• Song:

    Tallahassee

  • Artist:

    Mountain Goats

  • Album:

    2004-05-26: Bottom of t...

Tallahassee (2002)
The Mountain Goats
All songs written by John Darnielle

1. Tallahassee

Chords:
D (xx0232)
E (022100)
G (355433) or (320033)
A (x02220)

(The G chord sounds like a barre chord mostly, but open sounds right sometimes)

Bassline (repeated throughout)
E|-------------------|
B|-------------------|
G|-------------------|
D|--2-0-0-2-0-0-2-0--|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|

Intro:
D  E  G  D

D      E     G            D
Window facing an ill-kept front yard
D            E     G           D
Plums on the tree, heavy with nectar
D            E        G           D
Prayers to summon the destroying angels
D      E                        G                 D
Moon stuttering in the sky like film stuck in a projector
    G
And you
             D (1 extra measure)
You-oo-oo-oo-oo

Post-verse:
E|--5--5--5--3--3--3--2--|
B|--5--5--5--3--3--3--3--|
G|--------------------2--|(strum the D chord)
D|--------------------0--|
A|-----------------------|
E|-----------------------|

D  E  G  D

D          E        G                   D
Twin prop airplanes passing loudly overhead
D            E       G         D
Road to the airport, two lanes clear
D         E          G            D
Half the whole town, gone for the summer
D         E       G           D
Terrible silence, coming down here
    G
And you
             D (1 extra measure)
You-oo-oo-oo-oo

(Post-verse)

D  E  G  D

D           E
There is no deadline,
G           D
There is no schedule
D           E       G             D
There is no plan we can fall back on
D   E                   G      D
The road this far can't be retraced
D           E
There is no punchline
G           D
Anybody can tack on
D     E         G           D
There are loose ends by the score
D        E      G         A
What did I come down here for?
G
You
              D (1 extra measure)
You-oo-oo-oo-oo

(Post-verse)

D  E  G  D x4

End with bassline.

Notes:
(1)Not so sure about that one A chord (D maybe?), but I like it so I use it.
(2)Sometimes (particularly at the end) he arpeggiates the chords:
    D       E       G     D
E|------2-------0-----0-------2-0----|
B|--------3-------0-3---3---------3--|
G|----2-----1-1-----0-------2--------|
D|--0-------2-2-----0-----0----------|
A|----------2-2-----2----------------|
E|----------0-0-----3----------------|
Or something to that effect.
(3)Also, toward the first half of the song, he likes to let the F# (xxxxx2)
ring out sometimes.
Just play around with it.

2. First Few Desperate Hours

Chords:
E     (022100)
F#    (244300)
Asus2 (x02200)
B     (x24442)
E2    (x79997)
Amaj7 (x77999)
Bsus4 (x24400)

Intro:
E  F#  Asus2 x2

E              F#      Asus2
Bad luck comes in from Tampa
E              F#      Asus2
Bad luck comes in from Tampa
                 E
On the back of a truck
                B
Doing 90 up the interstate
        E              F#       Asus2
We have bad dreams the night he rolls in
        E              F#       Asus2
We have bad dreams the night he rolls in
       E
And we try
                    B
To keep our spirits high
         E2
But they flag
         Amaj7
And they wave
                     F#     Asus2
When the truck pulls up out front
                    Bsus4
In the light spring rain
         E2                  Amaj7
And they sag like whithering flowers
                   F#      Asus2
Let the good times roll -- on --
                                  Bsus4
Through these first few desperate hours

Yeah

E  F#  Asus2 x4

    E                F#           Asus2
The driver drops his cargo at the curb
    E                F#           Asus2
The driver drops his cargo at the curb
                  E
And the sun peeks in
                          B
Like a killer through the curtain
         E                 F#             Asus2
And when cloven hoofprints turn up in the garden
         E                 F#             Asus2
And when cloven hoofprints turn up in the garden
                    E
We keep up the good fight
                     B
And keep our spirits light
         E2
But they draw
     Amaj7
Like flies
F#                            Asus2
And there's a stomach-turning shift
                    Bsus4
In the way the land lies
         E2
And they lean
     Amaj7
Like towers
     F#                     Asus2
On a hillside struggling to stand
                                  Bsus4
Through these first few desperate hours

Yeah

E  F#  Asus2 x4

End on E.

