I've loved this song for a long time, so melancholy and mysterious. With Music For A New Society being re-released today, it seemed like a good time to sit down and learn it. These chords are based on the original album version, not the remake on M:FANS. Haven't listened to that one enough to know if anything's different. The little melody that plays in the intro and during the choruses may not be totally right here. I play in Open tuning, so with a capo on the 2nd fret, I can simply play the melody Based on the sounds of the chords, I believe Mr Cale probably played the original in some sort of open tuning. This is my best attempt at the chord names that would approximate it in standard, but if anybody can do better please do! /chorus x2: - - - - - - - - She was a princess, much lower than people thought A master of nothing, a mistress of something she thought She could talk about things that never mattered ever From one person's miserable life after another She could talk to the French and Germans at will They'd never listen.. They never will The chinese envoy was here, the chinese envoy was here but left The chinese envoy was here but left Calling out her name you'd be surprised at what came Galloping out of the darkness just like furniture We'd have lost it all if it hadn't been for Cardinal Richelieu And all his courtiers The chinese envoy was here, the chinese envoy was here but left The chinese envoy was here but left in his broken hearted pagoda.
https://lyrics.primanota.net/john-cale/chinese-envoy.htm