Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell - Borderline guitar tab

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Here's a song I fell in love with when I first heard it on Turbulent Indigo. I learned the chords from watching Joni's fingers on the PBS documentary on Troubadours of Folk Festival, where she first introduced the song. This is very classic Joni melody writing, on a par with Both Sides Now in its folk simplicity. The chords are not that exotic or jazzy, but there's a fluidity to the chord changes that really heightens the emotions of the lyrics - a Joni trademark!

As before, I have not included the right-hand fingering - it's best left to the individual player to flesh out. Select a tuning that best suits your voice (the fingering is the same for all three):

Tuning on Turbulent Indigo album: BF#BD#F#B (my guitar goes dead this low!)

Tuning on live performance: CGCEGC

Also can be played in DADF#AD

4/4

Borderline - Words & Music by Joni Mitchell

|---0---------------------|---0---------------------|--0---------------------|

|---0---------------------|---0---------------------|--0---------------------|

|---5---------------------|---1---------------------|--5---------------------|

|---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------|

|---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------|

|---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------|

|---0----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------|

|---0----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------|

|---1----------------------|-5-----------6-----------|---5-----------6--------|

|---2----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------|

|---2----------------------|-5-----------7-----------|---5-----------7--------|

|---2----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------|

Every - body looks so ill at ease so distrustful so dis-

|--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|--0-----------0---------|

|--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|-12----------13---------|

|--5----------------6-----|------6-----------------|-12----------13---------|

|--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|-12----------13---------|

|--5----------------7-----|------7-----------------|-12----------13---------|

|--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|--0-----------0---------|

pleased. Running down this table, I see a borderline. Like a barbed-wire

|--0------------0---------|---0------------0--------|---0-------------------|

|-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----0-------------------|

|-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----8-------------------|

|-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----9-------------------|

|-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----9-------------------|

|--0------------0---------|---0------------0--------|----9-------------------|

fence strung tight, strung tense, prickling with pretence, a borderline.

(slur):

|--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------|

|--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------|

|--7--------------8-------|--7-----------8---7-----|--7------------8----------|

|--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------|

|--7--------------9-------|--7-----------9---7-----|--7------------9----------|

|--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------|

Why are you smirking at your friend? Is this to be the night

|--0----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------|

|--0----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------|

|--8----------------------|---5--------6-----------|--5---------6-----------|

|--9----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------|

|--9----------------------|---5--------7-----------|--5---------7-----------|

|--9----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------|

when all well-wishing ends? All credibility re - voked? Thin skin, thick

|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------0------| etc. for remaining verses

|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------0------|

|---5---------6--------------|----6-----------5------|

|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------5------|

|---5---------7--------------|----7-----------5------|

|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------5------|

jokes! Can we blame it on the smoke, this sudden border - line?

Get this song at:  amazon.com sheetmusicplus.com

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