’crippled inside’ ( unreleased take )
by john lennon from the “imagine” album ,
[ remastered ] 2010 & 2000 , originally recorded in 1971 .

url :
crippled inside ( unreleased take ) / john lennon

author’s note :
this version was borne out of the frustration of not finding an accurate tab
to match lennon’s twist on c&w music ’ . . . with a conscience” .
tab annotated by richard grosser ( grosserr@gmail . com )

tuning :
standard tuning .

chords :
eadgbe
C : 332010
C7 : 032310
F : 133211
F7 : 131211
A# : 113331
B : 224442
A : x02220
Am : x02210
Am7 : x02010
A7 : x02020
G : 320003
G7 : 320001
D7 : xx0212
G#7 : 464544
D#9 : 065666
C9 : x32330

( tempo adante 2/4 )

intro :
( slide guitar )
C G7 C G F C
F C7 F A# F C7 F G

verse 1 :
C C7
you can shine your shoes and wear a suit ,
F F7
you can comb your hair and look a quite cute .
C C B A# A
you can hide your face behind a smile .
A7 D7
one thing you can’t hide ,
G7 C
is when you’re crippled inside .

verse 2 :
C C7
you can wear a mask and paint your face ,
F F7
you can call yourself the human race .
C C B A# A
you can wear a collar and a tie .
A7 D7
one thing you can’t hide ,
C C B A# A
is when you’re crippled inside .

chorus :
A7 Am
well now you know ,
Am
that your cat has nine lives , babe .
D7 G7
nine lives to itself ,
C
you only got one ,
C Am7
and a dog’s life ain’t fun .
C G7 C
mamma take a look outside .

verse 3 :
C C7
you can go to church and sing a hymn ,
F F7
judge me by the colour of my skin .
C C B A# A
you can live a lie until you die .
A7 D7
one thing you can’t hide ,
C C B A# A
is when you’re crippled inside .

instrumental :
C
take it billy!
( honky – tonk piano solo )
C C7 F F7
C C B A# A
A7 D7 C
C B A# A

( repeat chorus )

( repeat verse 1 )
[ ’you can shine your shoes and wear . . . ’ inadvertently omitted ]

outro :
A7 D7
one thing you can’t hide ,
C B A# A
is when you’re crippled inside .

( slow 2/2 tempo )

A7 D7
one thing you can’t hide ,
G G7 C C7 F G#7 G7 D#9 C9
is when you’re crippled inside .
( end )

background :

comment from rolling stone :
“crippled inside” , imagine , 1971
lennon followed the opening peace anthem on his second album with this grenade
wrapped in rockabilly rhythm and prairie – saloon piano , with a slinky country – boy
solo on dobro by george harrison .
the chorus ’one thing you can’t hide , is when you’re crippled inside . ’ may have
been a slap at ex – bandmate paul mccartney
( who would get it full blast on side two , in ’how do you sleep?’ ) .
but when lennon wrote in the second person , he often did it staring into a mirror . ”