Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)
Jim Croce

Jim Croce
You Don't Mess Around With Jim
1972

Well, after the success of Time in a Bottle, I decided
to follow up with this fun hit.  It's really easy, and
the easy bass lines make you sound like a guitar virtuoso.
I haven't tabbed the solo guitar, just the basic one
playing chords.  Have fun and keep playin'!

Chords

Here's the intro:

   G                 Bm                Am                C
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-------------3---|-------------2---|-------------0---|-----------------|
B:-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|-----1-----1-----|-1---------------|
G:---0-----0-------|---4-----4-------|---2-----2-------|-0---------------|
D:-------0---------|-------4---------|-------2---------|-----------------|
A:---------------0-|-2-------------2-|-0---------------|-3-2---0-----0---|
E:-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------3---3-|


   G/B                 Bm                Am                C
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-------------3---|-------------2---|-------------0---|-----------------|
B:-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|-----1-----1-----|-1---------------|
G:---------0-------|---4-----4-------|---2-----2-------|-0---------------|
D:-------0---------|-------4---------|-------2---------|-----------------|
A:-0h2-------------|-2---------------|-0---------------|-3-2---0-----0---|
E:-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------3---3-|

The verses look like this:

              Oper - ator    could you help me place this call
   G/B               Bm                C   C/B Am  C/G   G
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +       +
e:-------------3---|-------------2---|-----------------|---------------------|
B:-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|---1---1---1---1-|---------------------|
G:---------0-------|---4-----4-------|-----------------|---------------------|
D:-------0---------|-------4---------|-----------------|---------------------|
A:-0h2-------------|-2---------------|-3---2---0-------|-3-2-0-------0h2p0---|
E:-----------------|-----------------|-------------3---|-------3-----------3-|


       See the number on the...        faded
   Am                Bm                Em                 D
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-------------0---|-------------2---|-------------0---|-----------------|
B:-----1-----1-----|-----3-----3-----|-----0-----0-----|-3---------------|
G:---2-----2-------|---4-----4-------|---0-----0-------|-2---------------|
D:-------2---------|-------4---------|-------2---------|-0---------------|
A:-0---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|-----3---2---0---|
E:-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|


       She's living in L.A.    with my best old ex-friend Ray
   G                 Bm                C   C/B Am  C/G   G
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +       +
e:-------------3---|-------------2---|-----------------|---------------------|
B:-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|---1---1---1---1-|---------------------|
G:---0-----0-------|---4-----4-------|-----------------|---------------------|
D:-------0---------|-------4---------|-----------------|---------------------|
A:-----------------|-2---------------|-3---2---0-------|-3-2-0-------0h2p0---|
E:-3---------------|-----------------|-------------3---|-------3-----------3-|


       a guy she said she knew...      hated
   Am                Bm                Em                 D
   +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +     +   +   +   +
e:-------------0---|-------------2---|-------------0---|-----------------|
B:-----1-----1-----|-----3-----3-----|-----0-----0-----|-3---------------|
G:---2-----2-------|---4-----4-------|---0-----0-------|-2---------------|
D:-------2---------|-------4---------|-------2---------|-0---------------|
A:-0---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|-----3---2---0---|
E:-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|

play intro

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
See the number on the matchbook is old and faded
She's living in L.A. with my best old ex-friend Ray
Guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

strum these chords during the chorus:

CHORUS
G                 C                 G
  Isn't that the way they say it goes
         C       D/F#
Let's forget all that
    G                     C
And give me the number if you can find it
   Em D/F# G            Bm                       Am
So I  can  call just to tell him I'm fine and to show
D                    C                            Bm
  I've overcome the blow I've learned to take it well
                Am                    C                          D
I only wish my words could convince myself that it just wasn't real
    C
But that's not the way it feels

play first four bars of intro

Operator, oh could you help me place this call
Cause I can't read the number that you just gave me
There's something in my eyes; you know it happens every time
I think about the love that I thought would save me

CHORUS

G            C            G            C                         G
              No no no no                that's not the way it feels

Operator, oh let's forget about this call
There's no one one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time; oh you've been so much more than kind
You can keep the dime

CHORUS

play intro tab

end on G

CHORDS:

D/F#	200232 (thumb on 6th string)
C/B	x2x010
C/G	3x2010
G/B	x20033

To learn why these chords are named this way, check out Dansm's Guitar Chord Theory.