The Circle Game - Joni Mitchell
Capo: Fret 4
Tuning: B, D G D G B D
Song: The circle game
Artist: Joni Mitchell
Composer: Joni Mitchell
Album: Ladies of the canyon
Tabbed by DJ 15th Aug 2021
1967 TV performance in album key of B:
(Capo at 4th fret)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD97f8VyDek
1966 performance, a semi-tone higher
in the Key of C (Capo at 5th fret):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s8vHSB1eRo
(Song starts approx. [0:35] into clip)
OPEN TUNING: D-G-D-G-B-D (Open G tuning)
Tune 6th string down to D
Tune 5th string down to G
4th, 3rd and 2nd strings stay as standard tuning
Tune 1st string down to D
IMPORTANT INFO:
Joni plays the Bm/F# and C major as OVERHAND barres,
as seen in the live videos in both the links above.
She adds an open string G chord just before the Bm/F#
CAPO at 4th fret
(Will then sound in the original key of B)
I would recommend using the voicings in the text
column numbers below.
Regarding the CHORD BOX DIAGRAMS please follow the
information at the bottom of the tab.
Chord names & fret positions are relative to the capo
Bm = x4403x C/G = x02010 D7sus4 = xx0210
Am7 = x2201x D7 = xx0214 Bm/F# = 444400
G = x00000 Am/D = xx0212 C = x55555
C/G * = x02012
Please take a second to swipe down to the bottom of
the page and select a star rating for my tab, thanks
=====================================================
[Intro]
| / / / / |
/ / / / |
/ / / / |
| / / / / |
/ / / / |
[Verse 1]
Yesterday a ch
ild came out t
o wonder------
--,
Caught a drago
n - fly...
Inside a jar--
-----------,
Fearful when t
he sky was ful
l of thunder,
And tearful at
the falling o
f a ...star--
/
------!
[Chorus]
And the season
s, they go 'ro
und and 'round
,
And the painte
d ponies go up
and down
We're cap
tive on the ca
*
rou- sel of ..
.time-----,
We can't ret
urn,
*
We can only
look be - hind
#
from where we
came,
And go 'round,
and 'round, a
nd 'round,
In the circle
...game-------
--!
[Verse 2]
Then the child
moved ten tim
es round the..
.
...Seas - ons
-----, s
kated over ten
clear...
Frozen streams
------------,
Words like, 'W
hen you're old
er' must ap -
pease him,
And promises o
f 'someday' ma
ke his ...dre
ams-------!
[Chorus]
And the season
s, they go 'ro
und and 'round
,
And the painte
d ponies go up
and down
We're capt
ive on the car
*
ou- sel of...t
ime-----,
We can't ret
urn,
*
We can only
look be - hind
#
from where we
came,
And go 'round,
and 'round, a
nd 'round,
In the circle
...game------
---!
[Verse 3]
Sixteen spring
s ...and sixte
en summers gon
e now-----,
Cartwheels tur
n to car wheel
s...
...Through th
e town--------
-----,
And they
tell him ..
.take your tim
e,
It won't be lo
/
ng now ...'til
you drag your
feet...
To slow the ci
r - cles ...d
own--------!
[Chorus]
And the season
s, they go 'ro
und and 'round
,
And the painte
d ponies go up
and down
We're capt
ive on the car
*
ou - sel of ..
.time-----,
We can't retur
n,
*
We can only
look be - hind
#
from where we
came,
And go 'round,
and 'round, a
nd 'round,
In the circle
...game-----
----!
[Verse 4]
So the years s
pin by,
And now the bo
y is ...twen -
ty------,
Though his dre
ams have lost
some grandeur.
..
...Coming true
-------,
There'll
be new d
reams,
Maybe, better
dreams ...
and plenty,
Be- fore the l
ast re- volvin
g year is ...t
hrough----!
[Chorus]
And the season
s, they go 'ro
und and 'round
,
And the painte
d ponies go up
and down
We're capt
ive on the car
*
ou- sel of...t
ime-----,
We can't ret
urn,
*
We can only
look be - hind
#
from where we
came,
And go 'round,
and 'round, a
nd 'round,
In the circle
...game-------
--!
[Coda]
And go 'round,
and 'round, a
nd 'round in t
he circle..
...game-----
--------------
--------------
----!
=====================================================
For the closest GUITAR chord box diagrams to my chord
legend suggestions you will need to manually select
the following options by clicking on the
forward/backward arrows below four of the diagrams.
All the other chord boxes should be the default
first option and don't need any reselecting. As long
as you are logged into your account, these choices
will be saved automatically for every time you view
this tab.
Bm Am7 C/G Bm/F#
<2 of 14> <14 of 33> <7 of 13> <6 of 25>
PLEASE NOTE:
The Bm actually needs an open 3rd string (the b6th of
the chord) but the site doesn't have that chord box
in it's database, so Bm this is the nearest option.
There are two inversions of the C/G (differentiated
by an asterisk in my chord legend) but unfortunately
there is no facility to save both variations as
chord boxes.