Bluebird – Paul McCartney and Wings

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Written by: Paul and Linda McCartney

From: "Band on the Run" (1973)

Tabbed by: maguri

Tuning: Standard / D-G-C-F-A-d

For the version on the album all the strings are tuned down to D-G-C-F-A-d
and the song, actually in Gm, is played in Am. It is worth taking the
effort as it really sounds "right", especially the "Blackbird"-y link in
verse 4. I added the chords for this original, retuned version below. On
the live album "Wings Over America", the band uses the standard tuning and
still plays in Am – one of the rare occasions a live version is actually
played in a higher key than the original, when most people would rather
play it safe and choose a lower key as to not strain their voices on tour.
McCartney, however, knew he could sing it anyway and obviously considered
the voicings of the chords more important than the actual key.

If you don't want to retune and still want to play the song in its
original key without breaking your fingers playing barree throughout, use
a capo 3rd fret and play it like this:

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tuning: standard
capo: 3rd fret
play: Em
key: Gm

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CHORDS

E-A-D-G-B-e
G6 3-x-0-0-0-0
F6 1-3-x-1-3-1
Cmaj7 x-3-2-0-0-0
Am/G 3-x-2-2-1-0
E7sus4/B x-2-0-2-0-0 (basically a Bm7 but the impression is that of
a suspended E7 chord)

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VERSE 1
Em
Late at night when the wind is still
Dm G6
I'll come flying through your door,
Dm G
And you'll know what love is for

CHORUS
Cmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
 F6
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Cmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird,
F6
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah

VERSE 2
Em
Touch your lips with a magic kiss
Dm G6
And you'll be a bluebird too,
Dm G
And you'll know what love can do

CHORUS
Cmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
F6
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Cmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird,
F6
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah

MIDDLE 8
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
F Cmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

VERSE 3
Em
Fly away through the midnight air
Dm G6
As we head across the sea,
Dm G
And at last we will be free

CHORUS
Cmaj7
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird
F6
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Cmaj7
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird,
F6
You're a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
MIDDLE 8
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
F Cmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

SOLO (saxophone)

| Em | Em | Dm | G6 |

Dm G
(At last we will be free)
Cmaj7 F6
(Bluebird you and me)
Cmaj7 F6
(At last we will be free)

MIDDLE 8
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
F Cmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

VERSE 4
Em
All alone on a desert island
Dm G6
We're living in the trees,
Dm G
And we're flying in the breeze

CHORUS (variation + link)

Cmaj7
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
Am F [break]
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds

[Am G F E]
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
e|----------------|
B|1---0-----------|
G|--------2---1---|
D|----------------|
A|0---------------|
E|----3---1---0---|
[Singing ...]

CODA
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Singing bluebird, bluebird, Ah ha/bluebird
Am Am/G E7sus4/B E7
Bluebird, bluebird, Ah ha/bluebird
F Cmaj7
Bluebird, bluebird, bluebi---rd

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Version 2 with original chords

tuning: one full note down (D-G-C-F-A-d)

capo: -
play: Am
key: Gm

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CHORDS

[D-G-C-F-A-d]
C6 x-3-5-5-5-5 or
x-3-2-2-1-0
Fmaj7 (t)1-3-3-2-1-0
Bb6 x-1-3-3-3-3
Dm/C x-3-x-2-3-1
A7sus4/E x-x-2-0-3-0 (basically a Em7 but the impression is that of
a suspended A7 chord)

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VERSE 1
Am
Late at night when the wind is still
Gm C6
I'll come flying through your door,
Gm C
And you'll know what love is for

CHORUS
Fmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
Bb6
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird,
Bb6
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah

VERSE 2
Am
Touch your lips with a magic kiss
Gm C6
And you'll be a bluebird too,
Gm C
And you'll know what love can do
CHORUS
Fmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
Bb6
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fmaj7
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird,
Bb6
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah

MIDDLE 8
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Bb Fmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

VERSE 3
Am
Fly away through the midnight air
Gm C6
As we head across the sea,
Gm C
And at last we will be free

CHORUS
Fmaj7
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird
Bb6
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fmaj7
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird,
Bb6
You're a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah

MIDDLE 8
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Bb Fmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

SOLO (saxophone)

| Am | Am | Gm | C6 |

Gm C
(At last we will be free)
Fmaj7 Bb6
(Bluebird you and me)
Fmaj7 Bb6
(At last we will be free)

MIDDLE 8
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird (Bluebird) Ah ha,
Bb Fmaj7
Bluebird (Bluebi---rd)

VERSE 4
Am
All alone on a desert island
Gm C6
We're living in the trees,
Gm C
And we're flying in the breeze

CHORUS (variation + link)

Fmaj7
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
Dm Bb [break]
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds

e|----------------|
B|6---5---3---2---|
G|----------------|
D|----------------|
A|5---3---1---0---|
E|----------------|
[Singing ...]

CODA
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Singing bluebird, bluebird, Ah ha/bluebird
Dm Dm/C A7sus4/E A7
Bluebird, bluebird, Ah ha/bluebird
Bb Fmaj7
Bluebird, bluebird, bluebi---rd