Notes:
(1)The rhythm is tricky, it should take some time to get down but it's not terribly difficult.
(2)The theory name for that F# chord would be something like F#7sus4, but that's a pain 
to write.

3. Southwood Plantation Roads

Chords:
A  (x02220)
G  (355433)
D  (xx0232)
E  (022100)
Dm (xx0231)

Bassline:
E|------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------/7-5~--5p4-5p4-5p4-5/7~------/7-5~--5p4-5p4-5p4-5-0~--|
E|--5-0--------------------------5-0--------------------------|
Intro:
A  G  D  A x4

A        G
I've got you
       D                            A
You've got whatever's left of me to get
A                          G
Our conversations are like minefields
         D                            A
No one's found a safe way through one yet
A                G
I spend a lot of money
D              A
I buy ya white gold
A                    G
We raise up a little roof
D           E
Against the cold
                  A           D
On Southwood Plantation Road
         A                         D
Where at night the stars blow like milk across the sky
A                    E
Where the high wires drop
A                   D   Dm
Where the fat crows fly

A  G  D  A x4

A          G
All night long
D                A
You giggle and scream
A           G
Your brown eyes
D               A
Deeper than a dream
A               G
I am not gonna lose you
D                 A
We are gonna stay married
        A                      G
In this house like a Louisiana graveyard
D                   E
Where nothing stays buried
                 A            D
On Southwood Plantation Road
          A               D
Where the dead will walk again
A                   E
Put on their sunday best
    A                        D
And mingle with unsuspecting Christian men
Dm            A  G  D  A
La-la-la-la-la

A  G  D  A x3

End on A.

Notes:
The Dm is quick, about half a normal measure. Listen for it.

4. Game Shows Touch Our Lives

Chords:
G  (320033)
C9 (x32033)
F9 (xx3233)
D  (xx0232)

Intro:
G  G  C9  F9 x4

G
Dug up a fifth of Hood River gin and
C9
That stuff tastes like medicine
         F9      C9       G
But I'll take it,   it'll do
G
On the couch in the living room all day long
C9
Music on the television playing our song
           F9    C9              G
I'm in the mood,    the mood for you

G  G  C9  F9 x4

G
Turn the volume up real high
    C9
And all of that money, look at it fly
        F9       C9         G
And you smoking,    like a chimney
G
Shadows crawled across the living room's length
  C9
I held onto you with a desperate strength
     F9          C9                    G
With everything,    with everything in me
      D                         C9
And I handed you a drink of the lovely little thing
   G
On which our survival depends
D                        C9
People say friends don't destroy one another,
C9                      D
What do they know about friends?

G  G  C9  F9 x4

G
Thunderclouds forming, cream white moons
C9
Everything's gonna be okay soon
        F9      C9           G
Maybe tomorrow,    maybe the next day
G
Carried you up the stairs that night
       C9
All of this could be yours, if the price is right
        F9                   C9
I heard cars heading down to oblivion,
              G
Up on the expressway
D
Your drunken kiss is as light as the air
       C9                                    G
Maybe everything that falls down eventually rises
D
Our home sinking into disrepair,
        C9
Ah, but look at this showroom
                       G
Filled with fabulous prizes

G  G  C9  F9 x4

End on G.

Notes:
Emphasize the high notes (xxxx33) during the G, C9 and F9 chords.

5. The House That Dripped Blood


Play the chords like this:
    B              D                  A
E|----7-7---7-7-7--10-10----10-10-10--5-5---5-5-5--|
B|----7-7---7-7-7--10-10----10-10-10--5-5---5-5-5--|
G|--7h8-8-7h8-8-8--11-11-10h11-11-11--6-6-5h6-6-6--|
D|--7h9-9-7h9-9-9--12-12-10h12-12-12--7-7-5h7-7-7--|
A|--7h9-9-7h9-9-9--12-12-10h12-12-12--7-7-5h7-7-7--|
E|--7-7-7-7-7-7-7--10-10-10-10-10-10--5-5-5-5-5-5--|

