Time in a Bottle
Jim Croce

Jim Croce
You Don't Mess Around With Jim
1972

RMMGA recommended that I buy some Jim Croce, and I started working
on this song last night.  Well, it came a helluva lot faster than I
expected, so here it is.  It is an awesome song, you just have to get
the picking right.  There are two guitars, and one has a capo 3rd.
Enjoy this, and remember, about 2 years after he wrote this song he
was killed in a plane crash.  There never seems to be enough time...

Lyrics

Two Guitars

GUITAR 1:
6-string acoustic: No Capo (plays intro tab and other leads)

GUITAR 2:
6-string acoustic: Capo 3rd (plays basic verse picking)

Here's the intro:

GUITAR 1
   Bm                  Bm/A#               Bm7/A               E/G#
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +
e:----10----10----10-|----9-----9-----9--|----8-----8-----8--|----7-----7-----7--|
B:-10----10----10----|-10----10----10----|-10----10----10----|-8-----8-----8-----|
G:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|

GUITAR 2
e:----------2--------|----------2--------|----------2--------|----------0--------|
B:-------3-----3-----|-------3-----3-----|-------3-----3-----|-------0-----0-----|
G:----4-----------4--|----4-----------4--|----4-----------4--|----1-----------1--|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A:-2-----------------|-1-----------------|-0-----------------|-------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-4-----------------|


   A7/G                                                                   hold
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +    +    +      +    +    +
e:----7-----7-----7--|----7-----7-----7--|----------------|-----------------|
B:-8-----------------|-8-----------------|----------------|-8----6----5h6p5-|
G:-------9-----10----|-------10----9-----|-6----7----9----|-9----7----6-----|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-7----9----11---|-----------------|
A:-------------------|-------------------|----------------|-----------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|----------------|-----------------|

e:----------0--------|-0-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
B:-------2-----2-----|-2-----3-----2-----|----------------|-5----3----2-----|
G:----0-----------0--|-------4-----3-----|-3----4----6----|-6----4----3-----|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-4----6----8----|-----------------|
A:-------------------|-------------------|----------------|-----------------|
E:-3-----------------|-------------------|----------------|-----------------|

The verse is GUITAR 2, playing the same part as above at first, then moving into a second part.
Use your thumb for these bass lines, it helps a lot.

   Bm                  Bm/A#               Bm7/A               E/G#
If I           could   save time   in a    bottle           
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +
e:----------2--------|----------2--------|----------2--------|----------0--------|
B:-------3-----3-----|-------3-----3-----|-------3-----3-----|-------0-----0-----|
G:----4-----------4--|----4-----------4--|----4-----------4--|----1-----------1--|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A:-2-----------------|-1-----------------|-0-----------------|-------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-4-----------------|


   A7/G
The first thing   that I'd   like  to      do                         is to
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +    +    +      +    +    +
e:----------0--------|-0-----------------|----------------|----------------|
B:-------2-----2-----|-2-----3-----2-----|----------------|-5----3----2----|
G:----0-----------0--|-------4-----3-----|-3----4----6----|-6----4----3----|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-4----6----8----|----------------|
A:-------------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------|
E:-3-----------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------|


   Bm                  Bm7/A               A7/G
   save        every   day         till   eternity passes     away         just to
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +
e:----------4--------|----------4--------|----------0--------|----------0--------|
B:-------3-----3-----|-------3-----3-----|-------2-----2-----|-------2-----2-----|
G:----2-----------2--|----2-----------2--|----0-----------0--|----0-----------0--|
D:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A:-2-----------------|-0-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|-3-----------------|-3-----------------|


   Em
   spend them  with    you
   +     +     +       +    +    +      +     +     +
e:----------0--------|----------------|-------------------|
B:-------0-----0-----|----------------|-------------2-----|
G:----0-----------0--|-3----4----6----|-3h4p3-4-----------|
D:-------------------|-4----6----8----|-4-----6-----4-----|
A:-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
E:-0-----------------|----------------|-------------------|

This is the chorus.  Play this part twice during the chorus.

   B                   B/A#                B/G#                B/F#
   never seems      to be    enough time to do the things you  wanna do    once you
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +
e:-------------------|-------------------|----------2--------|----------2--------|
B:----------7--------|----------7--------|-------4-----4-----|-------4-----4-----|
G:-------8-----8-----|-------8-----8-----|----4-----------4--|----4-----------4--|
D:----9-----------9--|----9-----------9--|-------------------|-------------------|
A:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
E:-7-----------------|-6-----------------|-4-----------------|-2-----------------|


   E/B                 B/F#                E
   find them
   +     +     +       +     +     +       +     +     +        +    +    +
e:----------0--------|----------2--------|----------0---------|----------------|
B:-------0-----0-----|-------4-----4-----|-------0-----0------|----------------|
G:----1-----------0--|----4-----------4--|----1------------1--|-3----4----6----|
D:-------------------|-------------------|--------------------|-4----6----8----|
A:-2-----------------|-------------------|--------------------|----------------|
E:-------------------|-2-----------------|-0------------------|----------------|

Here is the outro (!=harmonics):

   Bm
   +     +     +       +     +     +!      +     +     +       +     +     +!
e:-------------------|-------!-----7-----|-------------------|-------!-----7-----|
B:-------3--------3--|-------7-----------|-------3--------3--|-------7-----------|
G:----4--------4-----|-------------------|----4--------4-----|-------------------|
D:----------4--------|-------------------|----------4--------|-------------------|
A:-2-----------------|-------------------|-2-----------------|-------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
   hit guitar body:    X     X     X                           X     X     X


   +     +     +       +     +     +!       +     +     +
e:-------------------|-------!-----7-----|-^2------------------|
B:-------3--------3--|-------7-----------|-^3------------------|
G:----4--------4-----|-------------------|-^4------------------|
D:----------4--------|-------------------|-^4------------------|
A:-2-----------------|-------------------|-^2------------------|
E:-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
                       X     X     X

LYRICS:

If I could save time in a bottle  
The first thing that I'd like to do 
Is to save every day till eternity passes away 
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then again
I would spend them with you


CHORUS
But there never seems to be enough time 
To do the things you want to do once you find them
I've looked around enough to know that 
You're the one I want to go through time with

play intro tab here

If I had a box just for wishes 
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you


CHORUS