Begin the Beguine

Words & Music by Cole Porter, 1935
Recorded by Artie Shaw, 1936



A           A6    AM7   A6         A    A6  AM7   A6
When they begin             the beguine,

      A              A6   AM7   A6         E7
It brings back the sound     of music so tender,

     Bm           Bm7      Bm         Bm7
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,

     Bm7-5        E7    E7sus4   E7      A9    A
It brings back a memory            ever green.


A                  A6  AM7  A6          A    A6    AM7   A6
I'm with you once more      under the stars,

     A           AM7   F#m7               E7
And down by the shore,     an orchestra's playing;

            E7     Bm7-5  E7        D
And even the palms      seem to be swaying

E7       E7sus4  E7        A     A6   AM7   A6
When they begin     the beguine.


Bridge:

    Am           D7                G
To live it again    is past all endeavor

   Gm             C7               FM7    F
Except when that tune clutches my heart,

    Cdim         Dm                    E     F
And there we are,  swearing to love forever,

                E   Dm7        E    E7
And promising never, never to part.


                 A   A6  AM7        A6       A    A6  AM7   A6
What moments divine,         what rapture serene,

      A                      A7                   E7
Til clouds came along to disperse the joy we had tasted;

     Dm                                               Bm7-5
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,

                E7  Bm7-5  E7           A9    A
I know but too well          what they mean.



E7        A6             AM7        A6
So don't let them begin     the beguine,

E7         A                  A6             E7
Let  the love that was once a fire remain an ember;

        D                     Bm7           C#m7-5  F#m
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only re - mem - ber

Bm7-5        E7 Bm7-5  E7       A    A6
When they begin          the beguine.



E7        A                    A6                A     AM7  A6
Oh, yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play,

E7        A                      A6     AM7    E7
Til  the stars that were there before return above you,

         D                 Bm7    C#m7-5          F#7
Til you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you."

        Bm7                     Bm7-5
And we suddenly know . . .what heaven we're in

             E7        A    Am7
When they begin the beguine,

Bm7             Dm6  E7       A    A6  AM7   A6   A
When they begin        the beguine.





 
The lyric and guitar chord transcriptions on this site are the work of The Guitarguy and are intended for private study, research, or educational purposes only. Individual transcriptions are inspired by and and based upon the recorded versions cited, but are not necessarily exact replications of those recorded versions.