This is the chord progression of A Cover Is Not The Book from Mary Poppins Returns on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.
[Intro]
Db Bb7 Eb7 Db/F Ebm/Gb Eb/G Ab7 Eb9 Ab9
[Verse]
Db6 A7
Uncle Goodenberg was a bookworm
D6 Ab9
And he lived on Charring Cross
Db6 Dbmaj7/F Edim7 Ebm7 Ab9
The memory of his volumes brings a smile
Ebm9 Ab9
He would read me lots of stories
Db7 Cb7 Bb7
When he wasn’t on the sauce
Eb7
Now I’d like to share the wisdom
Ab7 Bbm7 Bdim7 Cm7b5
Of my favourite bibliophile
Ab7 Ebm9 Ab9
He said a
Advertisement
[Chorus]
Db6
Cover is not the book
Eb7
So open it up and take a look
Ab7
‘Cause under the cover one discovers
Db6
That the king maybe a crook
Ebdim7 Fdim Gb6 Eb7b5/G
Chap – ter titles are like signs
Db/Ab Cb9 Bb9
And if you read between the lines
Ebm F7 Bbm Eb9
You’ll find your first impression was mistook
Db/Ab
For a cover is nice
Ab7 Db
But a cover is not the book
[Verse]
Dbmaj7/Ab Ebm7add4 Ab7 Db Dbmaj7/Ab Ebm7add4 Ab7 Db Dbmaj7/Ab
Ebm7add4 Ab7 Db Dbmaj7/Ab Ebm7add4 Ab7
“Mary Poppins, could you give us an example?”
“Certainly”
Db Bb7
Nelly Rebitta was made of wood
Eb7
But what could not be seen was though
Ab7
A trunk up top was barren
Db6
While her roots were lush and green
Ebdim7 Fdim Gb6 Gbdim7
So in Spring when Mr. Hickery
Db/Ab Bb7#5
saw her blossoms blooming there
Eb9 Ab7
He took fruit despite her bark
Db9 Ab7 Db6
And now there’s seedlings everywhere
[Chorus]
Gbmaj7/Ab Ab9
Which proves
Db6 Bb7
A cover is not the book
Bb7 Eb7
So open it up and take a look
Ab7
‘Cause under the cover one discovers
Db6
That the king maybe a crook
Ebdim7 Fdim Gb6 Eb7b5/G
Chap – ter titles are like signs
Db/Ab Cb9 Bb9
And if you read between the lines
Ebm F7 Bbm Eb9
You’ll find your first impression was mistook
Db/Ab
For a cover is nice
Ab7 Db
But a cover is not the book
[Verse]
Dbmaj7/Ab Ebm7add4 Ab7 Db Dbmaj7/Ab Ebm7add4 Ab7 Bb Bbmaj7/F
Cm7add4 F7 Bb Bbmaj7/F Cm7add4
“Should we do the one about the wealthy widow?”
“Ooh, by all means”
“Always loved that one”
“Well, go on then”
F7 Bb G7#5
Lady Hyacinth Macaw
C7
Brought all her treasures to a reef
F7
Where she only wore a smile
Bb Cdim7
Plus two feathers, and a leaf
Ddim7 Eb6 Edim7
So no one tried to rob her
Bb/F G7#5
‘Cause she barely wore a stitch
D9 F7
For when you’re in your birthday suit
F7 Bb6
There ain’t much there to show you’re rich
[Chorus]
F7#5
Oh, a
Bb6 Ab9
Cover is not the book
C7
So open it up and take a look
F7
‘Cause under the cover one discovers
Bb
That the king maybe a crook
Cdim7 Ddim7 Eb6 Ebdim7 Bb/F Ab9 G7
Taru – la – lee, tarurala, tarulalee, tara – ta – ta
Cm D7 Gm C9
You’ll find your first impression was mistook (ya-da-da-da)
F#9 Bb.F
For a cover is nice
F7 Bb
But a cover is not the book
Advertisement
[Verse]
Cm7add4 F7 Bb Bbmaj7/F Cmadd4 F7 Bb Bbmaj7/F Cm7add4 F7 Bb
Bbmaj7/F Cm7add4 F7 Bb A Bb Ab7 G Ab7b5 G
“Oh give us the one about that dirty rascal, why don’t ya”
“Isn’t that one a bit long?”
“Well the quicker you’re into it, the quicker you’re out of it”
C
Once upon a time
A7
In a nursery rhyme
D9
There was a castle with a king
Hiding in a wing
D9
‘Cause he never went to school to learn a single thing
G9
He had scepters and swords
G9#5
And a parliament of lords
C6
But on the inside he was sad
Egad!
Caug F6
Because he never had a wisdom for numbers
Ab7/Gb
A wisdom for words
C/G Bb9
Though his crown was quite immense
A7
His brain was smaller that a bird’s
C# D Db9
So the queen of the nation
D9
Made a royal proclamation
G Adim/G
“To the Missus and the Messers
Gdim7 G
The more or lessers
E
Bring me all the land’s professors”
Then she went to the hair dressers
G7# C
And they came from the east
A7
And they came from the south
D9 Bdim/F
From each college they poured knowledge
D9
From their brains into his mouth
Bdim
But the king couldn’t learn
E7
So each professor met their fate
Bm7b5 E7
For the queen had their heads removed
Am C7
And placed upon the gate
And on that date
C9
I state their wives all got a note
Their mate was now the late great
Caug F6
But then suddenly one day
Ab
A stranger started in to sing
C/G E7
He said “I’m the dirty rascal
A7
And I’m here to teach the king”
D9
And the queen clutched her jewels
G7
For she hated royal fools
D9 G7
But this fool had some rules
C C7
They really ought to teach in schools
Db6 Bb7
Like you’ll be a happy king
Eb9 Db6/F Gbm(maj7)
If you enjoy the things you’ve got
Gm7b5 Cm7b5 F7
You should never try to be
Bbm Db9
The kind of person that you’re not
Gb6
So they sang and they laughed
Gdim7
For the king had found a friend
Db/Ab B7b5
And they ran onto a rainbow for
Bb
The story’s perfect end
Ebm7 Edim7
So the moral is you mustn’t let
Db/F Bb7
The outside be the guide
B7b5 Bb7
For it’s not so cut and dried
Well unless it’s Dr. Jekyll
Bb7
Then you better hide
B/A Bb
Petrified
Ebm7
No, the truth can’t be denied
Ab Bbm E7
As I now have testified
Ab A9
All that really counts and matters
Eb5 Ab7 Db
Is the special stuff inside
“He did it!”
[Instrumental]
F G/F Db F
[Chorus]
F9 Bb6 Ab9
Oh, a cover is not the book
G7#5 C7
So open it up and take a look
F7
Cause under the cover one discovers
Bb6
That the king maybe a crook
Eb6 Edim7
So please listen to what we’ve said
Bb/F Dm7b5/Ab G7
And open a book tonight in bed
Cm7 D7 Gm C9
So one more time before we get the hook (sing it out strong!)
F#9 Bb/F Faug
A cover is nice (Please take our advice)
Bb/F Faug
A cover is nice (Or you’ll pay the price)
Bb/F Fdim7
A cover is nice
F7 Bb
But a cover is not the book
[Outro]
Gb Bb Gb Bb Gb Bb
