• Song:

    Heaven Hell Or Houston

  • Artist:

    ZZ Top

--------------------------------------------------------------
               HEAVEN, HELL OR HOUSTON - ZZ TOP
--------------------------------------------------------------

Tabbed by: damo_25 (Damien Madell)
E-mail: damo_25@live.com.au

Tuning: standard EADGBE

This version is tabbed from ZZ Top's 1981 studio album El Loco.

I love this quirky track, which is relatively easy to play and
is loaded with classic ZZ Top swagger.

I mainly tabbed this song to capture the solo, which I haven't
seen tabbed or taught before. The solo is super cool - it's very
simple, but played with amazing feel and great understatement.
It makes a tasty lesson in phrasing and spicy E blues licks.

ZZ Top perform this song live - check out youtube to see the
most Reverend Billy F Gibbons in action.

Play with mucho mojo :-)


Intro

    C5             Bm5            Am             G5
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
B|--------1-----|--------1-----|--------1-----|--------------|
G|--------------|--------------|-----------2--|--------0-----|
D|-----2-----2--|-----0-----0--|-----2--------|-----0--------|
A|--3-----------|--2-----------|--0-----------|--------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--3--------2--|

    F              Em             Dsus2          D
E|--------------|--------------|-----------0--|--2-----------|
B|--------1-----|--------------|--------3-----|--------------|
G|-----------2--|-----------0--|-----2--------|--------------|
D|-----3--------|--------2-----|--0-----------|--------------|
A|--------------|-----2--------|--------------|--------------|
E|--1-----------|--0-----------|--------------|--------------|
                                 (let ring........)

Verse #1

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

   (telephone rings...)           Hello darling... surprised?

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

    Yes, it's me again. I've just returned from the island of

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

Chandeleur. What am I doing in town? Well, I'm glad you asked.

    A              G5    C5    F5    Bb5
E|--------------|--------------------------||
B|--------------|--------------------------||
G|--2-----------|-----------5-----------3--||
D|--------------|-----5-----5-----3-----3--||
A|--0-----------|-----5--3--------3--1-----||
E|--------------|--3-----------1-----------||

I'm just passing through in search of the ever elusive Thunderbird (wine).


Verse #2 lyrics (repeat tab from verse #1)

    I got a job as a public relations man.
    Passing out handbills on Austin Street.
    Merely an effort to improve my... financial situation.
    And ward off a case of the DTs.


Solo

    E
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--3/5~~~~~~~~~~~------3---------|--------------------------------|
G|-------------------------\2--0--|--2b4---------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|-------2~~~~~~~~~------0--------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------2--0--|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    E
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|------2~~~~~~~~~------0---------|--2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--------|
A|-------------------------2------|--------------------------------|
E|--3^------------------------3^--|--------------------------------|


    A
E|--3^----------------------------|--3^----------------------------|
B|------5~~~~~~~~~------3--3--5~~-|------5~~~~~~~~~------3--3--5~~-|
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    E
E|------------------------0-------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------3^-----0----|---------------------3---3---3--|
G|--------------------------------|---------------------------4----|
D|-----------2--------------------|------2-------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--0---3^------------------------|--3^------0---------------------|

    B7
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|------3--3--3---------------3---|---------3----------------------|
G|-------------------2--2--2------|------2-----4---2--2--2--4------|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--2-----------------------------|---2----------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|----------------------------3^--|

    E
E|---------------------------3^---|--5------5b7--3-----------------|
B|------------3-------5~~~--------|-----5-----------5~~~~~~-/-x-\--|
G|---------4----------------------|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--0-----------------------------|--------------------------------|

    E
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--15b17~~~~~~~~~~~~-----12\x----|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|-------1------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|-------2------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|-------2------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|----0---------------------------|

    E
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------3--3--3^--5~~~~~--|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|----0-----0---------------------|
D|------3-------------------------|----0--x--0--2------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3^-----0----------------------|----------------------------3^--|

    A
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|-----0---0--2------2---2--x-----|-----2----------4b6--4--2-------|
D|-----0---0--2------2---2--x-----|-----2---------------------4p2--|
A|--0----0-------x-----0----------|--------------------------------|
E|----------------------------3^--|--3^----------------------------|
   (palm mute)

    E
E|------------------------0-------|--------0-----------------------|
B|--------------------3^----------|---------------3^----5~~~~~~----|
G|--------------------------------|---0h1---------4--4---------4-4-|
D|-----------3--------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--0----3^-----------------------|--------------------------------|

    B7
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|------3---3---------------------|------3---3---------------------|
G|------4------4------2---2^--4---|------4-------4~~----2---2---0--|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--2-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    E
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--3/5~~~~~~~~-----3-------------|--------------------------------|
G|----------------------4\2---0---|---2/3/4------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|----------2---------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    G5      C5      F5     Bb5
E|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|
G|-------------5--------------3---|
D|-----5-------5-------3------3---|
A|-----5----3----------3---1------|
E|--3---------------1-------------|


Outro

    C5             Bm#5/C         Am             G
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
B|--------1-----|--------1-----|--------1-----|--------0-----|
G|--------------|-----------0--|-----------2--|-----------0--|
D|-----2-----2--|-----0--------|-----2--------|-----0--------|
A|--3-----------|--2-----------|--0-----------|--------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--3-----------|

So farewell, my darling Perhaps we'll meet again.

    F              Bb             Cmaj7
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--0-----------|
B|--------1-----|--------3-----|-----------0--|--------------|
G|-----------2--|-----------3--|--------0-----|--------------|
D|-----3--------|-----3--------|-----2--------|--------------|
A|--------------|--1-----------|--3-----------|--------------|
E|--1-----------|--------------|--------------|--------------|

                                 (let ring..................

On some sin-infested street corner in Houston, Texas.

                   G5    C5    F5
E|--------------|--------------------------||
B|--------------|--------------------------||
G|--------------|-----------5--------------||
D|--------------|-----5-----5--3-----------||
A|--------------|-----5--3-----3-----------||
E|--------------|--3-----------1-----------||
  ...........)


************************************

| /   slide up
| \   slide down
| h   hammer-on
| p   pull-off
| ~   vibrato
| +   harmonic
| x   Mute note
| b   Bend
| pb  Pre-bend
| br  Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend

************************************
Show more