[Intro]
F6/9 Abdim7 Gm7 C7
[Verse]
F
Gather around, I've got a story to tell
C7
About a Manhattan lady that I know very well
She lives at five Riverside, her name is Shirley Devore
Dm7 G7 C7
And she travelled 'round the world to meet the guy next door
F
Well there was trouble inside apartment 29 E
C7
'Cause Shirley's mother and dad were as upset as can be
They said we hate to complain dear and we don't like to grouse
Dm7 G7 C7
But your nearly 32, you should get out of the house
[Chorus]
F Fmaj7 F6 F
You gotta ring them bells, you gotta ring them bells
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
You gotta make 'em sing and really ring them bells
A7 Dm
It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting-a-ling
Db+ F/C C7 F
You gotta ring them bells
[Bridge]
C7 Gm C7
[Verse]
F Fmaj7 F6 F
Well Shirley was 31, which she was loathe to admit
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
And she had never been loved, which didn't thrill her a bit
And so she sat and she thought, she thought for hours on end
Dm7 G7 C7
And said I'll go to Chase, Manhattan, where I got me a friend
F
And so she borrowed a thou' and called TWA
F Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
And told her mother and dad that she was up and away
I'm gonna travel the continent, a month, maybe two
Dm7 G7 C7
And haul me home a hus' if it's the last thing I do
[Chorus]
F Fmaj7 F6 F
You gotta ring them bells, you gotta ring them bells
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
You gotta make 'em sing and really ring them bells
A7 Dm
It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting-a-ling
Db+ F/C C7 F
You gotta ring them bells
[Bridge]
C7 Gm C7
[Verse]
F Fmaj7 F6 F
She met a Londoner first, but they did not hit it off
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
'Cause every time she approached he got a bronchial cough
And so she went to Madrid and met a handsome Señor
Dm7 G7 C7
But he liked to throw the bull and he was no matador
F Fmaj7 F6 F
She also bombed out in Brussells, in Mallorca and Rome
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
Til' someone said: "Try Dubrovnik, dear before you go home
'Cause it's the kind of a town where you'll be likely to fall
Dm7 G7 C7
And all the Toni Cognoscenti find the Balkans a ball"
[Chorus]
F Fmaj7 F6 F
You gotta ring them bells, you gotta ring them bells
Fmaj7 Gm7 C7
You gotta make 'em sing and really ring them bells
A7 Dm
It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting-a-ling
Db+ F/C C7 F
You gotta ring them bells
[Bridge]
C7 Gm C7
[Verse]
F
And so she went to Dubruvnik and the very first day
C7
She met a guy on the beach who took her reason away
Yes, it was love at first sight and quite a beautiful scene
Dm G7
She said, "My name is Shirl Devore", he said, "I'm Norm Saperstein"
Gb
She said, "Are you from New York", he said, "That can't be denied
Db7
I've got a swell junior three at number five, Riverside"
"Five? Five Riverside Drive in New York, that's where you live?"
Db/Ab
"That's, that's where I live, Five? Are you sure?"
Db7
As if that wasn't enough, pooor Shirley thought she'd gone deaf
Ebm Ab7 Db7
When he told her his apartment there was 29 F
Gb
Yes, she was 'E', he was 'F' and they had not even met
Db7
Until she traveled the world to Yugoslavia yet
He'd always been right next door and she would never have known
Ebm Ab7 Db7
If she hadn't tried Dubrovnik, she might still be alone
[Verse]
D7 Am7 D7 G Gmaj7 G6
Well, there's a moral to learn from little Shirley Devore
G Am7 D7
Who had to borrow a thou' to find a lover next door
You girls who live in apartments, don't just stare at the wall
Em A9 D7/F# Am7/E G#6m/D# D7
Open up the door and hurry out in the hall
[Chorus]
Eb7 Abdim Ab Abmaj7 Ab6 Abmaj7
And, oh, ring them bells, come on, come on, ring them bells
Ab6 Bbm7 Eb7
Make 'em sing, you'd better ring the bells
C7 Fm
It's such a happy thing to hear 'em ting a ling
[Outro]
Eb9 Bbm7/Eb Eb7 Bbm7/Eb Eb7
You gotta swing them, ring them
Eb9 Bbm7/Eb Eb7 Bbm7/Eb Eb7
Swing them, ring them
Ab Eb7sus
Bells