• Song:

    The Ballad of Red Buckets

  • Artist:

    Yo La Tengo

  • Album:

    Electr-o-pura

Artist: Yo La Tengo
Album: Electr-O-Pura (release date: May 2, 1995)
Song: The Ballad of Red Buckets

A good, rather underrated song from Elect-O-Pura.

Tuning: Standard

Here is the intro (this riff is also played by one guitar throughout the duration of the 
entire song with the exception of the chorus):

|e-------------------|
|B-------------------|
|G---0---0-------0---|
|D---------3-3-3-----|  x4
|A-------------------|
|E-------------------|

Chorus riff:

|e-------------------------|
|B-----1---1---------------|
|G---0-------3---2-----0---|
|D-------------------3-----|
|A-------------------------|
|E-------------------------|

Verse 1:

|e--------------------------------------------|
|B----------------------------------------1---|
|G----------------------------------0-2-3-----|
|D--------------------------------------------|
|A--------------------------------------------|
|E--------------------------------------------|

     I wonder what's on your mind

|e----------------------------------------------|
|B----------------------------------1-1---------|
|G--------------------------------------0---2---|
|D----------------------------------------3-----|
|A----------------------------------------------|
|E----------------------------------------------|

     I wonder what's on your mind

|e----------------------------------------------------------|
|B----------------------------------------------------------|
|G----------------------------------------------------------|
|D-------------------------3/5------------------------3/5---|
|A----------------------------------------------------------|
|E----------------------------------------------------------|

     Look around and see         What it does to me

I wonder what's on your mind

Chorus Riff: x2



|e------------------------------------------------|
|B------------------------------------1-3-3---1---|
|G------------------------------------------------|
|D------------------------------------------------|
|A------------------------------------------------|
|E------------------------------------------------|

     I think I'll throw it all away

|e--------------------------------------------------|
|B------------------------------------3-1-------1---|
|G----------------------------------------3-3-3-----|
|D--------------------------------------------------|
|A--------------------------------------------------|
|E--------------------------------------------------|

     I think I'll throw it all away

|e-----------------------------------------|
|B-------------------------------------1---|
|G-----------------------------------2-----|
|D-----------------------------------------|
|A-----------------------------------------|
|E-----------------------------------------|

     And if dreams come back to me

|e-------------------------------------------|
|B-------------------------------------1-3---|
|G-----------------------------------2-------|
|D-------------------------------------------|
|A-------------------------------------------|
|E-------------------------------------------|

     I'll pretend that I don't see

|e---------------------------------------------------|
|B---------------------------------------1---1-1-----|
|G-------------------------------------2-------------|
|D-----------------------------------------------3---|
|A---------------------------------------------------|
|E---------------------------------------------------|

     I'll just cover my eyes instead

[Chorus]

I am not sure, but I believe that this is the alternate riff the first guitar (the one 
playing the constant riff) plays during the chorus:

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

While the second guitar (the one playing the individual solos) plays the following:

|e---------------0-------------------------------|
|B---------1-3-----------------------------------|
|G-----2-----------------------------------------|
|D---3-------------------------------------------|
|A-----------------------------------------------|
|E-----------------------------------------------|

                     But it is sure to come

|e---------------0--------------------------|
|B---------1-3-----3------------------------|
|G-----2------------------------------------|
|D---3--------------------------------------|
|A------------------------------------------|
|E------------------------------------------|

                       It is sure to come

|e---------------0-3--------------------------|
|B---------1-3--------------------------------|
|G-----2--------------------------------------|
|D---3----------------------------------------|
|A--------------------------------------------|
|E--------------------------------------------|

                        Here it comes again

Chorus riff: x2



|e------------------------------|
|B---------3--------------3/5---|
|G---0-2-0----------0-2-0-------|
|D------------------------------|   x2
|A------------------------------|
|E------------------------------|

Chorus riff: x2



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

     I think I'll throw it all away

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

     I think I'll throw it all away

|e-------------------------------------------|
|B-------------------------------------3/5---|
|G-------------------------------0-2-0-------|
|D-------------------------------------------|
|A-------------------------------------------|
|E-------------------------------------------|

     If dreams come back to me

|e-------------------------------------------|
|B-------------------------------------5-3---|
|G-----------------------------------2-------|
|D-------------------------------------------|
|A-------------------------------------------|
|E-------------------------------------------|

     I'll pretend that I don't see

|e---------------------------------------------------|
|B---------------------------------------1---1-1-----|
|G-------------------------------------2-------------|
|D-----------------------------------------------3---|
|A---------------------------------------------------|
|E---------------------------------------------------|

     I'll just cover my eyes instead

Chorus (repeat "Here it comes again" refrain with the Chorus riff 4 times at the end)

And the song ends there.
Questions? Comments? Corrections? All appreciated.
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