#----------------------------------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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
Old Friends ( Paul Simon )
from the Bookends album 1968
Transcribed by : Jean-Marc Orliaguet
( jmo@fy.chalmers.se, http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo )
Capo 4th fret
9/8 Fmaj7 Cmaj7 Fmaj7 Cmaj7
e-|--0--------------------------|--0--------------------------|
B-|--1--------0-----------------|--1--------0-----------------|
G-|--2--------0-----------------|--2--------0-----------------|
D-|--3--------2-----------------|--3--------2-----------------|
A-|-----------3-----------------|-----------3-----------------|
E-|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
Old friends Old friends
6/8 Dm7 G7 C C/B Am
e-|--------0-----1-----1--------------|--0--------------------------------|
B-|--3--------------------------------|--------------3-----1--------------|
G-|--------0-----2--------------------|--------0--------------------------|
D-|--3-----------------------------0--|--------------------------------2--|
A-|-----------------------------------|--3-----------2-----0--------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|
sat on their park bench like bookends A
G
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--0-----1-----3-----1-----0-----1--|--0--------------------------------|
G-|-----------------------------------|--------0--------------------------|
D-|-----------------------------------|--------------0--------------------|
A-|--------0-----2-----0-----2-----0--|-----------------------------------|
E-|--3--------------------------------|--3-----------------3-----1-----0--|
news - pa - per blown through the grass falls on the
Am Em/G
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--------------------1--------------|--------------------0--------------|
G-|--------------2--------------------|--------------0--------------------|
D-|--------2--------------------------|--------2--------------------------|
A-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|--3--------------------------------|
round toes of the high shoes of the
Fmaj7 Cmaj7 Cadd9
e-|--0--------------------------------|--0--------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--0-----------------3--------------|
G-|--2--strum----------0--strum-------|--0--strum----------0--strum-------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--2-----------------2--------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|--3-----------------3--------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Old friends
Fmaj7 Cmaj7 Dm7 G7
e-|--0--------------------------------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--3-----------------------0--------|
G-|--2-----------------0--------------|--------0-----2--------------------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|--------------------3-----------3--|
Old friends win - ter com - pa - nions the
9/8 Fmaj7 Em7 6/8 Dm7 G7
e-|--0--------0--------0--------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1--------3--------3--------|--3-----------------------3--------|
G-|--2--------0-strum--0-strum--|--------0-----2-----------------0--|
D-|--3--------2--------2--------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|-----------2--------2--------|-----------------------------------|
E-|-----------0--------0--------|--------------------3--------------|
old men Lost in their o - ver - coats
C C/B Am 9/8 Am
e-|--0--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B-|--------------3-----1--------------|--------------1-----------------|
G-|--------------------------2--------|----------2---------------------|
D-|--------2-----------------------2--|------2-------------------------|
A-|--3-----------2-----0--------------|--0-----------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------0--------|
wait - ing for the sun - set the
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/s/simon_and_garfunkel/old_tab.html ]
G 6/8 Am
e-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--0---1---3---1---0----------------|--------------1--------------------|
G-|-----------------------0-----------|--------2----------------------2---|
D-|-----------------------------0-----|-----------------------------------|
A-|------0---2---0--------------------|--0-----------------0--------------|
E-|--3---------------3-------3-----3--|-----------------------------------|
sounds of the city sifting through trees settle like
G F
e-|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B-|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G-|--------------------0--------------|--------------------2-------------|
D-|--------------0--------------------|--------------3-------------------|
A-|--------2--------------------------|--------3-------------------------|
E-|--3--------------------------------|--1-------------------------------|
dust on the shoulders of the
Fmaj7 Cmaj7
e-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------0--------------|--0--------------0-----------------|
G-|--2-----------------0--strum-------|--0--strum-------0--strum----------|
D-|--3-----------------2--------------|--2--------------2-----------------|
A-|--------------------3--------------|--3--------------3-----------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Old friends
Dm7 G7 C
e-|--------0-----1-----1-----0--------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--3-----------------------------3--|--0--------------------------------|
G-|--------0-----2--------------------|--0--------------------------------|
D-|--3--------------------------------|--2--------------------------------|
A-|--------------------------0-----2--|--3--------------------------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|
Can you i - ma - gine us years from to - day
F Fm Cmaj7
e-|-----------1-----------------1-------|--------------------0--------------|
B-|--------1-----1-----------1-----1----|--------------0-----------0--------|
G-|-----2-----------2-----1-----------1-|--------0-----------------------0--|
D-|--3-----------------3----------------|-----------------------------------|
A-|-------------------------------------|--3--------------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
sharing a park bench quietly how
Dm7 G7 Am
e-|--------0-----1--------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--3----------------(3)----0--------|--------------------1--3-----------|
G-|--2-----0-----2-----0--------------|--------------2--------------------|
D-|--3--------------------------------|--------2--------------------------|
A-|-----------------------------------|--0--------------------------------|
E-|--------------------3--------------|-----------------------------------|
ter - ri - bly strange to be seventy
9/8 Fmaj7 Cmaj7 6/8 Dm7 G7
e-|--0-----------------------------|--------0-----1-----1-----0--------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------------|--3-----------------------------3--|
G-|--2-----------0-----------------|--------0-----2--------------------|
D-|--3-----------2-----------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--------------3-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------|--------------------3--------------|
Old friends mem - o - ry bru - shes the
9/8 Am Em7 6/8 Dm7 G7
e-|--0-----------0-----------------|--------0-----1-----1--------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------|--3-----------------------0--------|
G-|--2--strum----0--strum----------|--------0-----2-----------------0--|
D-|--2-----------2-----------------|--3--------------------------------|
A-|--0-----------2-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E-|--------------0-----------------|--------------------3--------------|
same years si - lent - ly sha - ring the
C C/B Am Am
e-|--0--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B-|--------------3-----1--------------|--1-----------------1--------------|
G-|--------0-----------------2--------|--------2-----------------2--------|
D-|--------------------------------2--|--------------2-----------------2--|
A-|--3-----------2-----0--------------|--0-----------------0--------------|
E-|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
same fears
9/8 Fmaj7 Cmaj7
e-|--0-----------0-----------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------------|
G-|--2--strum----0--strum----------|
D-|--3-----------2-----------------|
A-|--------------3-----------------|
E-|--------------------------------|
to Bookends Theme ...
Lyrics :
Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
of the high shoes of the old friends
Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends
Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy
Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears
jmo@fy.chalmers.se http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo