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Brilliant Mistake

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Gmixolydian

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
G F G F
G F G F
[Verse 1]
He Gthought he was the King of ADmerica
Where Cthey pour Coca Cola just like Gvintage Dwine
Now GI try hard not to become hyDsterical
But I'm not Csure if I am laughing or GcryDing
[Verse 2]
I Cwish that I could push a button
CAnd talk in the past and not the  Fpresent tCense
And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear
Like it was  Fcommon seEmnse
[Chorus]
  GIt was a Ffine idGea at the tFime
  GNow it's a EmbriCllDiant mistake
[Bridge]
G C
G Am
G C
C Em Am G
[Verse 3]
She Gsaid that she was working for the DABC News
It was as Cmuch of the alphabet as Gshe knew how to Duse
Her Gperfume was unspeakable, it Dlingered in the air
Like her Cartificial laughter like her Gmementos of aDffairs
[Verse 4]
"COh" I said "I see you know him"
  C"Isn't that very Ffortunate for you"C  
And she showed me his calling card
He came third or fourth and there were Fmore than one or Emtwo
[Chorus]
  GHe was a Ffine iGdea at the Ftime
  GNow he's a EmbrilCliaDnt mistake
[Bridge]
G C
G Am
G C
C Em Am G
[Verse 5]
He Gthought he was the King of ADmerica
But Cit was just a boulevard of Gbroken Ddreams
A Gtrick they do with mirrors and with Dchemicals
The Cwords of love in whispers
And the Gaxe of love in Dscreams
[Verse 6]
I Cwish that I could push a button
CAnd talk in the past and not the Fpresent teCnse
And watch this lovin' feeling disappear
Like it was  Fcommon seEmnse
[Chorus]
  GI was a Ffine iGdea at the Ftime
  GNow I'm a EmbriCllDiant mistake
[Outro]
G C
G Am
G C
C Em Am G

All chords in this song (6)

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Brilliant Mistake

by Elvis Costello

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

[Intro]

G F G F

[Verse 1]

G D

He thought he was the King of America

C G D

Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine

G D

Now I try hard not to become hysterical

C G D

But I'm not sure if I am laughing or crying

[Verse 2]

I wish that I could push a button

C F C

And talk in the past and not the present tense

And watch this hurtin' feeling disappear

F Em

Like it was common sense

[Chorus]

G F G F

It was a fine idea at the time

G Em C D

Now it's a brilliant mistake

[Bridge]

G C

G Am

G C

C Em Am G

[Verse 3]

G D

She said that she was working for the ABC News

C G D

It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use

G D

Her perfume was unspeakable, it lingered in the air

C G D

Like her artificial laughter like her mementos of affairs

[Verse 4]

"Oh" I said "I see you know him"

C F C

"Isn't that very fortunate for you"

And she showed me his calling card

F Em

He came third or fourth and there were more than one or two

[Chorus]

G F G F

He was a fine idea at the time

G Em C D

Now he's a brilliant mistake

[Bridge]

G C

G Am

G C

C Em Am G

[Verse 5]

G D

He thought he was the King of America

C G D

But it was just a boulevard of broken dreams

G D

A trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals

The words of love in whispers

G D

And the axe of love in screams

[Verse 6]

I wish that I could push a button

C F C

And talk in the past and not the present tense

And watch this lovin' feeling disappear

F Em

Like it was common sense

[Chorus]

G F G F

I was a fine idea at the time

G Em C D

Now I'm a brilliant mistake

[Outro]

G C

G Am

G C

C Em Am G

About Brilliant Mistake Chords by Elvis Costello

Learn how to play Brilliant Mistake by Elvis Costello with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Brilliant Mistake chords”, “Brilliant Mistake guitar chords”, or “Elvis Costello Brilliant Mistake chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Brilliant Mistake chords and for experienced players who want accurate Brilliant Mistake lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, F, D, C, Em, Am.

FAQ — Brilliant Mistake by Elvis Costello

How do I play "Brilliant Mistake" by Elvis Costello on guitar?

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Is "Brilliant Mistake" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Brilliant Mistake" in?

The chords for "Brilliant Mistake" show the original chord names (including G, F, D, C, Em, Am). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.