Skip to content
FreeGuitarTabs

London's Brilliant Parade

Elvis Costello
Version1
90

Chords in this song

Strum
D-DU-UDU
, , , , , , , , ,  :| playtwice  flat5, , ,  flat 5
 Tabs for end of Bridge
X X X 3  2  3 Gm flat5
 X X X 3 3 3 Gm
 X X X 3 4 3 Eb
 X X X 3 5 3 Em flat 5
 VERSE , , , , , , ,  Fmaj, [Bm], [E], [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [G], [A], [D], F#maj, [Bm]
 Outside my window
 Not long before sleep arrives
 They come with their sirens
 And they sweep away all the boys
 Busy draining the joy from their lives
 They never said their prayers out loud
 And while I'm dreaming
 There's a passing motor car
 That broadcasts a popular song
 And a girl appears to be saying
 "Do you think that I'm going to go far?"
 Just look at me
 I'm having the time of my life
 Or something quite like it
 When I'm walking out and about
 In London's brilliant parade
 BRIDGE , , , , , , , , ,  :| play twice  flat5, , ,  flat 5
 (Tabbed at the top)
 she's one of those girls that you just can't place
 You feel guilty desiring such an innocent face
 But of course they knew that when they cast her
 Along with the red Routemaster
 And the film takes place in an MGB
 And a perfect re-creation of "The Speakeasy"
 Everybody looks happy and twisted
 Though she probably never existed
 For old times' sake
 Don't let me awake
 VERSE , , , , , , ,  Fmaj, [Bm], [E], [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [G], [A], [D], F#maj, [Bm]
 I wouldn't want you to walk across Hungerford Bridge
 Especially at twilight (slight pause)
 Looking through the bolts and the girders
 Into the water below
 You'll never find your answer there
 They sounded the "all-clear" in the occidental bazaar
 They used to call Oxford Street
 Now the bankrupt souls in the city
 Are finally tasting defeat
 SECOND CHORUS: , , , , , , , , , , ,
 Don't look at me
 I'm having the time of my life
 Or something quite like it
 When I'm walking out and about
 In London's brilliant parade
 When I'm walking out and about
 In London's brilliant parade
 VERSE , , , , , , ,  Fmaj, [Bm], [E], [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [G], [A], [D], F#maj, [Bm]
 From the gates of St. Mary's, there were horses in Olympia
 And a trolley bus in Fulham Broadway
 The lions and the tigers in Regents Park
 Couldn't pay their way
 And now they're not the only ones
 At the Hammersmith Palais
 In Kensington and Camden Town
 There's a part that I used to play;
 The lovely Diorama is really part of the drama, I'd say
 Repeat first Chorus
 Additionally there are 3 notes played at the beginning of this song and later after the
 2nd chorus which I have left out. Easy to find but they are in the ear of the listener
 and obscured a little by a cymbal.

Source: Songsterr · Rights holder? Request removal.

Readable chord sheet for London's Brilliant Parade by Elvis Costello

[A]  [C#m]  [D]  [A]  [C]  [A]  [D]  [F#maj]  [Bm]  [E]  [A]  [C#m]  [D]  [A]  [C]  [G]  [A]  [D]  [F#maj]  [Bm]

[F]  [Am]  [Dm]  [D7]  [Gm]  [C]  [Bb]  [F]

[Am], [D], [Am], [D], [G], [Bm], [Em], [G], [Bm], [Em] :| playtwice [Gm] flat5, [Gm], [Eb], [Em] flat 5
Tabs for end of Bridge
[E]X [A]X [D]X [G]3 [B] 2[E]  3 Gm flat5
X X X 3  3  3 Gm
X X X 3  4  3 Eb
X X X 3  5  3 Em flat 5

VERSE  [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [A], [D], F

Outside my window
Not long before sleep arrives
They come with their sirens
And they sweep away all the boys
Busy draining the joy from their lives
They never said their prayers out loud
And while I'm dreaming
There's a passing motor car
That broadcasts a popular song
And a girl appears to be saying
"Do you think that I'm going to go far?"

[F]  [Am]  [Dm]  [D7]  [Gm]  [C]  [Bb]  [F]

Just look at me
I'm having the time of my life
Or something quite like it
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade

BRIDGE [Am], [D], [Am], [D], [G], [Bm], [Em], [G], [Bm], [Em] :| play twice  [Gm] flat5, [Gm], [Eb], [Em] flat 5
(Tabbed at the top)

she's one of those girls that you just can't place
You feel guilty desiring such an innocent face
But of course they knew that when they cast her
Along with the red Routemaster
And the film takes place in an MGB
And a perfect re-creation of "The Speakeasy"
Everybody looks happy and twisted
Though she probably never existed
For old times' sake
Don't let me awake

VERSE  [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [A], [D], F

I wouldn't want you to walk across Hungerford Bridge
Especially at twilight  (slight pause)
Looking through the bolts and the girders
Into the water below
You'll never find your answer there
They sounded the "all-clear" in the occidental bazaar
They used to call Oxford Street
Now the bankrupt souls in the city
Are finally tasting defeat

SECOND CHORUS: [F], [Am], [Dm], [D7], [Gm], [C], [Bb], [F], [Gm], [C], [Bb], [F]

Don't look at me
I'm having the time of my life
Or something quite like it
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade
When I'm walking out and about
In London's brilliant parade

VERSE [A], [C#m], [D], [A], [C], [A], [D], F

From the gates of St. Mary's, there were horses in Olympia
And a trolley bus in Fulham Broadway
The lions and the tigers in Regents Park
Couldn't pay their way
And now they're not the only ones
At the Hammersmith Palais
In Kensington and Camden Town
There's a part that I used to play;
The lovely Diorama is really part of the drama, I'd say

Repeat first Chorus [2x]

Additionally there are 3 notes played at the beginning of this song and later after the
2nd chorus which I have left out. Easy to find but they are in the ear of the listener
and obscured a little by a cymbal.

More songs by Elvis Costello

Browse more →