Steven Hull's Ozark Mountain Daredevils Site presents:  

Dear Prudence

The Beatles
The White Album, 1968
(John Lennon & Paul McCartney)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Chords, Guitar Tablature & Lyrics
____________________________________________________________________________________

I'm going to show you the chords & tab, and a couple of hints - you can take it from there.
Warning: this song uses a "drop D" tuning - see below.

By the way, I interpreted these chords from listening to the recording.
I did not use any other written music as an aid in writing the tab presented on this page.

____________________________________________________________________________________

(INTRO)
(fingerpick)


D C/D D Am/D G/D Am/D D7(sus4) D D/C D/B D/Bb
1 |--14-----12-----10-----8-----7-----5-----3-----3-----2-----2-----2-----2---
2 |--15-----13-----10----10-----8-----5-----1-----1-----3-----3-----3-----3---
3 |--14-----12-----11-----9-----7-----5-----2-----2-----2-----0-----0-----0---
4 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0---
5 |-----------------------------------------------------------3-----2-----1---
6 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0---
Dear


D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Prudence, won't you come out to play


D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day


D D/C D/B D/Bb
The sun is up the sky is blue it's beautiful and so are you


D D/C C G/B D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?




D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, open up your eyes


D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies


D D/C D/B D/Bb
The wind is low the birds will sing that you are part of everything


D D/C C G D Dsus4 D5 Dsus4
Dear Prudence, won't you open up you eyes?




D Dsus4 D5 Dsus4
Look around round (round round round round round round)


D Dsus4 D5 Dsus4
Look around round round (round round round round round round)


F Ab G D D/C D/B D/Bb
Look around




D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, let me see you smile


D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, like a little child


D D/C D/B D/Bb
The clouds will be a daisy chain so let me see you smile again

(strum chords from here on)
D D/C C G/B D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence won't you let me see you smile?




D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play


D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B D/Bb
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day


D D/C D/B D/Bb
The sun is up the sky is blue it's beautiful and so are you


D D/C C G/B D
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?



(ENDING)
(fingerpick)   

D C/D D Am/D G/D Am/D D7(sus4) D D/C D/B D/Bb D D/C D/B etc...(fade out)
1 |--14-----12-----10-----8-----7-----5-----3-----3-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-
2 |--15-----13-----10----10-----8-----5-----1-----1-----3-----3-----3-----3-----3-
3 |--14-----12-----11-----9-----7-----5-----2-----2-----2-----0-----0-----0-----2-
4 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-
5 |-----------------------------------------------------------3-----2-----1-------
6 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0-

 ___________________________________________________________________________________

TIPS

"Drop D" tuning is used in this song.

You must tune the bottom (6th) string down one step so that it sounds like the 4th string.

________________________________

Intro

To play the intro, put your fingers in the following positions, then pick as demonstrated
below these chords. For the D D/C D/B D/Bb chords see the part below where it says
during song
(the pickin' is a little different for these four chords).

     D     C/D     D    Am/D  G/D   Am/D   D7(sus4)  D  D/C  D/B  D/Bb
1 |--14-----12-----10-----8-----7-----5-----3-----3--
2 |--15-----13-----10----10-----8-----5-----1-----1--
3 |--14-----12-----11-----9-----7-----5-----2-----2--
4 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--
5 |--------------------------------------------------
6 |---0------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--



D C/D D Am/D
1 |-----14--------------- --12--------------- --10--------------- ---8---------------
2 |--15--------15-----15- ---------13-----13- ---------10-----10- ---------10-----10-
3 |---------14----------- ------12----------- ------11----------- -------9-----------
4 |-------------------0-- ----------------0-- ----------------0-- ----------------0--
5 |-----------------0---- --------------0---- --------------0---- --------------0----
6 |------0--------0------ ---0--------0------ ---0--------0------ ---0--------0------

2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T



G/D Am/D D7(sus4) D7(sus4)
1 |------7--------------- ---5--------------- ---3--------------- ---3---------------
2 |------------8------8-- ---------5------5-- ----------1------1- ----------1------1-
3 |----------7----------- ------5------------ ------2------------ ------2-----------
4 |-------------------0-- ----------------0-- ----------------0-- ----------------0--
5 |-----------------0---- --------------0---- --------------0---- --------------0----
6 |------0--------0------ ---0--------0------ ---0--------0------ ---0--------0------

3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

 

1 = first finger

2 = second finger

3 = third finger

T = thumb

________________________________

 

During song

Fingerpick the D, D/C, D/B, and D/Bb chords as in the following.

