Elvis Costello - Imagination Chords & Tabs

#----------------------------------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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
This is just an update I did over the summer.
The original tab came from Aaron Yarlas, and thanks
is owed to J. Cooper and Paul Andersen as well.
Any corrections are welcomed, and if someone was
inclined to do a bass-tab, well that would be swell.
N-joy,    will.

Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)
words & music by Elvis Costello
from the Rykodisc rerelease of ?My Aim Is True?
Cleaned up by Will Lipchitz 

Intro (2x):

    Em       -      D            G     -    D

e---12-12-12-12-12-10------------7-7-7-7-7-10-|
B---12-12-12-12-12-10------------8-8-8-8-8-10-|
G---12-12-12-12-12-11------------7-7-7-7-7-11-|

          D                                                   G
So you're trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall
          D     F#m      Bm                 D     D7      G
She'll be out again this evening, when you come around to call
        D       F#m      Bm                D                 Bb
So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin' 'cross the floor
          D     F#m     Bm                  D         D7      G
The you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door
    D	     F#m    Bm			D			Bb
Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side
D            G
If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied
D  F#m  Bm          G        D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         F#m      Bm        	C          G
When you try to believe her just a little too much
D  F#m  Bm         G         D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         G         D            G          D
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch
       D                                           G
I see a look of recognition, so well hidden in your eye
         D		F#m	Bm			D	    D7   G
And your peepshow regulations, they just don't seem to apply,
		D	  F#m	   Bm			D		   Bb
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
	   D		 F#m	   Bm				D	  D7		G
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band
	D	F#m	 Bm				D			Bb
Oh, you can follow your dreams, oh but please don't lead me on,
D		 G
If you wanna bleed in my face, you were here and now you're gone
D  F#m  Bm          G        D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         F#m     Bm           	C          G
When you try to believe her just a little too much
D  F#m  Bm          G        D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         G         D            G          D
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch

(repeat intro and end on D)

From: schnitzi@east.isx.com (Mark J. Schnitzius)

Imagination (Is A Powerful Deceiver)
from the Rykodisc rerelease of My Aim Is True
tabbed by yarlas@cognet.ucla.edu (Aaron Yarlas)


Note: This is the way I play the song; his chords might actually be
different, but the basic sound and changes are the same.

Instr. Intro.:
D E
G A
D E
A E

          E                                                    A
So you're trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall
          E                                               A
She'll be out again this evening, when you come around to call
    E                                                       C
So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin' 'cross the floor
         E                                                     A
Then you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door
                                                      A
Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side
E            A                 D                A
If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied
E    A                       E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                   A               D          A
When you try to believe her just a little too much
E                            E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                   A           D           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch

D E
G A
D E
A E
        E                                           A
I see a look of recognition, so well hidden in your eye
         E                                               A
And your peepshow regulations, they just don't seem to apply,
      E                                                  C
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
        E                                                        A
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band
    E                                                       A
Oh, you can follow your dreams, oh but please don't lead me on,
E            A                 D                 A
If you wanna bleed in my face, you were here and now you're gone
E     A          D            E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                  A                 D         A
When you try to believe her just a little too much
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/e/elvis_costello/imagination_crd.html ]
E    A           D           E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                  A            D           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch
                  A            D           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch
                  A            D           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch

Note2: Some of the accents on the chords might be a little off; when I
converted
       the document, it messed up the format, and I don't have my guitar handy.

Enjoy!

>From owner-costello@gnu.ai.mit.edu Sun Jan 30 00:36:14 1994
 <199401300508.AA06969@cheetah.csl.uiuc.edu>
Subject: "Imagination" chords
To: costello@gnu.ai.mit.edu
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 1994 23:08:31 -0600 (CST)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL5]
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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Content-Length: 1792
Status: R

I hate to say this, and I don't want to sound ungrateful for someone's
efforts, but the chords listed for the song "Imagination..." are way, WAY
oversimplified.  If you had to play this song with just E, A, D, G, and C
chords, I suppose these versions would do...but the progressions are far more
involved than that.

***Example, posted version:

      E                                                  C
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
        E                                                        A
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band


***The way I hear it:

  A                        E                             C
Well, did I see you in the circus, in the ring without a hand
         G#m                C#m                 Bm       E7       A
Now you think that you can curse us, steal the show and stop the band


***Posted version:

E     A          D            E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                  A                 D         A
When you try to believe her just a little too much


E    A           D           E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
                  A            D           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch


***The way I hear it:

E B  C#m   E/B    A          E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         G#m      C#m              D           A
When you try to believe her just a little too much
G#m    C#m        A         E
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         A         E             A           E
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch


	There are far too many D chords in the posted version -- the only
time there's actually a D chord is in the chorus ("...a little too much"),
and I can't find a G chord in the whole song to save me.

>From owner-costello@gnu.ai.mit.edu Sat Feb  5 02:10:44 1994
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Date:    Fri, 04 Feb 94 22:37 PST
To: *Emotional Toothpaste*               
From: Paul AndersEn                        
Subject: "real" chords to Imagination
Status: R

After seeing a couple of posting regarding the chords to Imagination
I decided to try my hand at figuring them out because neither of the
versions I saw worked.  I don't know if the writers guitars were out
of tune or what, but they definately are not the chords that EC is
playing on the recording.  So at the risk of being severly flamed I
will post my version of the chords.  I don't think they are perfect
by any means, but if you play these chords along with the recording
at least it will sound like the same song.

          D                                                   G
So you're trying to make connection, you heard whispers in the hall
          D     F#m      Bm                 D     Dm      G
She'll be out again this evening, when you come around to call
        D       F#m      Bm                D                 A#
So, you dodge the lady-killer, who came creepin' 'cross the floor
          D     F#m     Bm                  D         Dm      G
The you caught up in a whirlwind, you got blown right out the door
                   D                                   A#
Oh, yes it was a whirlwind, sweet romance was on your side
D                            G
If you wanna dance on my face, you must tell me why you lied
D  F#m  Bm          G        D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         F#m       Bm              C          G
When you try to believe her just a little too much
D  F#m  Bm         G         D
Imagination is a powerful deceiver
         G         D            G          D
I'll go out of my mind, if I'm losing your touch


Then the second part is the same as the first, except for the ending.
The weird thing about this song is that while it sounds like it doesn't
flow right on the recording, when you are playing and singing the tune
it sounds perfect, and it's tons of fun to play.  If these chords work
for you, experiment with adding in the bass line, you will find that
much of the bass line can be played without having to use alternate
fingerings for the chords.

Enjoy

Paul Andersen