Chord/Tab song: The Undercover Man

Van der Graaf Generator - The Undercover Man
from the album Godbluff (1975).
Transcribed by Cory (coryp23@gmail.com), July 2010

[F#m] [F#] [sus] [E] [D] [C#m]

--2-----2-----4-----2-------|
--2-----2-----5-----3----5--|
--2-----4-----4-----2----6--|
--4-----4-----6-----0----6--|
-------------------------4--|
----------------------------|

[F#m]Here at the [F#sus]glass -
all the usual [F#m]problems, all the habitual [F#sus]farce.
[F#m]You ask, in uncertain [F#sus]voice,
what you should [F#m]do,
as if there were a [E]choice but to carry[D] on
miming the [C#m]song
and hope that it all works out[F#m] right.

Tonight it all seems so[F#sus] strange -
my spirit feels[F#m/A] rigid, my body[F#sus/G#] deranged;
still [F#m]that's only from one point of[F#sus] view
and we can't have il[F#m/A]lusion between me and[E] you,
my constant[D] friend, ever close at[C#m] hand -
you and the undercover[F#m] man.

[(E] [F#)E/G#] [B/D#]

---------0----------------|
---------0-------------4--|
---------1-------------4--|
---------2-------------4--|
-----------------------6--|
-0-2--4-------------------|

I re flect: 'It's very strange
to be going through this[D] change
with no idea of what it's [G]all been about

(E f G A b C#)Bb/D Bb b5

----------------------------| --------|
-------------------------3--| --3--3--|
-------------------------3--| --3--3--|
-------------------------3--| --3--2--|
--------------0--2----4--5--| --1--1--|
--0----1--3-----------------| --------|

(E f G A b C#)Bb/D
except in the context of time...'
Oh, but I [Bb]shirk it[b5], I've half a mind not to work it all [C]out.

[D] [C] [C#dim]

------------|
--7---5--5--|
--7---5--3--|
--7---5--5--|
--5---3--4--|
------------|

[D]Is this madness just the recurring [G]wave of total emo[A]tion,
or a[D] hide for the undercover [G]man,[A]
or a [D]litany - all the signs are [G]there of fervent devo[A]tion -

D C C Cmaj7 C C Cmaj7 f

----------------8--7------------8---7------5--|
-------7----5---5--5-----8------5---5------6--|
-------7----5---5--5-----9------5---5------5--|
-------7----5---5--5-----10-----5---5------7--|
-------5----3------------10-------------------|
-------------------------8--------------------|

or the cracking of the dam?

C Cmaj7 C C Cmaj7 f

[F#dim] [Adim] [Cdim] [Ebdim] [Em]

---------------------------------------------|
-----1-------4---7---------------10-------8--|
-----2-------5---8---------------11-------9--|
-----1-------4---7---------------10-------9--|
------------------------------------------7--|
-----2-------5---8---------------11----------|

It's cracked; smashed and bursting over you,
there was no [D]reason to expect such di[C]saster.

[b] [Em] [EmMaj7] [G/D] [A/Db]

-----7--| ---7--| --3-----5--|
-7---8--| ---8--| --3-----5--|
-8---9--| ---8--| --4-----6--|
-9------| ------| --5--------|
-9---7--| ---6--| --5-----4--|
-7------| ------| -----------|

[b]Now, [Em]panicking, you burst for air,
[EmMaj7]drowning, you know you care
[G/D]for nothing and no-one but yours[A/Db]elf
and would [G]deny even this hand
which stretches [Bm]out to[D]wards [A]you to [G]help.

[Gmaj7] [Cmaj7] [C] [b]

--------------------------------------------------------|
------------3-----------------5--------------5-------4--|
------------4-----------------4--------------5-------4--|
------------4-----------------5--------------5-------4--|
------------------------------3--------------3-------2--|
------------3-------------------------------------------|

But would I leave you in this moment of your trial?
Is it my fau[Gmaj7]lt that I'm [Cmaj7]here to see you [C]cry[b]ing?

[Am] [Am+] [Am]

------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------1------------1---------------------1--|
--------------------2------------2---------------------2----|
------------------2------------3---------------------2------|
--------------r-0----------r-0-------------------r-0--------|
------------------------------------------------------------|

These phantom figures all around you should have told you,
you should have [Am+]found out by [G]now,
if you hadn't gone and tried to do it all by you[C]rself.

[Ab] [Bb] [C]
[Db5] [D5] [Eb9]

-------------|
----------6--|
--6--7----6--|
--6--7----5--|
--4--5----6--|
-------------|

Sax solo over F minor riff

[(Db] Ev-[Eb)]en [E]now we are not[B/D#] lost: if you look out at the [D]night
you'll see the colours and the [G]lights seem to say
(E f G A Bb C)Bb/D Bb
people are not far a-way, at least in distance,
and it's [b5]only our own dumb resistance
that's making us[C] stay.

[D] [C] [C#dim]
[D]When the madness comes, let it flood on [G]down and over me swee[A]tly,
let it [D]drown the parts of me weak and blessed and [G]damned,[A]
let it [D]slake my life, let it take my [G]soul and living com[A]pletely,
let [D]it [C]be [C]who [Cmaj7]I [C]am.

[A]There may [D]not be time for us all to [G]run in tandem to[A]gether -
the [D]horizon calls with its parallel [G]lines.[A]
It may [D]not be right for you to have and [G]hold in one way for[A]ever
D C C Cmaj7 C C Cmaj7 f
and yet you still have time,

C Cmaj7 C C Cmaj7 f
you still have time.