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Sultans of Swing

Dire Straits

 

/ Dm - - - / - - - - / - - - - / - - - - /

/ - - - - / - - - - / - - - - / - - - - /

 

               Dm                              C (½)            Bb (½)         A (2)

You get a shiver in the dark, it's a-raining in the park but meantime

Dm                                      C (½)           Bb (½)       A (2)

    South of the river you stop and you hold, everything

F (2)                                               C (2)

   A band is blowing Dixie, double four time

Bb (2)

   You feel all right when you hear that music ring

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

                    Dm                        C (½)      Bb (½)       A (2)

Well now you step inside but you don't see too many faces

Dm                                  C (½)              Bb (½) A (2)

     Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down

F (2)                                  C (2)

      Competition in other places

Bb (2)

    Oh, but the horns, they blowing that sound

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /                    

                                        Way on down south, way on down south, London town

 

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

                    Dm                C (½)  Bb (½)       A (2)

You check out guitar George              he knows all the chords

Dm                                        C (½)                Bb (½)       A (2)

    Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing

F (2)                                   C (2)

    Yes, and an old guitar is all he can afford

Bb (2)

    When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

Dm                          C (½) Bb (½)         A (2)

    And Harry doesn't mind  if he doesn't    make the scene

Dm                            C (½)      Bb (½)  A (2)

     He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright

F (2)                                               C (2)

    He can play the honky tonk like anything

Bb (2)

    Saving it up for Friday night

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /                    

                                       With the Sultans,       with the Sultans of Swing

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

          Dm                                     C (½)        Bb (½)        A (2)

And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner

Dm                                             C (½)                       Bb (½)      A (2)

   Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles

F (2)                                               C (2)

   They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band

Bb (2)

     It ain't what they call rock and roll

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /                    

                                       And the Sultans,         yeah the Sultans, they played Creole, Creole

 

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

Solo 1: / Dm - - - / C - Bb - / A - - - / - - - - /

            / Dm - - - / C - Bb - / A - - - / - - - - /

            / F - - - / - - - - / C - - - / - - - - / Bb - - - / - - - - /

            / Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /                    

 

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

Dm                                     C (½)      Bb (½)       A (2)

     And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone

Dm                      C (½)            Bb (½)    A (2)

     And says at last, just as the time bell rings

F (2)                             C (2)

   Goodnight, now it's time to go home

Bb (2)

    And he makes it fast with one more thing

 

/ Dm - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - (Bb) - / C - - - / - - - - /                    

                                       We are the Sultans,     we are the Sultans of Swing

 

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

Solo 2: / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

            / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

            / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

Meedlies: / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

                / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

                / Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

 

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) - - - / C - - - / - - - - /

/ Dm - - (C) / (Bb) (hold)

 

Cues: (rest), Bb (staccato), Bb (staccato), C (hold)

 

End on cue

This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.