bodyguard
C Bb F C F C Bb F C F
I can call you Betty
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