E (022100) strummed normally

Intro:
B  D  A  B x2

B                      D
Look beyond the broken bottles
A                       B
Past the rotting wooden stairs
B                              D
Root out the wine-dark honeyed center
A                           E
Not everyone can live like millionaires

B                            D
Look through the air-thinned walls
A                                  B
Tear up the floorboards, strip the paint
B                     D
Go over every inch of space
A                      E
With the patience of a saint
E                       B
Grab your hat, get your coat
B           D
The cellar door,
A          B
Is an open throat

B                      D
Look past the kitchen cabinets
A                       B
Go through the chest of drawers
B               D
Scrutinize the casements
A                       B
Rip the varnish off the doors
B                    D
Dig up the laughing photographs
A                         B
They're here somewhere or other
B                 D
Take what you can carry
A                    E
But let me tell your brother
E                                B
Still waters go stagnant, bodies bloat
B          D
The cellar door,
A          B
Is an open throat

B  D  A  B x4 with harmonica solo

Last time strike A 3 times slowly, and end on B.

6. Idylls of the King

Chords:
D     (xx0232)
Gm6   (xx2333)
Bm    (x24432)
G     (320033)
A     (x02220)
Asus4 (x02230)
E7    (020100)
A7    (x02023)

G-D:
E|--3-3-------2--|
B|--3-3-3-2-0-3--|
G|--0-0-------2--|
D|--0-0-------0--|
A|--2-2----------|
E|--3-3----------|

Intro:
D  Gm6  Bm  G  G-D  A Asus4  D

D          Gm6
This place
Bm                G
With its old plantations
    G-D             A Asus4 A
These roads leading out to the sea
D        Gm6
This day,
Bm                     G
Full of promise and potential
        G-D            A Asus4 A
More clay pidgeons for you and me

(Chorus)
                D          G
Oh all of them, all of them
             D           G
All of them, all of them
             D
All of them, all of them, all of them,
A(7)                  D
All of them all lined up

D          Gm6
Huge crows
Bm               G
Loitering by the curb
         G-D        A         Asus4          A
Our shared pasts, unravelling behind us like ribbons
                 D        Gm6
And I dreamed of vultures
Bm                  G
In the trees behind our house
            G-D                  A             Asus4       A
And cicadas and locusts, and the shrieking of innummerable gibbons

(Chorus)

D  Gm6  Bm  G  G-D  A Asus4 D

E7   A7          D              G
How long must we ride this way about?
E7   A7               D                 G
How long 'til someone caves under the pressure?
E7   A7                  D                  G
My dreams are haunted by armies, armies of ghosts
                   A        Asus4
Faces to blurry to make out,
        A               Asus4
Numbers far too high to measure

D         Gm6
Your face,
       Bm                           G
Like a vision straight out of Holly Hobby
   G-D       A                     Asus4
Late light, drizzling through your hair
D         Gm6
Your eyes,
Bm      G
Twin volcanoes
  G-D      A                 Asus4
Bad ideas, dancing around in there

(Chorus)

D  Gm6  Bm  G  G-D  A Asus4

End on D.

Notes:
(1)I didn't go to too much trouble here, because others have already done that.
I'm sure you can find a more specific tab somewhere.
(2)Also, when the G-D bridges two words, that means the first word falls on the G and 
the second on the D.
When it is above the word "and" in the 2nd verse, the word "cicadas" falls on G and 
"locusts" on D.

7. No Children

Capo 4

Chords (relative to capo):
C#m  (x46654)
F#   (244322)
D    (xx0232)
E    (022100)
A    (x02220)
Asus (x04230)
F#m  (244222)

Intro:

C#m  F#  C#m  F#  D  E  A  Asus*

A                   E
I hope that our few remaining friends
D                    A
Give up on trying to save us
A                        E
I hope we come up with a failsafe plot
        D                       A
To piss off the dumb few who forgave us
A                    E
I hope the fences we mended
D                           E
Fall down beneath their own weight
      A                        F#m
And I hope we hang on past the last exit
  D                     E
I hope it's already too late
    A
And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here
F#m
Someday burns down
    D
And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away,
                 E                 D
And I never come back to this town again
      E
In my life,
         A
I hope I lie
         F#m
And tell everyone you were a good wife
               A
And I hope you die
          E
I hope we both die

