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Borderline by Joni Mitchell

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0/5 ( votes)

Here's a song I fell in love with when I first heard it on Turbulent Indigo. I learned the chords from watching Joni's fingers on the PBS documentary on Troubadours of Folk Festival, where she first introduced the song. This is very classic Joni melody writing, on a par with Both Sides Now in its folk simplicity. The chords are not that exotic or jazzy, but there's a fluidity to the chord changes that really heightens the emotions of the lyrics - a Joni trademark!
As before, I have not included the right-hand fingering - it's best left to the individual player to flesh out. Select a tuning that best suits your voice (the fingering is the same for all three):
Tuning on Turbulent Indigo album: BF#BD#F#B (my guitar goes dead this low!)
Tuning on live performance: CGCEGC
Also can be played in DADF#AD

4/4

                                   Borderline - Words & Music by Joni Mitchell

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                                                     Every   -       body ...

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  -  pleased. ...

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 fence                               ...

                                                    
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        Why are ...


                             
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  when ...

  
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     jokes! ...