This is an absolutely awesome song. It looks really simple on paper,
but it sounds so GREAT! The whole thing is in drop-D, and there's
only a few chords that are reversed in different sections. The form
of the song is really interesting: it's A-B-A, but the A section is
a verse-chorus, and the B section has a series of new verses with
a big solo that crashes back into the A section in one of my favorite
crescendoes ever. Then the A section does one more verse and chorus
and then fades out with the chorus.


VERSE

The intro/verse uses just C and the "moveable C" that you use in "Man
on the Moon" by REM. For the last unit, you just change to a Cadd9.
Or you can call it a Csus2, or a Cadd2, or whatever, no none cares.
If anyone cares, that's probably because you're doing music theory
homework, in which case you'd call it a ninth chord.

Dsus4(D11) (xx0233@1)CMajor (x32010@1)	D11 (xx0010@1)C9 (x3233x@1)D (xx0232@1)name="chord_x02220@1">A D (xx0232@1)name="chord_320003@1">G B (x2444x@1)name="chord_022000@1">e	D (xx0232@1)name="chord_x02220@1">A D (xx0232@1)name="chord_320003@1">G B (x2444x@1)name="chord_022000@1">e	D (xx0232@1)name="chord_x02220@1">A D (xx0232@1)name="chord_320003@1">G B (x2444x@1)name="chord_022000@1">e	D (xx0232@1)name="chord_x02220@1">A D (xx0232@1)name="chord_320003@1">G B (x2444x@1)name="chord_022000@1">e

0 5 4 0 X X	X 3 2 0 1 X	0 5 4 0 5 X	X 3 2 0 3 0


The picking goes like this:


e------------------------------------------------------------------

B--------------------------------1---------------------------------

G-------------0---------------------0-----------------0------------

D----------4-----4------------2--------2-----------4-----4---------

A-------5------------5--0--3--------------3-----5-----------5--0---

D----0---------------------------------------0---------------------

e--------------|-------------------------------------------------------
	       |
B--------------|-------------------------------1---------------------5-
	       |
G----------0---|-------------0--------------------0--------------------
	       |
D-------2------|----------4-----4-----------2--------2------------4----
	       |
A----3---------|-------5-----------5--0--3--------------3------5-------
	       |
D--------------|----0---------------------------------------0----------

e----------------------0-------------|----
				     |
B-------------------------3----------|----
				     |
G----0--------------0--------0-------|----
				     |
D-------4--------2--------------0----|----
				     |
A----------5--3----------------------|----
				     |
D------------------------------------|----


CHORUS

For the chorus ("Written down..."), it's this:	  and end with this:

e-----------------------------------------------|--------------------
					        |
B-------------------------------3---------------|--------------------
					        |
G-------------------------------2---------------|----5----4----------
					        |
D-------------------------------0---------------|----5----4----3-----
					        |
A----3----3--5----0----0--0-----------0---------|----3----2----3-----
					        |
D----3----3--5----0----0--0-----------0---------|--------------3-----

Then one guitar transitions with this figure (clean):

G-------0-------0-------

D-----------------------

A----3------2-----------

D-------------------3---

While the rhythm guitar (heavy) plays this to pick
it back up for the new section:

A----3----3--3--5-------

D----3----3--3--5-------

And then you go on to the B section, which starts with an awesome riff.

e-------------------------------------------------------

B----3----3--3------------------------------3----3--3---

G----2----2--2------------------------------2----2--2---	etc.

D----0----0--0------------------------------0----0--0---

A-----------------3-h5--5--5--3--3-h5-------------------

D-----------------3-h5--5--5--3--3-h5--X--X-------------

You can also play it this way:

e-----------------------------------------

B-----------------------------------------

G----7----7--7----------------------------

D----7----7--7----------------------------

A----5----5--5----3-h5--5--3--3--5--------

D-----------------3-h5--5--3--3--5--X--X--

I don't think the cops will catch you no matter which one you use.
I just like the brighter sound of the first one better myself.

For the "Keep on time" section (B section verse), play this with palm
muting on the A string and a nice open growl on the fifths:

e---------------------------------------------------------------

B---------------------------------------------------------------

G---------------------------------------------------------------

D---------------------------------------------------------------

A----3--5--5--3--5--3-----3----3--3--5--------------------------

D----------------------X--3----3--3--5--------------------------

I'm sorry that I can't give you the solo, but I can tell you that it
goes over the main B section riff. After the solo spirals upward and
everybody swings into that big, kick-ass crescendo, the rhythm guitar
plays these chords:

e-------------------------------------------------------

B-------------------------------------------------------

G----7------5-------------------------------------------

D----7------5------3------5-----------------------------

A----5------3------3------5-----------------------------

D------------------3------5-----------------------------

After that, it's back to the A section (verse-chorus) for a fade.
In real life, you have to find a way to end it, and I haven't quite.
Let me know if you get any good ideas!

Have fun with this song, it's one of my favorites.

Show more