#--------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship or research.#
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------#

Song title:      Help Me
Original Album:  Court and Spark

Words and Music by Joni Mitchell
Copyright © 1974 Crazy Crow Music USA
Published by Sony ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited

Transcribed by Gavin Chart (contactus@gartfrets.net)


NOTES:
This transcription assumes that you're a solo guitar and voice and is arranged
with that in mind. This is a classic song from JM's beautiful, jazz-tinged album...
There are lots of jazz rhythms to Joni's vocal, here, so listen to how she sings.

Tuning is Open Dmaj7: (DADF#AC#), a variant of Open D.
C# is the major seventh of the D major scale, hence the name.
It makes all those major seventh chords so much easier to play...


INTRO:
Notes:
The INTRO on Court and Spark is taken quickly: all quavers (eighth-notes).
But I would encourage you to find your own version of this.
I've tried to transcribe something for acoustic guitar.

Chords:
E7(add6)sus4   770500


[play: Guitar Figure 1]  [x2]

Guitar Figure 1

 E7(add6)sus4
|-----0---0-0---------0-0-0---0--|-----0---0-0---------0-0-0---0--|
|-----0---0-0---------0-0-0---0--|-----0---0-0---------0-0-0---0--|
|-----5---5-5---------5-5-5---5--|-----5---5-5---------5-5-5---5--|
|---------0-0-0-------0-0-0---0--|---------0-0-0-------0-0-0---0--|
|-7-----------7------------------|-7-----------7------------------|
|-7-----------7------------------|-7-----------7------------------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


VERSE1:
Chords:
A        777778    Cmaj7    10 10 10 10 10 10
A11      220100    Bbmaj7   888888
Gmaj7    555555    Amaj7    777777
Fmaj7    333333    A(add11) 002300

A            A11               Gmaj7
  Help me, I think I'm falling   in love again.
                                 Fmaj7
When I get that crazy feeling, I know I'm in trouble again,
I'm in trouble, 'cause you're a ramblin' and a gamblin'
and a sweet-talking ladies man,

        Cmaj7     Gmaj7
And you love your lovin',

                  Bbmaj7 Amaj7 Fmaj7 A(add11)
Not like you love your   free - ee - dom.


INSTRUMENTAL LINK:

/ - slide

1
 Bbmaj7                           Fmaj7
|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|
|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|
|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|
|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|
|-8-------8-------------------8--|-3-------3-------------------3--|
|-8-------8-------------------8--|-3-------3-------------------3--|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


3
 Fmaj7                                 G           A
|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|-----6-6-6---6-/-8---8---8------|
|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-3-------3---3-3-3---3-------3--|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-3-------3-------------------3--|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-3-------3-------------------3--|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


5
      G           A                    G           A
|-----6-6-6---6-/-8---8---8------|-----6-6-6---6-/-8---8---8------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


                                  VERSE2:
7
  A                                A              A11
|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|-8-------8---8---0-------0------|
|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|-7-------7---7---0-------0------|
|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|-7-------7---7---1-------1------|
|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|-7-------7---7---0-------0------|
|-7-------7-------------------7--|-7-------7-------2-------2------|
|-7-------7-------------------7--|-7-------7-------2-------2------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|

                                       Help me, I  think I'm falling...

VERSE2:
Help me, I think I'm falling in love too fast.
It's got me hoping for the future,
And worrying about the past,
'Cause I've seen some hot, hot blazes come down in smoking ash.
We love our lovin', not like we love our freedom.


[repeat INSTRUMENTAL LINK]


BRIDGE:
Notes:
The guitar figure is measures 4-8 of the INSTRUMENTAL LINK.

Chords:
Gmaj7    555555
Fmaj7    333333
G+11     023100

    Gmaj7
Oh, didn't it feel good, just sitting there talking,
Or lying there not talking, didn't it feel good?

    Fmaj7
You danced with the lady with a hole in her stocking.
                                    G+11
Didn't it feel good? Didn't it feel good?
                     Gmaj7
Didn't it feel good?   Didn't it feel good?
G+11                   Gmaj7
  Didn't it feel good?   Didn't it feel good?


[play guitar figure:]

      G           A                    G           A
|-----6-6-6---6-/-8---8---8------|-----5-5-5---5-/-8---8---8------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


      G           A
|-----6-6-6---6-/-8---8---8------|-8-------8---8-8-8---8-------8--|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-7-------7---7-7-7---7-------7--|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-7-------7-------------------7--|
|-----5-5-5---5-/-7---7---7------|-7-------7-------------------7--|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|


VERSE3:
  A              A11
|-8---------------0-------0------|
|-7---------------0-------0------|
|-7---------------1-------1------|
|-7---------------0-------0------|
|-7---------------2-------2------|
|-7---------------2-------2------|

| 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & -|

  Help me,     I  think I'm falling...


VERSE:
Help me, I think I'm falling in love with you,
Are you going to make me go there by myself?
That's such a lonely thing to do.
Both of us flirting around, flirting, and flirting, hurting, too.
Not like we love our freedom.


OUTRO:

[repeat INSTRUMENTAL LINK measures 1-7 (i.e. Bbmaj7  Fmaj7  G A  G A  G A)]

[end on A]