Old Friends/Bookends

Words & Music:

Paul Simon

 

GM7 DM7      GM7 DM7     Em7          A7              D       Bm

Old friends, old friends sat on their park bench like bookends.

  Em7                         A                  Bm

A newspaper blown through the grass falls on the round toes

       DM7               G   D6      GM7     DM7

Of the high shoes of the old friends.

 

Old friends, winter companions the old men.

Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset.

The sounds of the city sifting through trees

Settle like dust on the shoulders of the old friends.

 

Em7      A7        DM7

Can you imagine us years from today,

G         Gm         D

Sharing a park bench quietly?

    Em7      A7            Bm

How terribly strange to be seventy.

 

GM7 DM7

Old friends.

Em7    A7          GM7  DM7

Memory brushes the same years.

Em7      A7          D6   Bm     GM7    DM7    GM7    DM7

Silently sharing the same fears.

 

Em                                   D

Time it was and what it is, it was...

D         G                      D

A time of innocence -- a time of confidences.

Em                                 D

Long ago... it must be... I have a photograph.

D             Em        G                  D

Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you.

 

Bookends tab by Sam Bowman

 

4-----0--1--|-----0--1--|-----0--1--|-----0--1--|--0--------|

C--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|-----1-----|

A-----0--2--|-----0--2--|-----0--2--|-----0--2--|--0-----0--|

P--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|-----2-----|

O-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------3--|

4-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

 

4-----0-----|-----------|-----------------|--0--------|-----------|

C--1-----1--|--3--1-----|-----1-----3--1--|-----1-----|--1--------|

A-----0-----|--------2--|-----------------|--0-----0--|-----------|

P--2-----2--|--3--3-----|--3-----3--------|-----2-----|--2--------|

O-----------|--------3--|-----------------|--------3--|-----------|

4-----------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|

 

4-----0--1--|-----0--1--|-----0--1--|-----0--1--|--0--------|

C--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|-----1-----|

A-----0--2--|-----0--2--|-----0--2--|-----0--2--|--0-----0--|

P--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|--3--------|-----2-----|

O-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|--------3--|

4-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

 

4-----0-----|-----------|-----------------|--0--------|-----------|

C--1-----1--|--3--1-----|-----1-----3--1--|-----1-----|--------1--|

A-----0-----|--------2--|-----------------|--0--------|-----0-----|

P--2-----2--|--3--3-----|--3-----3--------|-----2-----|--2-----2--|

O-----------|--------3--|-----------------|-----------|-----3-----|

4-----------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|--3--------|

 

Repeat for verses...

 

Time it was and what a time it was it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences.

Long ago it must be, I have a photograph.

Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you...

 

Begin again with new fourth measure...

 

4-----0-h1-p0-----|

C--3-----------3--|

A-----0-h2-p0-----|

P--3-----------3--|

O-----------------|

4-----------------|

 

Play to end...