#----------------------------------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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
Here's a song I fell in love with when I first heard it on Turbulent Indigo. I learned the chords from
Joni's fingers on the PBS documentary on Troubadours of Folk Festival, where she first introduced the song.
is very classic Joni melody writing, on a par with Both Sides Now in its folk simplicity. The chords are not that exotic or jazzy, but there's a fluidity to the chord changes that really heightens the emotions of
lyrics - a Joni trademark!
As before, I have not included the right-hand fingering - it's best left to the individual player to flesh
Select a tuning that best suits your voice (the fingering is the same for all three):
Tuning on Turbulent Indigo album: BF#BD#F#B (my guitar goes dead this low!)
Tuning on live performance: CGCEGC
Also can be played in DADF#AD
4/4
Borderline - Words & Music by Joni Mitchell
|---0---------------------|---0---------------------|--0---------------------||---0---------------------|---0---------------------|--0---------------------||---5---------------------|---1---------------------|--5---------------------||---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------||---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------||---5---------------------|---2---------------------|--5---------------------|
|---0----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------||---0----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------||---1----------------------|-5-----------6-----------|---5-----------6--------||---2----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------||---2----------------------|-5-----------7-----------|---5-----------7--------||---2----------------------|-5-----------5-----------|---5-----------5--------| Every - body looks so ill at ease so distrustful so dis-
|--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|--0-----------0---------||--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|-12----------13---------||--5----------------6-----|------6-----------------|-12----------13---------||--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|-12----------13---------||--5----------------7-----|------7-----------------|-12----------13---------||--5----------------5-----|------0-----------------|--0-----------0---------| pleased. Running down this table, I see a borderline. Like a barbed-wire
|--0------------0---------|---0------------0--------|---0----------------------||-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----0----------------------||-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----8----------------------||-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----9----------------------||-12-----------13---------|--12----------13--------|----9----------------------||--0------------0---------|---0------------0--------|----9---------------------| fence strung tight, strung tense, prickling with pretence, a borderline.
(slur):|--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------||--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------||--7--------------8-------|--7-----------8---7-----|--7------------8----------||--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------||--7--------------9-------|--7-----------9---7-----|--7------------9----------||--7--------------7-------|--7-----------7---7-----|--7------------7----------| Why are you smirking at your friend? this to be the night
|--0----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------||--0----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------||--8----------------------|---5--------6-----------|--5---------6-----------||--9----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------||--9----------------------|---5--------7-----------|--5---------7-----------||--9----------------------|---5--------5-----------|--5---------5-----------| when all well-wishing ends? All credibility re - voked? Thin skin, thick
|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------0------| etc. for remaining verses|---5---------5--------------|----0-----------0------||---5---------6--------------|----6-----------5------||---5---------5--------------|----0-----------5------||---5---------7--------------|----7-----------5------||---5---------5--------------|----0-----------5------| jokes! Can we blame it on the smoke, this sudden border - line?
