Elvis Costello
"Rocking Horse Road"
from the album Brutal Youth (1994)
This builds from and improves upon (I think) the version posted on the Elvis Costello wiki, credited to
Ben Greenstein and posted roughly ten million years ago
(link: http://www.elviscostello.info/guitar/by.html#rocking_horse_road).
The main changes are in the latter half of the bridge section and a bit of reformatting.
There may be some transitional chords missing or incorrect between some of the sections.
Any help or improvements welcome.
No capo, standard tuning.
Intro: G C D C (same pattern through the first part of the verses)
G C D C G C D C
The chains from the bridle and the reins fell from my hands
G C D C G C D C
The engines are idle and the ship sails on dry land
Em Bm Am Bm C
I stood there stupefied, I thought I recog-nized
C D
Walking down Rocking Horse Road, getting lost
G C D C
G C D C G C D C
Shot through Vaseline, he picks up the paper from the lawn
G C D C G C D C
And tucks the Suburban Assassin underneath his arm
Em Bm Am Bm C
He smiles weakly and turns away. I know I'll never come to harm
C D(? I don’t think this is right, but the bass makes it hard to figure)
Walking down Rocking Horse Road, it's so peaceful
F#m Bm
It's like a photograph
F#m Bm
From the other side of the world
Am Bm C
I said "I want you only"
Am Bm C
And then I left you alone
Am Bm C D (tacit)
Crying on Rocking Horse Road, or somewhere quite like it
[Louder] G C D C
G C D D
[Back to standard verse level] G C D C (x2)
G C D C G C D C
The cemetery gardens, there are names not numbers on the gateposts
G C D C G C D C
And the eyes in the curtain follow you like a smirking ghost
Em Bm Am Bm C
I know I must not look back, 'cause part of me is waiting still
C
There on Rocking Horse Road for you
Am
In a little dream house made for two
C D G C
Well you were the one who made your escape
C D G C
In your stocking feet and your sticky tape
[Outro and fade, repeating with variation:]
C D G C
All the way down...