Postcards of Scarborough | Fool In The Night

Probably Michael Chapman's most well known song. The original version was recorded on Fully Qualified Survivor in 1970 with a lovely Paul Buckmaster string arrangement. That version has surfaced on various collections down the years. There's a live version, without the strings but similar in feel, on the BBC sessions CD. A gentler version appears on Still Making Rain released in 1993.

The song has a couple of private jokes in it. The Harbour is a fish and chip shop. Paradise is a street in Scarborough, just "Paradise" not "Paradise Street, Avenue or Lane"

click to visit map showing location of paradise in Scarborough

[Capo on 2nd fret] F6 [1 x 3 2 3 1] Theres a little twiddle on the D chord at the ends of the verses, indicated by the D6/4 below. Listen to the records to get the timing but you just switch between a normal D and D6 [x 0 0 2 3 3] and D4 [x 0 0 2 3 0] Intro - I'm not going to attempt to transcribe Michael's finger-picking Intro. It's starts out as the chords of the verse after that you're on your own ;-) In the verse you need to flat-pick out the bass run G, F#, F, E from the first 4 chords. G D F6 E Two postcards of Scarborough just to keep in my mind Am C D D6/4 To hide away up there and help me remind G C D D6/4 Myself of time past and time passing G D F6 E I went down to the harbour just to catch a bite to eat Am C D D6/4 Boats along the quayside and seagulls round my feet G C D D6/4 Remind me of when we were there together Em Bm The food was so tasteless Em Bm And the wine was so stale Em Bm I looked in the mirror Em D6/4 And my face was so pale G C D D6/4 Not like when we were there together G D F6 E I took a walk up to Paradise like we did before Am C D D6/4 But there's nothing there like Paradise to me anymore G C D D6/4 Not since we've been there together G D F6 E I sleep in the same room and the walls they are so white Am C D D6/4 But there's nothing there to warm me in the cool of the night G C D D6/4 Not like when we were here together. Em Bm The food it is so tasteless Em Bm And the wine is so stale Em Bm I look in the mirror Em D6/4 And my face is so pale G C D D6/4 Not like when we here there together G D F6 E Two postcards of Scarborough just to keep in my mind Am C D D6/4 To hide away up there and help me remind G C D D6/4 Myself of time past and time passing G C D D6/4 Myself of time past and time passing G C D D6/4 time past and time passing G C D D6/4 G C D Em time passing [Note the chords on "The food is tasteless" sections are not what's on the records, they should be Am + Em instead of Bm + Em]

Transcribed by:Graeme Morrell & Dave Artus

While playing the F6, I found it effective to play [1 x 3 2 3 0] - whatever chord that is [!] - not replacing the F6 shown, but introducing it just before dropping into the E.

Herb Finnegan.

chord is'A-major-seventh-played-up-a-fret-with-your-thumb-on-F'

Allan.

Fool in the Night | Postcards Of Scarborough

Michael Chapman

A typical recent Chapman song. Gentle riff that grabs you and won't let go. First recorded as solo acoustic on Still Making Rain in 1993, another version in 1997 on the excellent Dreaming Out Loud, this time with an aching electric solo at the end.

What I've called D/E below is actually a C shape moved up
two frets to give a smashing suspension [5 5 4 0 3 0]

The Em/F# [0 2 4 0 0 0] is essential in the riff but 
I tend to use it in place of the standard Em as the
fancy takes me.

Intro riff
                                       Em/
   Cmj7+   +   +     D/E +   +   +     F#  +   +   +       
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :--------0--------|-----------------|------------0----|
D :----2------------|--------4--------|--------4--------|
A :--3--------------|----5------------|----2------------|
E :3----------------|5----------------|0----------------|

Repeat that a few times then hit the verse. Use the riff
either picked or strummed at any point you feel like it!


        G   D        Em     G     D            Em 
I could lie here for hours,  just watching you sleep
             G   D    Em       Cmaj7    D/E       Em 
But I've got too many memories I can't afford to keep
{riff picked}
C       D/E       Em 


        G       D            Em              G         D              Em 
I could share a silence with you, till I got scared of what you might say
         G       D       Em       Cmaj7    D/E     Em 
The very thing I held so dear you went and gave it away
        Cmaj7   D/E    Em 
To some fool    in the night
Cmaj7       D/E       Em 


G     D            Em                G         D        Em 
Maybe I was flying high, perhaps you thought I needed a fall
       G      D             Em             Cmaj7    D/E     Em 
What I needed   was already mine until you went and gave it all
        Cmaj7  D/E    Em 
To some fool   in the night

G         D             Em    G          D        Em 
I was two hundred miles away, what was I thinking of
G     D         Em            Cmaj7      D/E     Em 
Was I just make believe while you were making love
        Cmaj7  D/E    Em 
To your fool   in the night

        G   D        Em     G     D            Em 
I could lie here for hours,  just watching you sleep
         G       D       Em      Cmaj7     D/E     Em 
But I've got too many memories I can't afford to keep
        Cmaj7 D/E    Em 
Of your fool  in the night
        Cmaj7   D/E    Em 
   your fool   in the night

               Cmaj7  D/E    Em 
I want be your fool   in the night
                      Cmaj7    D/E    Em 
Please let me be your fool     in the night








Transcribed by:Graeme Morrell & Dave Artus

Guitar related links

Dave Artus has a website with other transcriptions of guitar pieces his site

Andy Roberts plays Wrecked Again & Postcards of Scarborough

A video (it isn't Michael playing) on open tuning pieces for guitar and at least three of the pieces are Michael's pieces if not his playing click here to visit

you are here: www.michaelchapman.co.uk/tablature

page updated 05/06