Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

Lyrics and chords to "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople"

Ballad Of Mott (March 26th 1972 Zurich)

(Ian Hunter/Overend Watts/Mick Ralphs/Verden Allen/Dale Griffin)

& G C
& G C
& G G7 I changed my name in search of fame
& C G
To find the Midas touch
& Bm G G7
Oh I wish I'd never wanted then
& C G
What I want now twice as much
& G G7
We crossed the mighty oceans
& C G
And we had a few divides
& Bm G G7
But we never crossed emotion
& C G
For we felt too much inside
& D C
You know all the tales we tell
& Bm G You know the band so well
& G7 C D G C G
Still I feel, somehow, we let you down
& D C
We went off somewhere on the way
& Bm G G7
And now I see we have to pay
& C D C Bm Am G C
The rock'n'roll circus is in town
& G C
& G G7
Buffin lost his child-like dreams
& C G
And Mick lost his guitar
& Bm G G7
And Verden grew a line or two
& C G
And Overend's just a rock'n'roll star
& G G7
Behind these shades the visions fade
& C G
As I learn a thing or two
& Bm G G7
Oh but if I had my time again
& C G
You all know just what I'd do
& D C
Rock'n'roll's a loser's game
& Bm G G7
It mesmerises and I can't explain
& C D G C G
The reasons for the sights and for the sounds
& D C
We went off somewhere on the way
& Bm G G7
And now I see we have to pay
& C D C Bm Am G C
The rock'n'roll circus is in town
& G C
Guitar Solo:
& G G7 C G Bm G G7 C G
& G G7 C G Bm G G7 C G
& D C
So Rock'n'roll's a loser's game
& Bm G G7
It mesmerises and I can't explain
& C D G C G
The reasons for the sights and for the sounds
& D C
The greasepaint still sticks to my face
& Bm G G7
So what the hell, I can't erase
& C D C Bm Am G
The rock'n'roll feeling from my mind
& C Bm Am G until the end
From my mind...from my mind...from my mind
From my miiiiiind...from my miiiiind...from my miiiiiiiiind
From my miiiiiiiiiiiind

Notation

Lines starting with & indicate music; a letter indicates guitar chord; a letter with a slash and another letter indicates a guitar chord with a different bass note, eg Am/F#=Am chord with F# bass. Also the G7 chord seems to sound better when played like this: E A D G B E (strings) 3 2 3 O O 3 (frets)

Disclaimer

This transcription has been determined after careful listening to the track(s) in question, and is provided for educational purposes only. Due to the possibility of mis-hearing, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Copyright remains vested in the lawful copyright holders.

Credits

Transcribed by Steve Norgrove