Cage The Songbird by Elton John guitar tab (text):

Song : Cage The Songbird

Artist : Elton John

Album : Blue Moves

Tabber : prsinthismutha (all rights reserved) 



This is one of the most underrated guitar songs of all time.  

Elton John’s Blue Moves is stated by Bernie Taupin as being 

one of his somberest, most heartfealt lyrical ventures to 

date.This song would be impossible to tab out completely (as 

I don’t have time and it would take forever to add all the 

little fills and variations). For the most part a simple 

travis picking technique suffices quiet well in evoking the 

form and sound of the song.  It is played in a very James 

Taylor-esque manner (see Taylor’s Something in The Way She 

Moves as an example of the style) which I guess could be 

catagorized as using various spontaneous hammer on’s, pull 

off’s, and chord additions.  I have added a chord chart at the

bottom for various chord options used.  Use standard chords 

throughout the song unless otherwise indicated.



The most intriguing and difficult to discover part of the song is 

the twelve string E Major run that ends the chorus, transitioning 

back into the verse.  This is labelled in the tab as E*.  This is 

the fill that is used at the end of the chorus and during the 

pre-verse.  I am one hundred percent that it is correct.

It is a simple finger pickering model using variations of 7th chords

and a E Major scale (formed vocally following Ray Mi Fa So La Ti Do)



E  ------------------------------------------------------0------------------

B  -----0--------------2------------------3----------------------0----------

G  -----------------------------1------------------------1------------------

D  ------------2--------------------------2---------------------------------

A  --------------------2--------------------------2-------------------------

E  -----0-------------------------------------------------------------------



This run goes directly back into an A Major chord, which transforms back into the verse.



VERSE :



A              G1           D                                     A                 E

Sober in the morning light, things look so much different…to how they looked last night 



A                           G               D                                           

A pale face pressed to an unmade bed Like flags of many nations 

      

A

flying high above her head. 





PRE – CHORUS :



A                E                 E/F#m     G2                     D

The cellophane still on the flowers......the telegram still in her hand 



A                          G          D                               A

As whispers circulate all day….their back-stage baby princess passed away 



CHORUS :



            C#m         G#m            Bm             F#m

And you can cage the songbird, but you can't make her sing 



            C#m           G#m              Bm               F#m

And you can trap the free bird, but you'll have to clip her wings 



E                                                         D2                           E*

Cause she'll soar like a hawk when she flies, But she'll dive like an eagle when she dies





VERSE (same chords and pattern as verse one) :



Promises of no more lies, fell flat upon an empty stage before the audience arrived.

A return in time to the cheaper seats she never knew what lay beneath 

Just a dated handbill they found between the sheets 



PRE- CHORUS (same as earlier pre chorus) :



Let down before the final curtain, a shallow heart that left her cold 

She left in rouge upon the mirror, a circled kiss to the faithful fans who'd miss her



BACK TO CHORUS :



Alternate Chord Voicings :



      G1          G2        D2

 E   --x--      --x--     --0--

 B   --3--      --0--     --3--

 G   --2--      --0--     --0--

 D   --0--      --0--     --0--

 A   --x--      --0--     --x--

 E   --3--      --3--     --x--



If you have any changes or suggestions feel free to email me.

                                                          - Kellen Barrett (prsinthismutha)