Paper Doll

Words & Music by Johnny S. Black, 1915
Recorded by The Mills Brothers, 1942

           C    C/B    A7             Dm7      G
I'm gonna buy a Paper Doll that I can call my own,

   Dm7            Fdim             C       Cdim   Dm7
A doll that other fellows cannot steal;

     G       CM7             C              Bm7     Bm7-5   E7
And then the flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, flirty eyes

      A7                D7                G
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real.

     G               G7                  C
When I come home at night she will be waiting;

       G             G7                E7
She'll be the truest doll in all this world.

            F           Fdim     C   E7  A7
I'd rather have a Paper Doll to call my own

            Dm7           G          C
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl.


Bridge: (increase tempo)
   G      G6      G      G6     | C  C/B  Am7  Am7/G | C  C/B  Am7 Am7/G |

I guess I had a million dolls or more;
   E                     E7                Am

I guess I've played the doll game o'er and o'er.
G                          G7    C        C/B      A7

   I just quarrelled with Sue,     that's why I'm blue;
       A    AM7      A7                D   Fdim  D7

She's gone away and left me, just like all dolls do.
      G                  G7            |C C/B Am7 Am7/G | C C/B Am7 Am7/G |

I'll tell you boys, it's tough to be alone;
          E               E7                  Am

And it's tough to love a doll that's not your own.
G                   D7           G             D7

  I'm through with all of them,    I'll never fall again
      D  D+7 D7         D7/F#  G   D7   G7

Say boy,        whatcha gonna do?


(Repeat verse 1)


Coda: (Slower)

            F           Fdim     C   E7  A7
I'd rather have a Paper Doll to call my own

            Dm7            G    G7   C
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl.



 
The lyric and guitar chord transcriptions on this site are the work of The Guitarguy and are intended for private study, research, or educational purposes only. Individual transcriptions are inspired by and and based upon the recorded versions cited, but are not necessarily exact replications of those recorded versions.