How Long Has This Been Going On?

Words & Music by Ira & George Gershwin
Recorded by Rosemary Clooney, 1987
From the 1927 Broadway Musical "Rosalie"


G6      Em7  Am7    D+5
I could cry  salty tears -- 

G6         G7     CM7       CM7/6
Where have I been all these years? 

G     G/F# Em7  CM7     Am7
Lit - tle  wow, tell me now,

     C        Am       D9   D+5  G
How long has this been go - ing on? 


 G6         Em7   Am7    D+5
There were chills up my spine, 

G6         G7      CM7    CM7/6
And some thrills I can't define;

G     G/F#  Em7  CM7  Am7
List - en, sweet, I repeat,  

     C        Am       D9   D+5 G
How long has this been go - ing on? 



Bridge:


CM7    FM7     CM7      FM7
Oh, I feel that I could melt; 

CM7   Dm7   G7   CM7
Into heaven I'm hurled. 

Em     Em+7  Em7     Em6
I know how Columbus felt 

 Am      Am+7     D7
Finding another world. 


G6       Em7   Am7       D+5
Kiss me once, then once more; 

G6      G7     CM7  CM7/6
What a dunce I was before. 

G   G/F# Em7       CM7     Am7
What a  break, for heaven's sake, 

     C        Am       D9   D+5  G
How long has this been go - ing on? 


Repeat Bridge:


G6       Em7       Am7      D+5
Kiss me twice and then once more -- 

G6           G7          CM7    CM7/6
That makes thrice, let's make it four. 

G   G/F# Em7       C        D7
What a  break, for heaven's sake, 

     C        Am       D9   D+5    G
How long has this been go - ing?

     C       Am       Cdim   D7    G
How long has this been go - ing.

As good a lyricist as Ira Gershwin was, it's difficult to believe that the settled for a nonsense rhyme of "little wow, listen now" -- and in the very first verse, for Heaven's sake!

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.