This is the tab for "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz.   Tabbed by Sean Tyson. August 25th, 2005.

...There are other tabs out there that are on key and use bar chords. But if you're like me (and you can't sing that high) you'll like this version more. It is done in a different key, and is comprised almost completely of open chords (opposed to bar chords) so it sounds much, much nicer. I wanted to provide an open-chord version - a couple keys lower - for everyone... So here it is.

The chords are described first, and the song is laid out with the lyrics below. Enjoy!


Chords:

        Em      Am      C       G       B7      D

e-------------------------------3-------2-------2----------|
b---------------1-------1-------3---------------3----------|
g---------------2-----------------------2-------2----------|
d-------2-------2-------2---------------1------------------|
a-------2---------------3-------2-------2------------------|
e-------------------------------3--------------------------|


Optional variations/additions to those chords:

        Em      Am      C      Bm       Bm      F#      F#      F#

e-------3------(3)-----(3)------7---------------------------------------|
b-------3-------1(3)----1-------7-------4-----------------------3-------|
g---------------2---------------8-------4-----------------------2-------|
d-------2-------2-------2-------9-------4---------------4---------------|
a-------2---------------3-------9-------2---------------4---------------|
e-------------------------------7---------------2-------2-------2-------|


Chords for the 2nd and 3rd Verses!

*** Note the hammer-ons... He does repeatedly for the Em and Am chords in both the verse and chorus (mostly in the verse). You can figure out the strumming on your own - experiment...

        Em      Am  or  Am  or  Am

e------------------------------------------|
b---------------0h1-----1-------0h1--------|
g---------------2-------0h2-----0h2--------|
d-------0h2-----2-------0h2-----0h2--------|
a-------0h2--------------------------------|
e------------------------------------------|




Song:


VERSE 1 (Plucking, finger-picking, and light strumming)

                            Em
It takes a crane to build a crane
                              Am
It takes two floors to make a story
                          C
It takes an egg to make a hen
                          C
It takes a hen to make an egg
                            G          B7
There is no end to what I'm saying


                             Em
It takes a thought to make a word
                                  Am
And it takes some word to make an action
                                  C
And It takes some work to make it work
                              C
It takes some good to make it hurt
                      G                 B7
It takes some bad for satisfaction


CHORUS (Still plucking, finger-picking, and light strumming)

Em                   Am
La la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                    G                  (F# - optional transition into the Em chord)
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Em                   Am
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
D
Al la la la la


VERSE 2 (Strumming)

                            Em
It takes a night to make it dawn
                               Am
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
                              C
It takes some old to make you young
                               C
It takes some cold to know the sun
                             G         B7
It takes the one to have the other


(-----This is where the drums would come in------)

                                Em
And It takes no time to fall in love
                                    Am
But it takes you years to know what love is
                                    C
And It takes some fears to make you trust
                                C
It takes those tears to make it rust
                             G          B7
It takes the dust to have it polished



CHORUS 2

Em                   Am
Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                    G			    (F# - optional transition)
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Em                   Am
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                    Em (keep playing this chord until next verse)
Ah la la la la la la life is so...


BRIDGE

Just keep playing variations of that Em chord (that you just ended on - from Chorus 2)



VERSE 3

                              Em
It takes some silence to make sound
                               Am
And It takes a loss before you found it
                          C
And It takes a road to go nowhere
                            C
It takes a toll to make you care
                          G            B7
It takes a hole to make a mountain



CHORUS 3

Em                   Am
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                    G                   (F# - optional)
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Em                   Am
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                    G                  (F# - optional)
Ah la la la la la la love is meaningful
Em                   Am
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
D                  D
Ah la la la la la la...
      Em
It is so wonderful
Em (like the Bridge - just keep playing this chord until the end)
It is so meaningful
Em
It is so wonderful
Em
It is meaningful
Em
It is wonderful
Em
And meaningful
Em
It goes full circle
Em
Wonderful
Em
Meaningful
Em
Full Circle
Em
Wonderful
...





Let me know if you have any comments, questions, or requests! =)
seanbtyson@hotmail.com