Bohemian Rhapsody

Words & Music:

Freddie Mercury

 

The "Queen" issue of Guitar Legends not only has a full transcription of this (including piano parts arranged for guitar), but a detailed article on the intricacies of playing the guitar parts for this song.

 

[a capella, but harmonized with the given chords]

Gm7                 C7

Is this real life?  Is this just fantasy?

F7                        Bb

Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.

Gm  [instruments enter here]         Bb7                 Eb  Ab  Eb

Open your eyes----------------, look up to the skies and see.

Cm                   F

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy because itÕs

B    Bb    A    Bb  B      Bb    A      Bb

Easy come, easy go, little high, little low.

Eb         Eb/D        C#dim7         F7/C                 Bb

Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me----, to me.

 

Bb           Gm                  Cm

Mama, I just killed a man, put a gun against his head,

                            F7

Pulled my trigger, now he's dead.

Bb             Gm              Cm                B+        Eb/Bb A  AbM7  Eb/G

Mama, life had just begun, but now I've gone and thrown it all away.

Eb    Bb/D Cm         Fm           E+  Ab/Eb Ddim

Mama, ooooooo, didn't mean to make you cry,

   Bb            Bb6       Bb7        Eb

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,

     Bb/D       Cm        Abm                Eb  Ab/Eb  Eb  Ebdim   Ebsus4   Bb

Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.

 

Too late, my time has come, send shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time.

Bb                Gm        Cm          G+5/B Eb/Bb  Adim  Abm7  Eb/G

Goodbye everybody, I've got to go, gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.

Eb    Bb/D    Cm    Fm          C/E    Ab/Eb    Ddim        Bb  Bb6   Bb7     Eb

Mama, oooooo, I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

 

INSTRUMENTAL OVER:

Eb    Bb/D    Cm    Fm    C/E    Ab/Eb     Ddim    Bb    Bb6    Bb7

Eb    Gm/D    Cm    Fm    C/E    Ab/Eb     Ddim    Db    Db/C    Db/B    Db/Bb

 

A [faster tempo, this is the staccato Òoperatic sectionÓ]

 

D/A     A    Adim    A    D/A   A    Adim

I------ see a little-- silhouetto of a man.

A    D/A     A    D/A      A          Adim    A D/A A

Scarmouche!  Scarmouche!  Will you do the fandango?

C#            G#/C    C/E          E/G#        A

Thunderbolt of lightning, very, very frightening me!


N.C.

Galileo!  (Galileo!)  Galileo! (Galileo!)  Galileo!  Figaro!    Mangnifico!  Oh, oh, oh!

 

B    Bb      A    Bb   B  Bb   A    Bb

I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me.

Ab/Eb  Eb     Eb¡  Eb     Ab/Eb  Eb    Eb¡ Eb

He's-- just a poor boy, from a-- poor family!

Ab          Eb/G        F7        Bb    Ab/Eb   Eb    Cdim    Bb7sus4b9

Spare him his life from this monstrosity

B      Bb     A    Bb  B       Bb        Bbdim

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?

Bb5   Eb   Bb5  Eb    Bb  Bb+  Bb7 Bb+    Bb

Bis---mil---lah!  No!  We will not let you go!  (Let him go!)

Bb5   Eb   Bb5  Eb    Bb  Bb+  Bb7 Bb+    Bb

Bis---mil---lah!  No!  We will not let you go!  (Let him go!)

Bb5   Eb   Bb5  Eb    Bb  Bb+  Bb7 Bb+    Bb

Bis---mil---lah!  No!  We will not let you go!  (Let him go!)

Bb    Bb+ Bb7    Bb+ Bb                   Bb+ Bb7 Bb+ Bb    F#7

Will not let you go!  Let me go!  Will not let you go! Let me go!  Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

 

Bm   A5   D    Db   Gb    Bb5 Eb5  N.C.                    Eb      Ab Eb        Bb

No!  No!  No!  No!  No!  No!  No!  Oh, Mamma Mia!  Mamma Mia!  Mamma Mia, let me go!

Bb Eb Ab        D7        Gm        Bb       Bb5      Bb    Bb7

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me!

 

[even faster tempo for the ÒWayneÕs World head banging sectionÓ]

Eb [3 measures]    F7 [1 measure]

 

Bb7       Eb/Bb        Bb            Eb        Bb    Db

So, you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.

So, you think you can love me and leave me to die.

Fm  Bb     Fm             Bb

Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby.

Fm7            Bb  Fm7            Bb       Eb       Bb7

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here.

 

Eb [3 measures]    F7 [1 measure]

 

[segue to the first section reprise, slowly]

Eb    Bb/D    Cm    G    Cm    G7    Cm    Bb7    Eb    D    Gm    Ab    Eb

 

Cm           Gm        Cm        Gm

Nothing really matters, anyone can see.

Cm           AbM    Ab/Bb        Eb          Ab/Eb    Eb

Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me

 

Ebdim        Bb/D    DbM13     C     Dbdim7    C    F

 

Bb   F            Fdim C7sus4    F

Anyway the wind blowsÉ

 





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