Song: SKYCLAD
Title track taken from the debut album "Wayward Sons of Mother
Earth" released by Noise records (1991).

TABbed and typed up by Nick Ricioppo 8th April 1998


For this album Steve Ramsey uses a Gibson SG with a Marshall Valve
Amp with plenty of gain.

NOTES:
x - muted, unfretted string
~ - vibrato
p - pull off
h - hammer on


Prelude: - fades in along with drums and bass
   f#5                               E5      F#5      G5       F#5
e||--------------------------------.---------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.---------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.---------------------------------||
D||-4---------------------------(4).-2--------4--------5-------4--4--||
A||-4---------------------------(2).-2--------4--------5-------4--4--||
E||-2---------------------------(2).-0--------2--------3-------2--2--||


Riff 1: (play twice)
------
mute the low E string notes but allow A string notes to ring normally
down pick ALL the notes (yep-you'll need to practice this!)

e||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
A||-----5---4-----6---5---8---7----.-----5---4-----6---5---8---7-5-||
E||-2-2---2---2--2---x---x---x----x.-2-2---2---2-2---x---x---x-----||

now play Riff 1 twice more with the following lead guitar over the top.

Lead Guitar:
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.---------------16-14-13-14------||
G||------------14------------------.16-------------------------16~~~||
D||----16-17------17-16-14-14-16---.----16-17-----------------------||
A||14---------------------------14-.--------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||

FIRST VERSE
-----------

Riff 2: (play 3 times)
------
Martin - "I'll sing to you of days departed..."


Listen to the CD carefully to get this rhythm correct.  This riff
is played on the bottom E (muted).  There are so many notes that I've
had to split the riff into two lines.  Each line is exactly half the
duration of the bars which I've tabbed above.

part 1:
e||---------------------------------------||
B||---------------------------------------||
G||---------------------------------------||   then....
D||---------------------------------------||
A||---------------------------------------||
E||-2--2-2-2-2-22222222-33333333-66665555-||

part 2:
e||---------------------------------------||
B||---------------------------------------||
G||---------------------------------------||
D||---------------------------------------||
A||---------------------------------------||
E||-2--2-2-2-2-22222222-33333333-00000000-||


Now play Riff 1 (one time)

Martin "Held within the safety of this mundane existence.."

then...

Riff 1b: - a slightly altered Riff 1 (play one time)
-------

e||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------.-------------------------------||
A||-----5---4-----6---5---8---7----.-----5---4---------------------||
E||-2-2---2---2-2---x---x---x----x-.-2-2---2---2-2--222--222--222--||

Pre-Chorus
----------
Martin - "We cannot see through clothes may maketh man.."


Riff 3 (play twice)
------
Strum these power chord in a staccato fashion (listen to the record to
get the idea).

    F#5     G5        F#5      D5    F#5      G5        F#5      F5
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||-11------12--------11-------7---.-11-------12--------11-------10-||
D||-11------12--------11-------7---.-11-------12--------11-------10-||
A||-(b9)------10--------(b9)-------5---.-(b9)-------10--------(b9)-------8--||
E||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||


Martin "..and so cast off the lies..."

Riff 4: (play 1 time)
------
    D5              A5              C#5             B5
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||-7------------------------------.-6------------------------------||
D||-7---------------7--------------.-6--------------(b9)--------------||
A||-5---------------7--------------.-4--------------(b9)--------------||
E||-----------------5--------------.----------------7---------------||

then enter:

Lead Guitar Fill
e||--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------||
D||-----------------very fast trill||
A||----2--------5---45454545454545-||
E||-5-----5-4-2--------------------||


Fill 1: - (play 1 time)
e||-----------------||
B||-----------------||
G||-----------------||
D||-----4-----------||
A||-------5-4-2-----||
E||-2-2---------5-4-||


CHORUS:
------
Play Riff 1 (1 time)
Martin "SKYCLAD - the veil has lifted.."

Play Riff 1b (1 time)
Martin "SKYCLAD - your mask of illusion.."


SECOND VERSE
------------

Play Riff 2 (twice)
Martin "Financial wizards read their spells.."

Play Riff 1 (1 time)
Martin "Your mortgage payment rocket.."

Play Riff 1b (1 time)
Martin "In your Armani armour.."

PRE-CHORUS
----------

Play Riff 3 (twice)
Martin "Just give me a simple life.."

Play Riff 4 (1 time)
Martin "How can you know the cost.."


Now play this muted riff with the Lead Guitar (below)
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||

B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
A||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
E||-5---5-5-5-5-5-5--4--4-4-4----4-.-(4)----------------------------||


Lead Guitar break:

      full bend
e||----/~~~-----------------14-----.--fast trill--------------------||
B||-17/------15p14----14-15----15--14151415141514151415~~~~~~~~-----||
G||----------------16--------------.--------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
A||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||


Rhythm Fill:
e||--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------||
D||-----4--------------------------||
A||---4---4-5-4-2------------------||
E||-2-------------5----------------||


BRIDGE:
------
Play Riff 1 (one and three quarter times - honest!)
This more loosely using and ALTERNATE picking
Use the neck pick-up for this Riff.