C#m  F#  C#m  F#  D  E  A  Asus*

A                   E
I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
D                        A
I hope it bleeds all day long
A                              E
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
      D                              A
Well, we're pretty sure they're all wrong
A                    E
I hope it stays dark forever,
D                      E
I hope the worst isn't over
      A                          F#m
And I hope that you blink before I do
  D                E
I hope I never get sober
      A
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
    F#m
You can't find one good thing to say
    D
And I hope that if I found the strength to walk out
                              E
You'd stay the hell out of my way
     D
I am drowning
                    E
There is no sign of land
                    A
You are coming down with me
F#m
Hand in unlovable hand
               A
And I hope you die
          E
I hope we both die

C#m  F#  C#m  F#  D  E  A  Asus* x4

End on A.

Notes:
*the Asus chord isn't necessarily in there, but it helps to fill time on that A.

8. See America Right

Chords:
Em  (022000)
Am  (x02210)
C   (x32010)
B   (x24442)

Riff:
    Em
E|-------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------|
A|----------5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
E|--0-0-3-3----------------------------------|
    Em
E|-------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------|
A|----------5-5-5-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
E|--0-0-3-3----------------------------------|

    Am
E|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|
A|--0-0-------------0-0--------------|
E|------3-3-0-0-3-3-----3-3-0-0-3-3--|
    Em
E|-------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------|
A|----------5-5-5-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
E|--0-0-3-3----------------------------------|
    C                B               Em
E|------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|-(2)--------------(1)---------------------------------|
A|--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
E|------------------------------------------------------|

I was

Em
Driving into tampa, when the radiator burst,
      Em
I was three sheets to the wind, a civilian saw me first
    Am
And then there was the cop, and then the children
                Em
Standing on the corner
     C                           B                               Em
Your love is like a cyclone in a swamp and the weather's getting warmer

(mute strums)

I was

Em
Getting out of jail, heading to the greyhound
               Em
You said you'd hop on one yourself, and meet me on the way down
      Am
I was shaking way too hard to think,
                         Em
Dead on my feet about to drop
         C                              B
Went and got the case of vodka from the car
                                Em
And walked the two miles to the bus stop

(Instrumental verse)
Strummed chords over riff:
Em  Em  Am  Em  C  B  Em

Got

Em
On the bus half drunk again, the driver glared at me
    Em
Met up with you in Inglis, thumbed a ride to Cedar Key
      Am
If we never make it back to California,
                     Em
I want you to know I love ya
       C                                  B
But my love is like a black cloud full 'o rain
                                   Em
That's always right there up above ya

End abruptly on Em.

Notes:
The song starts cold with vocals before any instruments come in.
Other than that, it's pretty much completely straight forward.

9. Peacocks

Chords:
C      (x32010)
Fmaj7  (xx3210)
E      (022100)
Am     (x02210)
F      (x33211)
G      (320003)
F9     (xx3213)
Intro:
    C              Fmaj7              C
E|--0~-0-----0-----1-0~--0-----0-----0-----|
B|--1~---1-----1-----------1-----1-----1~--|
G|--0~-----0-----0-----------0-----0-------|
D|--2~-------------------------------------|
A|--3~-------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|

Guitar 1:
E|--0-----0-----1-0------------------------------------|
B|----1-----1--------3--1--0---------------------------|
G|------0-----0--------------2--0----------------------|
D|---------------------------------3--2--0----0-2-3-5--|
A|------------------------------------------3----------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------|
Guitar 2:
E|--0---------------------------------------------------|
B|--1---------------------------------------------------|
G|--0-(strum)-------------------------------------------|
D|--2-------------3-2-0--3-2-0--3-2-0--3-2-0--3-2-0-----|
A|--3-----------------------------------------------3~--|
E|------------------------------------------------------|
These two are simultaneous.
Listen to the record and you'll hear it.

