The Undercover Man chords by Van Der Graaf Generator

Chords with lyrics

from the album Godbluff (1975).
Transcribed by Cory ([email protected]), July 2010

F# minorF#m  F#F# sus E MajorE   D MajorD  C# minorC#m
--2-----2-----4-----2-------|
--2-----2-----5-----3----5--|
--2-----4-----4-----2----6--|
--4-----4-----6-----0----6--|
-------------------------4--|
----------------------------|

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

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


[E MajorE F#F#]E/G#      B/D#B/D#
---------0----------------|
---------0-------------4--|
---------1-------------4--|
---------2-------------4--|
-----------------------6--|
-0-2--4-------------------|
 I re flect: 'It's very strange
            D MajorD
to be going through this change
             G+G
with no idea of what it's all been about

 [E MajorE  FF G+G  A augmentedA BB  C#C#]Bb/D     Bb majorBb B5B5
----------------------------|    --------|
-------------------------3--|    --3--3--|
-------------------------3--|    --3--3--|
-------------------------3--|    --3--2--|
--------------0--2----4--5--|    --1--1--|
--0----1--3-----------------|    --------|
 [E MajorE  FF G+G  A augmentedA BB  C#C#]Bb/D
except in the context of time...'
     Bb majorBb   B5B5                  C majorC
Oh, but I shirk it, I've half a mind not to work it all out.

 D MajorD  C majorC C#dimC#dim
------------|
--7---5--5--|
--7---5--3--|
--7---5--5--|
--5---3--4--|
------------|

D MajorD                 G+G        A augmentedA
Is this madness just the recurring wave of total emotion,
  D MajorD            G+G   A augmentedA
or a hide for the undercover man,
   D MajorD             G+G          A augmentedA
or a litany - all the signs are there of fervent devotion -

    D MajorD  C majorC  C majorC Cmaj7Cmaj7 C majorC   C majorC  Cmaj7Cmaj7 FF
----------------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 majorC Cmaj7Cmaj7 C majorC  C majorC Cmaj7Cmaj7 FF

   F#dimF#dim AdimAdim CdimCdim       EbdimEbdim  E minorEm
---------------------------------------------|
-----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,
       D MajorD            C majorC
there was no reason to expect such disaster.


BB  E minorEm  EmMaj7 G/DG/D  A/C#A/C#
-----7--| ---7--| --3-----5--|
-7---8--| ---8--| --3-----5--|
-8---9--| ---8--| --4-----6--|
-9------| ------| --5--------|
-9---7--| ---6--| --5-----4--|
-7------| ------| -----------|
BB  E minorEm
Now, panicking, you burst for air,
EmMaj7
drowning, you know you care
G/DG/D               A/C#A/C#
for nothing and no-one but yourself
     G+G
and would deny even this hand
        B minorBm  D MajorD   A augmentedA   G+G
which stretches out towards you to help.

      Gmaj7Gmaj7       Cmaj7Cmaj7     C majorC    BB
--------------------------------------------------------|
------------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?
      Gmaj7Gmaj7    Cmaj7Cmaj7      C majorC BB
Is it my fault that I'm here to see you crying?

       A minorAm      A minorAm+         A minorAm
------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------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,
        A minorAm+     G+G
you should have found out by now,
                        C majorC
if you hadn't gone and tried to do it all by yourself.

AbAb Bb majorBb C majorC

C#5C#5 D5D5  Eb9Eb9
-------------|
----------6--|
--6--7----6--|
--6--7----5--|
--4--5----6--|
-------------|

Sax solo over FF minor riff

[C#C# Eb MajorEb] E MajorE       B/D#B/D#             D MajorD
 Ev-en now we are not lost: if you look out at the night
                G+G
you'll see the colours and the lights seem to say
[E MajorE FF  G+G  A augmentedA  Bb majorBb C majorC]Bb/D       Bb majorBb
 people are not far a-way, at least in distance,
     B5B5
and it's only our own dumb resistance
        C majorC
that's making us stay.

D MajorD C majorC C#dimC#dim

D MajorD                    G+G          A augmentedA
When the madness comes, let it flood on down and over me sweetly,
    D MajorD                     G+G    A augmentedA
let it drown the parts of me weak and blessed and damned,
    D MajorD               G+G         A augmentedA
let it slake my life, let it take my soul and living completely,
  D MajorD C majorC C majorC  Cmaj7Cmaj7 C majorC
let it be who I   am.

A augmentedA     D MajorD             G+G        A augmentedA
There may not be time for us all to run in tandem together -
  D MajorD                G+G   A augmentedA
the horizon calls with its parallel lines.
    D MajorD                G+G         A augmentedA
It may not be right for you to have and hold in one way forever
  D MajorD  C majorC  C majorC   Cmaj7Cmaj7 C majorC    C majorC Cmaj7Cmaj7 FF
and yet you still have time,

  C majorC   Cmaj7Cmaj7 C majorC   C majorC Cmaj7Cmaj7 FF