This can be played strummed but sounds nice with just about any finger-picking pattern.
These are the chords in standard tuning, I believe he plays with a capo on the second
fret. After each verse he stops his finger-picking and plays a tiny pattern (I'll call it "riff")-
RIFF:
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||0-------0/1----0-----|
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||--------0------------|
||2--------------2-----|
||------3--------------|
G B C G
Rolled on out of Motown back in '91
G Em D7 D
Left them bitter winters for the Florida summer sun
G G7
Breakin' hearts in theme parks
C Cm G D7
G (riff)
Smiled for anyone who held a camera to my face and said "Say cheese!"
G B C G
Wound up on the telly With a twinkle in my eye
G Em D7 D
Twinkle disappeared the night I started gettin' high
G G7
And everything seemed so absurd
C Cm G
Until the night I finally heard the sound of Coltrane
D7 G (riff)
It brought me to my knees
CHORUS
D C
There's a long drive straight through the night
G D7
Starin' out the window Lookin' for the first signs of daylight
G C
Just hold on tight With all of your might
G D7 G (riff)
See it takes the time it takes to get it right
G B C G
So I peddled across the country Wound up here in Hollywood
G Em D7 D
Left my high school sweetheart when I realized I could
G G7
She became a movie star
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/t/tony_lucca/true_story_crd.html ]
C Cm G
D7 G (riff)
I've took to sleepin' in my car Still singin' songs about her to this day
G B C G
Drove myself to New York City Chasin' love again
G Em D7 D
She moved me to tears and then I wound up movin' in
G G7
That Apple got the best of me
C Cm G
D7 G (riff)
So I packed up the rest of me And I grabbed a cab, said "Straight to JFK!"
CHORUS
D C
There's a long drive straight through the night
G D7
Starin' out the window Lookin' for the first signs of daylight
G C
Just hold on tight With all of your might
G D7 G (riff)
See it takes the time it takes to get it right
G B C G
Now I'm back in Hollywood This guitar in my hand
G Em D7 D
These days I'm only using words that I can understand
G G7
Singin' songs, I'll carry on
C Cm G D7
G (riff)
Keep at it until I'm dead and gone Then maybe my gravestone will say
CHORUS
D C
There's a long drive straight through the night
G D7
Starin' out the window Lookin' for the first signs of daylight
G C
Just hold on tight With all of your might
G D7 G (riff)
See it takes the time it takes to get it right
G D7 G
See it takes the time it takes to get it right (Third time's the charm)
G D7 G (riff)
They say it takes the time it takes to get it right
First tab, so feel free to let me know if I made any mistakes!
