Calypso Tab

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
 <9401102148.AA10513@ucscb.UCSC.EDU>
To: jamesb@nevada.edu
Subject: /v/Suzanne.Vega/Calypso.tab
 
 
CALYPSO (Suzanne Vega)
----------------------
  I learned this from the book _The_Authentic_Guitar_Style_of_Suzanne_Vega_,
published by Cherry Lane Music.  No guitar-playing Suzanne Vega fan should
be without it.  Buy it; it's only $12.95, and it has very good transcriptions
of eleven songs from Suzanne's first two albums.  If your local music store
doesn't have it, do a special order or call Hal Leonard (Cherry Lane's
distributor) directly; that's how I got it.
 
 
TAB FOR INTRO AND FIRST VERSE:
 
[The second and third verses are slightly different; if you want to get it
 exactly right, just listen to the recording.]
[An]
[Accents are on the 1st, 4th, and 7th eighth notes of each measure; those are
 usually played by the thumb.  (In the recording, you can barely even hear the non-accented notes.)]
[Actually in G; capo at the 3rd fret.]
 
  E7                E7sus4           E7               E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|
G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|
A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|
E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
 
  E7                E7sus4           E7               E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --------------0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|
G ------1---1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D 0=2--------*2---|0-----------0---|----------------|------0---------|
A ----------------|------2---------|------2---------|2-----------2---|
E ----------------|----------------|0-----------0---|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
 
  E7                E7sus4           E7               E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|
G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|
A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|
E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
          My name is Calypso    and I  have lived alone
 
  E7                E7sus4           E7               E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B ----0-----0-----|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|
G ------1---------|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D 0=2---------0=2-|0-----------0---|----------------|------0---------|
A ----------------|------2---------|------2---------|2-----------2---|
E ----------------|----------------|0-----------0---|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
       I live on an island     and  I    'waken   to  the dawn
 
  A                A7/6sus4         A                A7/6sus4
E --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|
B ----2-----2-----|----3-----3-----|----2-----2-----|----3-----3-----|
G ------------2---|------0---------|------------2---|------0---------|
D ------2---------|4-----------4---|------2---------|4-----------4---|
A 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------|
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
A long    time ago,            I  watched him struggle with the sea
 
  E7                E7sus4           E7               E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|
G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|
A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|
E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
       I knew that he was drowning  and I brought him in   to  me
 
  Asus4            Asus4            A(4)             A(4)
E --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--------0-------|
B ----3-----3-----|----3-----3-----|----2-----2-----|----2-----2-----|
G ----------------|------2---------|------------2---|------2---------|
D ------0-----2---|0-----------0---|------0---------|0=2---------2---|
A 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------|
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
          Now today            come mor   -  ning    light,
 
  C                Cmaj7            F#m7(4)          F#m7(4)
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --1-----1-----1-|--0-----0-------|----------------|----------------|
G ----0-----0-----|----0-----0-----|----2-----2-----|----------2-----|
D ------2-----2---|------2---------|----------------|------2---------|
A 3---------------|3---------------|-----*2---------|0=2---------2---|
E ----------------|------------0---|2-----------0=2-|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
  he        sails away;    Af - ter       one              last
 
  E                E7sus4           E                E7sus4
E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|
G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|
D ------------2---|------0---------|------------2---|------0---------|
A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|2-----------2---|
E 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------|
  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .  ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
        night,             I        let him go.
 
LYRICS AND CHORDS:
 
[It's a judgement call as to whether the E7's are actually E's or E7's.
 And it doesn't really matter.]
[For the "I let him go" parts at the ends of the verses, play as many
 E - E7sus4 sequences as is necessary, using the picking pattern from
 the last two measures of the first verse.]
[Capo 3.]
 
E7  E7sus4  E7  E7sus4   E7  E7sus4  E7  E7sus4
[intro]
 
E7         E7sus4         E7             E7sus4
  My name is Calypso, and I have lived alone
E7              E7sus4     E7        E7sus4
  I live on an island, and I 'waken to the dawn
A           A7/6sus4   A                   A7/6sus4
Long time ago,       I watched him struggle with the sea
E7             E7sus4         E7                 E7sus4
  I knew that he was drowning, and I brought him in to me
Asus4    Asus4    A(4)    A(4)
  Now today, come morning light
C         Cmaj7     F#m7(4)   F#m7(4)    E      E7sus4  E          E7sus4
He sails away; after       one       last night,      I let him go
 
My name is Calypso; my garden overflows
Thick and wild and hidden is the sweetness there that grows
My hair, it blows long as I sing into the wind
I tell of nights where I could taste the salt on his skin
Salt of the waves and of tears
And though he pulled away, I kept him here for years
Now I let him go
 
[Guitar solo: same chords as one verse, but for all the E - E7sus4 parts,
 just play it like the "I let him go" parts at the end of the verses.]
 
My name is Calypso; I have let him go
In the dawn he sails away to be gone forever more
And the waves will take him in again, but he'll know their ways know
I will stand upon the shore with a clean heart and my song in the wind
The sand will sting my feet and the sky will burn
It's a lonely time ahead; I do not ask him to return; I let him go
I let him go
X