• Song:

    San Francisco

  • Artist:

    Alkaline Trio

  • Album:

    Goddamnit!

Author/Artist: Alkaline Trio
Title: San Fransisco
Album: God***it
Transcribed by: Darby Edelen
Email: edelen@cats.ucsc.edu


Most of the tabs I've seen for this song (on the greatest album ever to grace god's green earth) are lacking in one respect or another, so I've tried to 
combine the best qualities of the tabs I've seen with my own interpretations of a few of the little subtleties of the song that make it more interesting.  
I consider this tab a joint effort between myself, my guitar and all those whose tabs helped me to figure out the basic structure of the song.  
Hopefully this will help others in their quest for 'the perfect tab,' but please do share any changes you think should be made with me 
(edelen@cats.ucsc.edu).

Thanks,
Darby

Notes: Listen to the song for the rhythm, during the verses the chords are struck only once (alright, maybe twice... perfection is a lofty goal, go with 
what you think sounds best).  Feel free to throw your pinky onto the last string of the power chords if you like, I prefer the leaner sound of the two 
string chord for most of this song.  I've written the chords over the lyrics I usually hit them on, but feel free to experiment on that one... it's not 
where Skiba plays them and I think you have a little freedom in interpreting them.  Also, this tab isn't quite as confusing as it looks.  If you are 
confused I suggest you look at another tab first then come to this one for what I consider a more comprehensive tabbing/chord chart of the song (to 
really get it down).


x = muted string
~ = let ring
h = hammer on
p = pull off
/ = slide up
 = slide down
() = optional chord
p.m. = palm mute

Chords:



     E      Eo      A      A'     A''     C#      C#o    D#o    B       B'     Bo    G#
e|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------9--------------9------2---------------6------8--------------4------4-----------|
D|---9------x--------------7------2-------6-------x------x--------------4------x-----------|
A|---7------7-------7-------------0-------4-------4------6------9-------2------2-----6-----|
E|------------------5-------------x-----------------------------7--------------------4-----|

Intro:
e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| x2 (let ring at end of 2nd)
D|----------------------------------------6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7----|
A|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--9-9-9-9--11-11-11-11--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0----|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0--0--0--0---------------------------------------|


Play These Through Together 2x:

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9----|
D|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--11-11-11-11--13-13-13-13-----6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7----|
A|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--9--9--9--9---11-11-11-11-----0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0----|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--0------------------------------------------|


e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8--9-9-9-11-11-11-11-11---|
D|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--11-11-11-11--13-13-13-13-----6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6--7-7-7-9--9--9--9--9----|
A|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--9--9--9--9---11-11-11-11-----0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0--0--0--0--0----|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--0--0--0---0--0--0--0----------------------------------------------|



Verse:

E         A'     C#         B
  Choking on the thought of leaving

E     A'      C#        B
  drinking to keep from sobbing 

E       A'       C#     B
  Four P.M. four dollar pints

     A       (B)
  at SFO the time and price


E  A'  C#  B  x2


E             A'   C#    B
  With all my happiness aborted


E      A'    C#           B
  The PA painfully starts boarding

E        A'          C#        B
  I sink deep thirty-thousand feet

          A           (B)
  into my window seat electric chair




Chorus:

E                 Eo       D#o    G#
        And I was drinking you goodbye 

        B
        A heart floats in the bay 

E            Eo   D#o     G#
        From sour home Chicago 

                  B           
        I hear it beating far away 

E   Eo             C#  C#o           B'  Bo
        There's no telling what I'll do 

A''     (4x pattern: 4x p.m. then no p.m.)             
        If I don't return to you 


Pre-Verse:

e|--------------|
B|--------------|
G|--------------|
D|---2--4h-/-6--|
A|--------------|
E|--------------|


e|--------------------------------------------|---------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|---------------|
G|-------------------9-9-9--11-11-11--13--13--|---9-9-9-9--x4-|   x2
D|--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--x-x-x--x--x--x---x---x---|---7-7-7-7-----|
A|--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--7-7-7--9--9--9---11--11--|---------------|
E|--------------------------------------------|---------------|



Verse:
E         A'          C#     B
  Hopeful thoughts of soon returning 

E       A'         C#      B
  can't put out my stomach burning

E         A'        C#      B
  Plastic wings and plastic smiles 

  A                (B)
  Unsalted peanuts stretch my miles


Bridge:

e|--------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|
G|--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--8-8-8-8----------|   x2
D|--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x-x-x-x----------|
A|--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--6-6-6-6----------|
E|--------------------------------------------|

E~
  Choking on the thought of leaving 

Eo  (slide down the neck, let up when it sounds right)
  Drinking to keep from heaving 

A|--6/76/76/76--|    A                    (B)
  5pm, 5 dollar pints - Hellbound Airlines - time and price s


Chorus 2x

End on B



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