Abridged riff:
E|--0~-0-----0-----1-0~--0-----0-----0-----|
B|--1~---1-----1-----------1-----1-----1~--|
G|--0~-----0-----0-----------0-----0-------|
D|--2~-------------------------------------|
A|--3~-------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|

E|--0-----0-----1-0-------------------|
B|----1-----1-------3--1--0-----------|
G|------0-----0--------------2--4--5--|
D|------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

"Fear for my safety...":
    F   G  C   F  F   G  C   F9
E|--1-0-3------0--1-0-3------3--|
B|--1-1-3--3-1-1--1-1-3--3-1-1--|
G|--2-2-0--0-0-2--2-2-0--0-0-2--|
D|--3-3-0--2-2-3--3-3-0--2-2-3--|
A|------2--3-3--------2--3-3----|
E|------3-------------3---------|
"...rise."
E|--3-----3-----3-----3-----3----|
B|----1-----1-----1-----1-----1--|
G|------2-----2-----2-----2------|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|

Abridged riff 2:
E|--0~--0-----0-----1-0~-0-----0-----0-----|
B|--1~----1-----1----------1-----1-----1~--|
G|--0~------0-----0----------0-----0-------|
D|--2~-------------------------------------|
A|--3~-------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|

E|--0-----0-----1-0-----------------|
B|----1-----1-------3--1--0--1--3~--|
G|------0-----0---------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|

Outro: (same feel as intro)
E|--0~--3-----3-----3-----3-----3-----3-----|
B|--1~----1-----1-----1~----1-----1-----1~--|
G|--0~------2-----2-----------2-----2-------|
D|--2~--------------------------------------|
A|--3~--------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|

(Intro)

C              E
I hear them squeal
Am         F
I see them preen
C         E
Fans all spread out
Am        F
Neat and clean

(Abridged riff)

C                  E
Grab hold of the morning
Am              F
Head out to the porch
C                 E
Feel the wind stopping
Am             F
Feel the sun scorch
F           G
Fear for my safety,
C                    F
You can see it in my eyes
F             G
In an hour or two
C       F9
We will rise...

(Intro)

C                    E
Then a sharp breeze kicks up,
Am            F
I hug myself hard
C                   E
How come there's peacocks
Am            F
In the front yard?

(Abridged riff 2)

C           E
Sun's all prickly
Am     F
On my neck
C                    E
When the helicopter passes
Am              F
We both hit the deck
F                    G
Hands grasping and groping
C                   F
Seizing opportunity right where it lies
F            G
The sky will fall
C       F9
We will rise...

(Abridged riff)
(Outro)
(Intro - just guitar 2)

End on C.

10. International Small Arms Traffic Blues

Chords:
E     (022100)
A     (x02220)
B     (x24442)
E2    (x79997)
A/G#  (4x2220)

Intro:
E|--------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------0~--|
G|--------2-1-----2-1-------------2-1-----2-1-2-----|
D|----2-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------|
A|------2-------2---------------2-------2-----------|
E|--0-------------------0~--0-----------------------|
   |_____________________| |_____________________|
          Main riff             Variation 1

E|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|
G|--------2-1-----2-1-2-1~--|
D|----2-------2-------------|
A|------2-------2-----------|
E|--0-----------------------|
      Variation 2

E|---------------------------|
B|-----------------------0~--|
G|--1--1-1-2p1-1-1-2p1-1-1~--|
D|--2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2~--|
A|--2--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2~--|
E|--0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0~--|
      Variation 3 (strumming)

(Intro)

E                 A      E
My love is like a powder keg

(Main riff)

E                 A      E          B
My love is like a powder keg in the corner
            E2
Of an empty warehouse
   A       A/G#
Outside of town
              B      E
About to burn down

(Main riff x2)

E                 A      E
My love is like a Cuban plane

(Main riff)

E                 A      E
My love is like a Cuban plane
B           E2
Flying from Havana
       A                      A/G#
Up the Florida Coast to the 'Glades
       B     E
Soviet-made

(Main riff x2)
(Variation 2)
(Main riff)

E                           A                  E
Our love is like the border between Greece and Albania

(Variation 3)

E                           A                  E
Our love is like the border between Greece and Albania
       B                E2
Trucks loaded down with weapons
A                   A/G#
Crossing over every night
                B
Moon yellow and bright...
           A                     E
There is a shortage in the blood supply
          A                 E
But there is no shortage of blood
A                         E
The way I feel 'bout you, baby, can't explain it
B                      E
You got the best of my love

(Variation 3 x4)

End on E.

