• Song:

    F Stop Blues

  • Artist:

    Jack Johnson

F-STOP BLUES

All music and lyrics written by and property of Jack Johnson
Transcribed by Jai Mitchell
jai_mitchell@yahoo.com
http://members.optushome.com.au/jaimitchell

TAB KEY

h = hammer on,    p = pull off
/ = slide up,     \ = slide down
~ = sustain note, x = mute note

The song contains 2 main guitar parts, the VERSE and the CHORUS,
as well as a quick BRIDGE and a kind of SOLO. The CHORUS has 4
different possible variations, all in the 4th bar of the 4 bar
part. the LEAD IN mentioned in the SONG STRUCTURE is simply the
4th bar only CHORUS variation 3.

CHORUS                                  (variation 1)
 E (022100@1)           G#m (133111@4)       A (x02220@1)           B|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------| (x2444x@1)|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
|------9~-----|-----4~----|-------------|-----------|
|------9h11-9-|-----4h6-4-|-------7-----|-----------|
|---11~-------|---6~------|---7/9---9p7-|-------7---|
|-0~----------|-4~--------|-5-----------|-7-7h9---7-|

CHORUS variations on bar 4 (B chord)

on the last chorus before the solo, start the solo in the 4th bar
rather than one of the variations...
most of the song is consists of variations 2 and 4, 1 is only in
the intro, and 3 is only used as a lead into the chorus from other
parts.

 v2-|--------------|  v3-|---------------|  v4-|----------------|
...-|--------------| ...-|---------------| ...-|----------------|
   -|--------------|    -|---------------|    -|----------------|
   -|--------------|    -|--------9------|    -|--------9-------|
...-|-------7------| ...-|---9/11---11p9-| ...-|---9/11---11/14-|
   -|-7-7h9---9/12-|    -|-7-------------|    -|-7--------------|

VERSE

on the last time through stop on the A bass note then
go to the LEAD IN (bar 4 of CHORUS variation 3)

 E (022100@1)        B (x2444x@1)        A (x02220@1)        A|----------|----------|----------|----------| (x02220@1)|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|-----9----|------9---|--------7-|----4-7-4-|
|-----9h11-|----9---9-|----7/9---|-0~-------|
|-0~-------|-7~-------|-5~-------|----------|

SOLO
|--------------------|--------------------|------|------|------------------|
|--------------------|--------9----(hold)-|------|------|------------------|
|--------9----(hold)-|-(9)/11---11\9~~~~~-|--repeat x1--|------------------|
|-(6)/11---11\6~~~~~-|--------------------|------|------|-------6---(hold)-|
|--------------------|--------------------|------|------|-(7)/9---9\7~~~~~-|
|--------------------|--------------------|------|------|- ----------------|

BRIDGE
|-----------|--------------|--------|-------------|
|-----------|--------------|--------|-------------|
|-----2-----|-2----2-------|--------|-(chorus v3--|
|-----2h4-2-|-2h4--2h4-2---|--------|--bar 4------|
|---4-------|------------4-|--------|-as lead in)-|
|-2---------|-2------------|-5~~~---|-------------|

SONG STRUCTURE
The lyrics organised so that each new line represents another time through
the part.

(chorus v2)
(chorus v1)

(verse)
Hermit crabs and cawry shells, crush beneath his feet as comes towards you

(verse)
He's waving at you. Lift him

(verse)
up to see what you can see, he begins his focusing

(verse)
He's aiming at you. And now he has

(verse)
cutaways from memories, and close-ups of anything that

(verse)
He has seen or even dreamed, and now hes finished focusing he's

(verse)
imagining lightning, striking sea segments

(verse -> go to lead in on A bass note note)
Some way from here

(lead in) 
(chorus v2)
Look who's laughing now that you wasted

(chorus v4)
How many years and you've barely even tasted

(chorus v2)
Anything remotely close to everything you've boasted about

(chorus -> go to solo in bar 4)
Look who's crying now

(solo)

(no guitar, bass plays verse)
Driftwood floats, after years of erosion
Incoming tide touches roots to expose them,

(no guitar, bass plays verse)
Quicksand steals my shoe,
Clouds bring the f-stop blues

(bridge)

(chorus v2)
Look who's laughing now that you wasted

(chorus v4)
How many years and you've barely even tasted

(chorus v2)
Anything remotely close to everything you've boasted about

(chorus v4)
Look who's crying now

(chorus v2)
(chorus v4)
Show more