I learned this from the book _The_Authentic_Guitar_Style_of_Suzanne_Vega_,
published by Cherry Lane Music. No guitar-playing Suzanne Vega fan should
be without it. Buy it; it's only $12.95, and it has very good transcriptions
of eleven songs from Suzanne's first two albums. If your local music store
doesn't have it, do a special order or call Hal Leonard (Cherry Lane's
distributor) directly; that's how I got it.
TAB FOR INTRO AND FIRST VERSE:
[The second and third verses are slightly different; if you want to get it
exactly right, just listen to the recording.]
[An equal sign (=) is a hammer-on; *2 means quickly hammer-on from 0 to 2.]
[Accents are on the 1st, 4th, and 7th eighth notes of each measure; those are
usually played by the thumb. (In the recording, you can barely even hear
the non-accented notes.)]
[Actually in G; capo at the 3rd fret.]
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --------------0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|G ------1---1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D 0=2--------*2---|0-----------0---|----------------|------0---------|A ----------------|------2---------|------2---------|2-----------2---|E ----------------|----------------|0-----------0---|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ .
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . My name is Calypso and I have lived alone
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B ----0-----0-----|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|G ------1---------|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D 0=2---------0=2-|0-----------0---|----------------|------0---------|A ----------------|------2---------|------2---------|2-----------2---|E ----------------|----------------|0-----------0---|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . I live on an island and I 'waken to the dawn
A A7/6sus4 A A7/6sus4E --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|B ----2-----2-----|----3-----3-----|----2-----2-----|----3-----3-----|G ------------2---|------0---------|------------2---|------0---------|D ------2---------|4-----------4---|------2---------|4-----------4---|A 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------|E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . A long time ago, I watched him struggle with the sea
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-------|--0-----0-----0-|G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D ----------------|------0---------|2-----------0=2-|0-----------0---|A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|------2---------|E 0-----------0---|----------------|----------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . I knew that he was drowning and I brought him in to me
Asus4 Asus4 A(4) A(4)E --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--------0-------|B ----3-----3-----|----3-----3-----|----2-----2-----|----2-----2-----|G ----------------|------2---------|------------2---|------2---------|D ------0-----2---|0-----------0---|------0---------|0=2---------2---|A 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------|E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . Now today come mor - ning light,
C Cmaj7 F#m7(4) F#m7(4)E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --1-----1-----1-|--0-----0-------|----------------|----------------|G ----0-----0-----|----0-----0-----|----2-----2-----|----------2-----|D ------2-----2---|------2---------|----------------|------2---------|A 3---------------|3---------------|-----*2---------|0=2---------2---|E ----------------|------------0---|2-----------0=2-|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . he sails away; Af - ter one last
E E7sus4 E E7sus4E ----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|B --0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|--0-----0-----0-|G ----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|----1-----1-----|----2-----2-----|D ------------2---|------0---------|------------2---|------0---------|A ------2---------|2-----------2---|------2---------|2-----------2---|E 0---------------|----------------|0---------------|----------------| ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . ^ . night, I let him go.
LYRICS AND CHORDS:
[It's a judgement call as to whether the E7's are actually E's or E7's.
And it doesn't really matter.]
[For the "I let him go" parts at the ends of the verses, play as many
E - E7sus4 sequences as is necessary, using the picking pattern from
the last two measures of the first verse.]
[Capo 3.]
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4
[intro]
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4
My name is Calypso, and I have lived alone
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4
I live on an island, and I 'waken to the dawn
A A7/6sus4 A A7/6sus4
Long time ago, I watched him struggle with the sea
E7 E7sus4 E7 E7sus4
I knew that he was drowning, and I brought him in to me
Asus4 Asus4 A(4) A(4)
Now today, come morning light
C Cmaj7 F#m7(4) F#m7(4) E E7sus4 E E7sus4
He sails away; after one last night, I let him go
My name is Calypso; my garden overflows
Thick and wild and hidden is the sweetness there that grows
My hair, it blows long as I sing into the wind
I tell of nights where I could taste the salt on his skin
Salt of the waves and of tears
And though he pulled away, I kept him here for years
Now I let him go
[Guitar solo: same chords as one verse, but for all the E - E7sus4 parts,
just play it like the "I let him go" parts at the end of the verses.]
My name is Calypso; I have let him go
In the dawn he sails away to be gone forever more
And the waves will take him in again, but he'll know their ways know
I will stand upon the shore with a clean heart and my song in the wind
The sand will sting my feet and the sky will burn
It's a lonely time ahead; I do not ask him to return; I let him go
I let him go
