Sara Bareilles - Once upon another time
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Strumming
Capo: 5
Tuning: E A D G B E
Song: Once Upon Another Time
Key: G
Original key: D
Fret: 5
Explanation: let me clear the air a bit for you. Once Upon Another Time is, actually, an acapella song for the
first half of it, and then gets somehow synthetized by... something. What I did instead was take the line that
the voice does, and transcribe somehwat of a tab around that. Which is what musicians usually do when they
write chords (it's very rare to hear a person singing a note that's not in the chord, and even then you
can always modify the chord to make it sound better).
Now you can obviously just sing it acapella or simplify the chords, whatever you like, but I do feel like
it could use a bit of, idk, color.
As for the bass-notes: it is IMPERATIVE that you only play G (except for when it is specified not to, at the
end of the first and last chorus–that would be the F#–). The whole point of this song is to give off a feeling
of detachment, which is amplified by the ever so meagre, for lack of better words, accompaniment. Thus,
to communicate this very emotion it's really important that you stick to the G. I would suggest maybe
simplifying the chords in favour of keeping the G, as the result may be better. But it's all down to you.
Enjoy,
Naonis
N.B.: if you wanna sing it I highly suggest playing G instead of G5 because the line starts at B and when I
had to sing it I was basically lost. So yeah, stick to the G (or at least have some kind of B sound in it).
[Verse]
G5Once upon another time, somebody's hands whoC5/G felt like mine
Cmaj7/GTurned the key and D6/Gtook a drivD7/Ge, was frEm9/Gee Em7/G
G5Highway curve, the sun sank low, Buckley on C5/Gthe radio
Cmaj7/GCigarette was buD6/GrningD7/G slow, so breaEm9/Gthe Em7/G
[Chorus]
Just yD11/Gellow lines and tEm7/Gire marks
And Am7/Gsun-kissed skin andF#m7b5/G handle bars
And wGmaj9here I stood was where I waG6s toC6/G be-eCmaj7/Ge-ee C/G
No enD11/Gemies to caEm7/Gll my own
No pAm7/Gorch light on to puF#m7b5/Gll me home
And wGmaj9here I was is beG6autiful
BGsus2ecause I wD/F#as frG5ee...
G5Mmh...
[Verse]
G5Once upon another time, before I knew which lC5/Gife was mine
BCmaj7/Gefore I left the D6/GchildD7/G behind Em9/Gme Cmaj7/G
IG5 saw myself in summer nights, and stars lit up like caC5/Gndle light
I mCmaj7/Gake my wish but D6/GmostlD7/Gy I beEm9/Glieved Cmaj7/G
[Chorus]
InD11/G yellow lines and tirEm7/Ge marks
SunC6/G-kissed skin andF#m7b5/G handle bars
And wG9here I stood was wG6here I was to C6/Gbe Cm7/G
Gmaj9Once upon anothG6er time
Am7/GDecided nothing F#m7b5/Ggood in dying
So I woG7uld just keep oG6n driving
C6/GBecause ICm6/G was frGmaj7ee-ee-ee
So, you can even do it like this if you wanna personalise it a bit:
C6/G Cm6b5/F# Gmaj7
Because I was free-ee-ee
I haven't worked out yet if it actually sounds good or not... do tell me.
[Outro]
MG5mh... mC7/Gmh...G