Someone to Watch Over Me

Words & Music by Ira Gershwin & George Gershwin, 1929
Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, 1950
Featured in the movie "John Loves Mary," 1949


Intro Verse:

Am7       Cdim   G6   C         Cdim     G6
There's a saying old, says that love is blind

C           C/B   Am7    Em       B7       E7
Still we're often told, "seek and ye shall find"

C       C/B      Am7   Am7/G   D9       Am7 Cdim  G   Em7  Am7  Cdim
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had  in  mind

Am7     Cdim  G6    C        Cdim     G6
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet

C         C/B   Am7 Em   B7     E7
He's the big affair I cannot forget

C    C/B   Am7  Am7/G    Cdim D7    G    Am7   G   F#7
Only guy I ever think of with re - gret

Bm          F#7        Bm  Gdim   Bm
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram

D    Am7  C    C/B      Am7   Cdim  D9  Am7   D7
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?

Refrain:

G         Bm7-5        Am7        Cdim 
There's a somebody I'm longing to see...

G          Edim  D7         E7-9                                  
I hope that he  turns out to be

C      C/B     Am7 Cdim   | G    -   G/F# - Em7 | C - Cdim |   
Some - one to watch o - ver me.


G     Bm7-5             Am7         Cdim 
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood;

G        Edim  D7        E7-9                                  
I know I could always be good     

C  C/B         Am7   Cdim  G - E7 | Am7 - G |
To  one who'll watch over  me.

Bridge:

G     G7     C      C/B      Am7      Cdim   
Although he may not     be a man some

	 G9    G    G/F#    Emsus4      Em        
Girls think of        as handsome,

   C        C/B        E7   Edim   |B7 - E7 | A7 - Cdim|
To my heart     he'll carry     the key.   
    
G         Bm7-5                Am7         Cdim 
Won't you tell him, please, to put on some speed,

G         Edim  D7        E7-9                                  
Follow my lead, oh, how I need

C      C/B    Am7   Cdim  |B7| E7 |
Some - one to watch  over  me,

C      C/B    Am7  Cdim  D7 | G - E7| Am7 - Cdim | G6 |
Some - one to watch  o - ver me.


For several years, this song has been on this site crediting the Frank Sinatra version; but having finally found a version which includes the intro verse, I've changed the credit line to reflect Ella's version.

The intro verse itself, written by Ira Gershwin, seems to me to be an odd blend of magnificent craftsmanship forcefully mashed together with a stiff dose of "what the heck was he thinking?!?!" The elegance of the internal rhyme scheme hooked me as soon as I heard it, and hooked me further when I spent time actually studying it. With all that effort expended to keep delicious internal rhymes and a tight, consistant meter pattern, I've never quite understood how he could have so totally lost focus on tenses. How can one not forget a relationship one has not had? Or, for that matter, think of with regret when the acquaintence has not even occurred? With the beauty of the writing, by itself, one can understand cutting the man some slack. But if that degree of care is invested, how can logic of thought be so completely overlooked?



 
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.