Notes:
(1)During the closing Variation 3 cycle, play with gradually more abandon.
(2)Between repetitions of the main riff or any of its variations,
there are a few beats of just low E or (0221xx) strumming, but you don't really need it.

11. Have to Explode

Chords:
D     (xx0232)
D/F#  (2x023x)
A     (x02220)
A/C#  (x42220)
G     (320033)
B/G   (x2003x)
C     (x32010)

Intro:
D/F#  A/C#  B/G G x4

D/F#              A/C#
Tile floor of the bathroom
B/G                G
Scrubbed clean and bright
            D/F# A/C#      B/G    G
Checkerboard wh--i--te and grey
D/F#            A/C#           B/G              G
Towels from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kingston, Jamaica
      D/F#  A/C#                 B/G    G
I can still see the rust-colored stains today
             A   G
The stage is set
           D                          G
Somebody's gonna do something someone else will regret
G          A                 D             G
I speak in smoke signals and you answer in code
C             G               D
The fuse will have to run out sometime
G         A           D                G
Something here will eventually have to explode
           D/F#  A/C#  B/G  G
Have to explode

D/F#  A/C#  G  G

D/F#         A/C#       B/G  G
You and me lying on the tile floor
D/F#           A/C#    G
Trying to keep cool, restless all night
D/F#             A/C#            B/G        G
Sweating out the poison as the temperature climbs
       D/F# A/C# B/G                     G
Staring up, up,    at the hundred-watt light
            A    G
That burns above
         D                  G
Name one thing about us two anyone could love
G               A
We roll out the red carpet
     D                          G
When rotten luck comes down the road
C           G           D                  G
Five, four, three, two, one, watch for the flash
G         A          D                 G
Something here will eventually have to explode
        D (2 extra measures)
Have to explode

D/F#  A/C#  B/G  G x5

End on G.

Notes:
He doesn't have the B/G every time, sometimes he just does 2 measures of G.
It's a lot of work to figure out where they all go, so just use your discretion.
It works either way.

12. Old College Try

Chords:
A   (x02220)
C#m (x46654)
D   (xx0232)
E   (022100)
F#m (244222)

Intro:
A  C#m  D  E D
A  F#m  D  E

A                         C#m
From the housetops to the gutters,
D                     E     D
From the ocean to the shore
    A                                      F#m
The warning signs have all been bright and garish
D                          E
Far too great in number to ignore
A                       C#m
From the cities to the swamplands,
D                        E     D
From the highways to the hills
    A                           F#m
Our love has never had a leg to stand on,
         D                                E
From the asprins to the cross-tops to the Elevils
           D     E
But I will walk
            A
Down to the end
     D
With you
            A                E
If you will come all the way down
     A
With me

A  C#m  D  E D
A  F#m  D  E

A                        C#m
From the entrance to the exit
   D                          E        D
Is further than it looks from where we stand
  A                       F#m
I wanna say I'm sorry for stuff I haven't done yet
D                          E
Things will quickly get completely out of hand
      A                          C#m
I can feel it in the rotten air tonight
       D                          E          D
In the tips of my fingers, in the skin on my face
       A                          F#m
In the last gasp of the evening's dying light
       D
In the way those eyes I've always loved
   E
Illuminate this place
       D                   E
Like a trash-can fire in a prison cell
          A                  D
Like the searchlights in the parking lots of hell
       A
I will walk
            E     A
Down to the end
     D
With you
            A                E
If you will come all the way down
     A
With me

A  C#m  D  E D  A  F#m  D  E x2

D  E  A  D  A  E  A  D  A  E  A

End on A.