Use the chord fingerings that I have shown below in the chords section.

Be careful here - this pickin' is a little different than the intro - the thumb doesn't jump as many strings.

      D                   D/C                  D/B                 D/Bb 
1 |---2----------------- --2----------------- --2----------------- --2--------------
2 |----------------3---- ---------------3---- ---------------3---- ---------------3-
3 |--------2------------ -------0------------ -------0------------ -------0---------
4 |------0---------0---- -----0---------0---- -----0---------0---- -----0---------0-
5 |--------------0------ --3----------3------ --2----------2------ --1----------1---
6 |---0--------0-------- -----------0-------- -----------0-------- -----------0-----

3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

 

Also, use this same finger pickin pattern for all other chords until you get to the ending.

________________________________

 

Ending

The ending is played exactly like the intro except that you can add a little
hammer to some of the final four chords (these also can be used during the song):

      D                   D/C                  D/B                 D/Bb 
1 |---2----------------- --2------------2h3-- --2----------------- --2------------2h3-
2 |----------------3---- -------------------- ---------------3---- -------------------
3 |--------2------------ -------0------------ -------0------------ -------0-----------
4 |------0---------0---- -----0---------0---- -----0---------0---- -----0---------0---
5 |--------------0------ --3----------3------ --2----------2------ --1----------1-----
6 |---0--------0-------- -----------0-------- -----------0-------- -----------0-------

3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

 

________________________________


Chords

These chords are for the "drop D" tuning.

(fingers are on the left, frets on the right)

 

D

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| ---------------1----------------2
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| --0-----------------------------0
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

D/C

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| --0-----------------------------0
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| ------------------------1-------3
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

D/B

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| --0-----------------------------0
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| ---------------1----------------2
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

D/Bb

1 -|| ---------------2----------------2
2 -|| -----------------------3--------3
3 -|| --0-----------------------------0
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| --------1-----------------------1
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

C

1 -|| --0-----------------------------0
2 -|| ---------1----------------------1
3 -|| --0-----------------------------0
4 -|| ---------------2----------------2
5 -|| -----------------------3--------3
6 -|| ----------------------------------

 

G/B

1 -|| -----------------------4--------3
2 -|| --0-----------------------------0
3 -|| --0-----------------------------0
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| ---------------2----------------2
6 -|| ----------------------------------

 

Dsus4

1 -|| ------------(2)---------4------4
2 -|| ---------------------3----------3
3 -|| -------------1------------------2
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| --0-----------------------------0
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

D5

1 -|| --------------(2)-----------4--5
2 -|| ---------------------3----------3
3 -|| -------------1------------------2
4 -|| --0-----------------------------0
5 -|| --0-----------------------------0
6 -|| --0-----------------------------0

 

F

1 -|| --1-----------------------------1
2 -|| --1-----------------------------1
3 -|| -(1)-------2--------------------2
4 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------3
5 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------3
6 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------3

 

Ab

1 -|| --1-----------------------------4
2 -|| --1-----------------------------4
3 -|| -(1)-----2----------------------5
4 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------6
5 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------6
6 -|| -(1)-------------3--------------6

 

G

1 -|| --1-----------------------------3
2 -|| --1-----------------------------3
3 -|| -(1)------2---------------------4
4 -|| -(1)--------------3-------------5
5 -|| -(1)--------------3-------------5
6 -|| -(1)--------------3-------------5

 

When playing the D, Dsus4, and D5 chords - keep your hand
in the usual D chord and just move your pinkie up and down.

 

________________________________

 

Disclaimer

The D D/C D/B D/Bb chord names are not technically correct -
the song is easier to play if you think of these chords being related
this way. The D chord is a D chord - as for the rest, I have no idea.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

I hope you enjoyed playing this.

Remember, that by learning this song, you are helping
to preserve the music of John Lennon & Paul McCartney.

Thanks for stopping by - steve

____________________________________________________________________________________

Lyrics & Music: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Copyright 1968, Northern Songs Ltd.
chords & music interpreted by Steven Hull
____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Created 7 February 2003
Updated 8 February 2003

Back to my Beatles Page