Moonstone

Author: Leonard Latest revision: May 22, 2021
Author’s Notes: The classical influences in this almost Middle Eastern fiction, which is similar in tale to Aladdin’s lamp, are felt the clearest in the intro. Cat was having fun with lyrics and storylines at the time; that he lived right around the corner of the British Museum certainly had some influence here. The song is very upbeat and has the prescribed Decca big band sound en vogue at the time, but Cat’s composition and, to an extend, the song structure are actually more complex beneath the surface. The key change in the second chorus heightens suspense, and the song ends on a drawn-out outro. We have tried to adapt the song to a guitar playing style that would mirror Cat’s in theory.
Each guitar tab is the author’s own work and represents his or her own interpretation of the song.
Visitors may use the guitar tabs offered here only for private study, scholarship, or research.

                 
                      "Moonstone"
                     by Cat Stevens
                from the original album
                   NEW MASTERS (1967)

 
Standard tuning
(low to high) E-A-D-G-B-E
in 4/4 time


INTRO

           Eb/G               D/F#
E|-------|-3----------------|-2----------------|
B|-------|-4----------------|-3----------------|
G|-5-3---|-3----------------|-2----------------|
D|-----5-|-5----------------|-4----------------|
A|-------|------------------|------------------|
E|-------|------------------|------------------|

  G     Em     C     D      G     Em     C     D
| /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / |


VERSE 1

        G              Em                C      D
Well, first I have to tell you that I'm not in-sane,
          (D)           Am           Em/B    Em
And that once I was a famous archae-ologist name. During
    G           Em           C     D
A recent expe-dition in a distant land
          (D)           Am       Em/B         Em
I just happened to be passing my hand in the sand.


LINK

                     G!          D!       C          D
And then I stopped,     looked,     and then I was hooked.


CHORUS 1

          Em           Em+7           Em7   A
I saw a flash, then a sparkle from a moon-stone,
          C              D         B/A
Then the mist started, started to clear.
         Em     Em+7         Em7   A
I saw a face, a face in the moon-stone,
           C         D    Em   Em/B
Then it started to disap-pear.


VERSE 2

          G                    Em               C     D
Well, I walked and walked and never talked for many days,
         (D)                Am         Em/B    Em
And with-out a friend the desert is a lonely place.
       G             Em              C        D
I was just about to turn around and make way home when
   (D)             Am           Em/B      Em
Something told me that I had to see it a-gain.


REPEAT LINK & CHORUS 1.


BRIDGE

      Em    A   Em
A vu ray,___________
      Em    A   Em
a vu ray,___________
      G     C/G G C/G  B/A
a vu ray.___________________


INSTRUMENTAL

  Em   Em+7    Em7   A      C     D      B/A
| /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / |
  Em   Em+7    Em7   A      C     D      Em    C7
| /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / |


CHORUS 2

          Fm           Fm+7           Fm7  Bb/F
I saw a flash, then a sparkle from a moon-stone,
         Db/F            Eb/G       C7 
Then the mist started, started to clear.
         Fm     Fm+7         Fm7  Bb/F
I saw a face, a face in the moon-stone,
          Db/F      Eb/G  Fm
Then it started to disap-pear.


OUTRO

             Db/F      Eb/G   C7 
And then it started to disap-pear,
              Db/F   C7           Fm    Bbm/F   Fm
And then it started     to disap-pear.



CHORDS
======

 Eb/G    D/F#      G      D       Am
xx5343  xx4232  3x0003  xx0232  x02210
--RIMI  --RIMI  R----L  ---IMR  --MRI-

  Em     Em/B    Em+7    Em7     B/A
022000  x22000  021000  020000  x0444x
-MR---  -MR---  -MI---  -M----  --RRR-

   A       C      C/G     C7
x02220  332010  3x2013  x32310
--IMR-  RLM-I-  R-M-IL  -RMLI-

  Fm     Fm+7     Fm7    Bb/F    Db/F    Bbm/F
133111  132111  131111  xx333x  xx3121  xx3321
TRLIII  TRMIII  TRIIII  --RRR-  --RIMI  --RLMI


Chord fingering:      T = thumb                
                      I = index finger
                      M = middle finger
                      R = ring finger
                      L = little finger

Tablature notation:   h = hammer-on
                      p = pull-off
                      ~ = vibrato, or hold chord
                    [ ] = natural harmonic (Harm.)
                      / = legato slide (gliss) up the fret
                      \ = legato slide (gliss) down the fret
                      ! = accentuate part with great intensity
                      d = downward stroke
                      u = upward stroke

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