13. Oceanographer's Choice

Capo 3

Chords:
E  (022100)
C  (x32010)
G  (320033)
D  (xx0232)
B  (x24442)
A  (x02220)
Em (022000)

Well
E
Guy in a skeleton costume
G
Runs up to the guy
       C
In the superman suit
                                E
Runs through him with a broadsword

E
I flipped the television off
G                           C
Bring all the bright lights up
               E
Turn the radio up loud
A
I don't know why I'm so persuaded
D
That if I think things through
C
Long enough and hard enough
B
I'll somehow get to you

Em
But then you came in, and we locked eyes
A
You kicked the ashtray over as we came toward each other
C
Stubbed my cigarette out against the west wall
B
And quickly lit another
Em
Look at that! Would ya look at that?
A
We're throwing off sparks
Em        D         A          Em
What'll I do when I don't have you
                    B
To hold onto in the dark?

Em

Yes
Em
Everybody's gonna need a witness
G                               C
Everybody's gonna need a little back-up
                       Em
In case the scene gets nasty

Em
You throw the attic window open
      G                        C
And I throw my arms all around you
                         Em
And night comes to Tallahassee
A
I don't know why it's gotten harder
D
To keep myself away
C
Thought I'd finally beat the feeling back
B
It all came back today
Em
Look at that! Would ya look at that?
A
The way the ceiling starts to swerve
Em        D         A          Em
What'll I do when I don't have you?
                          B
When I finally get what I deserve?

(instrumental verse ad nauseum)

End on Em.

Notes: The E and Em chords are basically interchangeable,
though it sounds more like E in the first verse and Em later.

14. Alpha Rats Nest

Can be played in either standard or Drop D (to incorporate bassline)

Chords:
   Standard   Drop D
G  (320033)   (55x033)
D  (xx0232)   (000232)
Em (022000)   (222000)
C  (x32010)   (x32010)
D7 (xx0212)   (000212)
Am (x02210)   (x02210)

Bassline (for Drop D guitar):
    G       D        _
E|------------------- |
B|------------------- |
G|------------------- |
D|------------------- | Main riff
A|------------------- |
D|--5-5-5-4-0-0-0-0--_|
    Em          C           G           D           D7
E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------3-3-3-3-3-3-------------5-5-5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3-3--|
D|--2-2-2-2-2-2-------------5-5-5-5-5-5-------------0-0-0-0-0-0--|

Intro: Main riff x3 Em C G D D7

G       D           Em
All the lengthening hours in the refinery
C               D
Belching fire into the sky
          G    D   Em
We do our best vampire routines
      C              D7
As we suck the dying hours dry
Am
The night is lovely as a rose

(Main riff x2)

C
If I see sunlight in you I am
D                    (D7)
sure that we'll both decompose

(Intro)

G       D      Em
All the fitful sleep and the fire engines
C               D
That I dream of when I dream
G             D         Em
Someday we'll both wake up for good
C               D7
I will try hard not to scream
Am
The evening wind will shake the blind

(Main riff x2)

C
You're stirring from your slumber we've got
D7
Something hateful on our minds
   G     D      Em
Oh sing, sing, sing,
        C            D
For the dying of the day
G            D                Em
Sing for the flames that will rip through here
        C                     D
And the smoke that will carry us away
   G            D            Em
Oh sing for the damage we've done
        C                       D7
And the worse things that we'll do
G         D            Em
Open your mouth up and sing for me now
    C               D7
And I will sing for you

(Intro x3)

When you get to the last D7 chord, let it ring and hit that low D just once.

Notes: (1)The bassline is actually played on a bass guitar here
so the octaves aren't right for the Drop D guitar.
On a bass guitar it looks like this:
    G       D        x3 Em          C          G            D           D7
G|----------------------------------------------------------7-7-7-7-7-7--------------|
D|--5-5-5-4-0-0-0-0-----2-2-2-2-2-2-------------5-5-5-5-5-5-------------0-0-0-0-0-0--|
A|----------------------------------3-3-3-3-3-3--------------------------------------|
E|-------------------x3--------------------------------------------------------------|
That C note should be an octave lower than on the Drop D guitar.
(2)D's and D7's are largely interchangeable here.
I've noted when I noticed a difference but it's a matter of taste.


There it is. Enjoy.
Show more