Next comes the solo - I'm afraid haven't bothered tabbing this
because I can't (yet).  If anyone else can please go ahead otherwise
You'll have to wait until I get one of those phrase trainer thingummys..

However it's in F minor with some harmonic minor notes thrown in and
here is the Riff over which it is played

Solo Riff: (play 4 times)
---------
   B5       C5       D5      Eb5     B5       C5        D5       B5
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||4--------5--------7--------8----.-4--------5---------7--------4--||
D||4--------5--------7--------8----.-4--------5---------7--------4--||
A||2--------3--------5--------6----.-2--------3---------5--------2--||
E||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||

Riff 5: (play 1 time)
-------
Martin: "If you think because you've paid.."
Strum these power chords as on the record (practice!!!)

    A5    C5    B5                   A5    C5   D5  B5
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
D||-7-----10----(b9)-----------------.-7----10----12--(b9)--------------||
A||-7-----10----(b9)-----------------.-7----10----12--(b9)--------------||
E||-5-----8-----7------------------.-5----8-----10--7---------------||

straight into..
Riff 6: (play 1 time)
------
Martin: "By Fate's command we win or lose.."
strummed as Riff 5

    A5      C5      B5      F#5      A5  Ab5     E5 F#5
e||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
B||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
D||-7-------10------(b9)------4------.-7-----6-----2--4-----------(4)-||
A||-7-------10------(b9)------4------.-7-----6-----2--4-----------(2)-||
E||-5-------8-------7-------2------.-5-----4-----0--2-----------(2)-||

Play Fill 1: - straight into the CHORUS

CHORUS
Play Riff 1 (1 time)  "SKYCLAD - the veil has lifted.."

Play Riff 1b (1 time) "SKYCLAD - your mask of illusion.."

EXEUNT (?)
Play Riff 3 (twice)   "We charge each other for.."

Play Riff 4 (1 time)  "And so cast off the lies.."

Lead Guitar played over the top of power chords:

    A5  D5  C#5 B5  A5  B5  C#5
e||-17--15--14--------------14-----.--------------------------------||
B||-------------16--14--16---------.--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
A||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------.--------------------------------||

classical guitar outro:

    C#5                  A5                    C#5                     B5
e|14--17--16--14---------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------16--14--13--16--14--13----------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------16--14--13--16--14--13--11--14--13|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|

Lyrics:
-------

VERSE ONE:
I'll sing to you of days departed,
Times when men proud and stouthearted carved their names on history's
-bloody page,
The corpse of chivalry long dead
is turning in his loamy bed indignant at your new 'enlightened age'
White collared knights at boardroom tables dream their own financial
fables,
Fight to make their incomes larger - mounted on their credit charges.

Held with in the safety of this mundane existence -
Facing endless grey Mondays of dull nine to fives,
We all climb the social ladder with a dogged persistence,
Forging chains we shall carry for the rest of our lives.

PRE-CHORUS:
We cannot see through clothes may maketh man they cannot give us
shelter -
n this mortal helter-skelter if our loyalties are torn,
Between the values we believe in and the egos we are feeding -
We stand all together naked as the day we were born.

And so cast off the lies that are your lives and find the truth within

CHORUS:
SKYCLAD - the veil has lifted
SKYCLAD - now I see through
SKYCLAD - your mask of illusion
SKYCLAD - to the fake that is you

VERSE TWO:
Financial wizards read their spells from filofaxes
Concrete hells of their own making pass for Avalon.
These men self-made by shrewd investing spend their weekends child-
molesting
Lost in 'green-belt' dreams they do no wrong.

Your mortgage payment rocket -
Like your blood pressure rising.
Executinve stresses are the dragons you fight.
In your Armani armour you are practically shining,
So have no code of honour - you must always be right.

Just give me a simple life - my tastes are not demanding,
And whatever life will hand me I'll accept it with good grace;
For I'm just a simple lad with few ideas above my station,
So ale and song will apt suffice to keep me in my place

How can you know the cost of everything and never see its worth?

PRE-CHORUS:
If you think because you've paid the piper you should call the tune -
Well think again my friend life is a game of chance,
By Fates command we win or lose,
But still retain the right to choose
If we should stumble on - or shed our cares and dance

CHORUS: (as above)

EXEUNT:
You charge each other for the time and breath it takes to say 'good
morning'
But the truth is slowly dawning - things are getting out of hand,
We all pursue our shattered dreams along the roads to our own ruin -
Watch our empires sink and wash away like castles made of sand

And so cast off the lies that are your lives and find the truth within
Show more