TABS and NOTES by Jenny Zito, May 2011, with help from many sources
especially the version on tTabs by zxcvbnm0. This is my first time contributing
guitar tabs. I am trying to give enough details, including strum patterns and
picking rhythms, for a newer player to learn the song. This is a great song to
bring your playing up a notch.
SET-UP: Standard Tuning, No Capo, Use a Pick.
STRUMMING AND PLUCKING RHYTHM:
The song starts with a plucking section, then
has a strumming section, and the final chorus
is plucked again. Most on-line lessons suggest
using the strumming pattern:
ONE --- TWO AND --- AND FOUR AND
DOWN ---- DOWN UP ---- UP DOWN UP
This can be a little challenging for a new player,
since the chord change in the new measure has to be
anticipated quickly, but it is worth the work,
since this is a useful strum pattern to master.
The plucking rhythym imitates the strumming rhythym:
LONG>>---- short LONG>>---- short short short
In the tabs below a long emphasized note is
highlighted in bold with >> after it.
Some people including zxcvbnm0 in tTabs, suggest
that the top three strings be used during the first
part of the strumming measure and the bottom three
strings be used during the last part of the strumming
measure. This gives a nice effect.
Billy Joe of Green Day uses a variety of strum
patterns in different parts of the song including
some double fast strumming in places. He varies it
significantly in different live versions. Experiment.
CHORDS:
G or Gadd9 (320033) sometimes called G, Gadd9, G9
Cadd9 (X32033) sometimes written C9
D (XX0232) in some versions (XX0233)
Em (022000) in some versions (022033)
C (X32010)
G Em Cadd9 D C easy D variant
---3---0---3-----2---0--- --3--
---3---0---3-----3---1--- --3--
---0---0---0-----2---0--- --2--
---0---2---2-----0---2--- --0--
---2---2---3-----x---3--- --X--
---3---0---x-----x---x--- --X--
CHORD PATTERNS:
Pattern 1: G G Cadd9 D
Pattern 2: Em D C G
Pattern 3: Em G Em G Em D
(followed by G from PATTERN 1)
INTRO: (2 x Pattern 1)
VERSE AND BRIDGE: (2 x Pattern 1)
(2 x Pattern 2)
CHORUS: (1 x Pattern 3)
(2 x Pattern 1)
SONG STRUCTURE:
----------------------------
P INTRO
L
U VERSE
C
K CHORUS (1 x Pattern 3)
---------------------------
| (2 x Pattern 1)
|
S VERSE2
T
R CHORUS
U
M BRIDGE
|
| CHORUS
----------------------------
P
L FINAL CHORUS
U (with modified ending)
C
K
----------------------------
SONG PATTERN WITH LYRICS
--PLUCKING SECTION (Covers INTRO, VERSE 1 and verbal part of CHORUS 1)--
PLAY THIS FOUR TIMES, TWICE FOR INTRO, THEN TWICE WITH FIRST TWO LINES
OF VERSE 1.
G G Cadd9 D
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----2-----2---2|
|-------------0--|-------------0--|-------------2--|-0>>---------0--|
|----------------|----------------|-3>>------------|----------------|
|-3>>------------|-3>>------------|----------------|----------------|
|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|
INTRO:
G G Cadd9 D
G G Cadd9 D
FIRST 8 MEASURES OF VERSE 1.
G G Cadd9 D
Another turning point a fork stuck in the road
G G Cadd9 D
Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go
CONTINUING VERSE 1:
PLAY TWICE WITH SECOND TWO LINES OF VERSE 1
Em D C G
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|-------1>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----2-----2---2|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|
|-------------2--|-0>>---------0--|-------------2--|-------------0--|
|-2>>------------|----------------|-3>>------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|-3>>------------|
Em D C G
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
Em D C G
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
CHORUS (plucked for 6 measures, strummed for 8 measures):
PLAY ONCE
Em G Em G
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|
|-------------2--|-------------0--|-------------2--|-------------0--|
|-2>>------------|----------------|-2>>------------|----------------|
|----------------|-3>>------------|----------------|-3>>------------|
Em G Em G
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right, ...
Em D
|----------------|----------------|
|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----2-----2----|
|-------------2--|-0>>---------0--|
|-2>>------------|-------------(0)|
|----------------|----------------|
Em D
I hope you have the time of your ...
--STRUMMING SECTION--
END OF CHORUS
G G Cadd9 D, G G Cadd9 D
... Life
VERSE 2
G G Cadd9 D
So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.
G G Cadd9 D
Hanging on a shelf in good health and good time.
Em D C G
* Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial. *
|SUGGESTED LYRICS SUBSTITUTION: |
|* We're in your memories and hope to make you smile. *|
|This replacement lyric works well for sending |
|people off on life adventures. |
Em D C G
For what its worth it was worth all the while
CHORUS (2nd time)
Em G Em G
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
Em D G
I hope you have the time of your life
... G Cadd9 D (violin for INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE starts)
G G Cadd9 D
INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE with violin (uses same chords as VERSE)
G G Cadd9 D (2 times)
Em D C G (2 times)
CHORUS (3rd time)
Em G Em G
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
Em D G
I hope you have the time of your life
G Cadd9 D
G G Cadd9 D
-- PLUCKING SECTION --
FINAL CHORUS (4th time, with modified ending)
Em G Em G
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|
|-------------2--|-------------0--|-------------2--|-------------0--|
|-2>>------------|----------------|-2>>------------|----------------|
|----------------|-3>>------------|----------------|-3>>------------|
Em G Em G
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right, ...
Em D
|----------------|----------------|
|-------0>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----2-----2----|
|-------------2--|-0>>---------0--|
|-2>>------------|-------------(0)|
|----------------|----------------|
Em D
I hope you have the time of your ...
G G Cadd9 D
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|
|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----2-----2---2|
|-------------0--|-------------0--|-------------2--|-0>>---------0--|
|----------------|----------------|-3>>------------|----------------|
|-3>>------------|-3>>------------|----------------|----------------|
G
... life.
(SLOW DOWN TOWARD THE END OF THE SONG. Note the repeated 2nd half of Cadd9 measure,
the last few notes of the D measure are changed, and there is a final G strummed.)
G G Cadd9 (a repeat) D G (strum)
|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------|----------------|-3>>----]
|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-------3>>------|-3------|-------3>>------|-3>>----]
|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|-----0-----0---0|---0---0|-----2-----2-2-0|-0>>----]
|-------------0--|-------------0--|-------------2--|-----2--|-0>>------------|-0>>----]
|----------------|----------------|-3>>------------|--------|----------------|-2>>----]
|-3>>------------|-3>>------------|----------------|--------|----------------|-3>>----]
|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&|-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&|-1-&-2-&|
