"Tell It Like It Is"
(Lee Diamond/George Davis)
[This is the arrangement from the original single (Parlo 101; #2, 1/67);
Aaron Neville made a much slower 1972 re-recording, which still appears
on far too many oldies comps. --AWR]
Intro
C+ (piano arpeggio)
Verse 1
[C7]/[G] [Gm] [C7]
If you want something to play with
[Gm] [C7] [F] [Fmaj7]/[C] [F6]
Go and find yourself a toy
[D7/F#] [C7]/[G] [Gm] [C7]
Baby my time is too expensive
[Gm] [C7] [F] [Fmaj7]/[C] [F6]
And I'm not a little boy
[Am] [Dm]
If you are serious
[Am] [Dm]
Don't play with my heart, it makes me furious
[Am] [Bb]
But if you want me to love you
[C] [Bb]/[C] [Am/C]
Then baby I will, girl you know I will
Verse 2
[C7]
Tell it like it is
Don't be ashamed to let your conscience be your guide
But I... know deep down inside of me
I believe you love me
Forget your foolish pride
Life is too short to have sorrow
We may be here today and gone tomorrow
You might as well get what you want
So go on and live, baby go on and live
Coda [repeat first half of verse 2]:
Tell it like it is
I'm nothing to play with
Go and find yourself a toy
But I... tell it like it is
My time is too expensive
And I'm not your little boy
Tell it like it is... [fade]
Notes:
1) The guitar part is mostly played in 6ths. Over the C7/G...Gm... etc.
progression it's:
1 1 1 1
xxx2x2 xxx0x0 xxx9x8 xxx9x8
want... some... with... your...
...; over the [F] [Fmaj7]/[C] [F6] [[D7/F#]] it's all
xxx5x5
since the C and A are common to all of the chords.
2) The D7/F# sounds like it might be F#dim, but careful listening reveals
a D (not a D#) in the right-hand piano voicing.
-- another ace 60's tab from Andrew Rogers
