• Song:

    Pushing The Needle Too Far

  • Artist:

    Indigo Girls

  • Album:

    4.5

G5        G5          -     G5     -     G5     
{intro} 
  

       G5                                                G5        
Well I woke up this morning, grey dawn, with a prayer on my breath 
          G5                                           G5               
You see I lost something precious, and God'll save me from losing myself 
   -             G5        -             G5     
  I think I know what's wrong,    I think I know what's wrong 
  

     G5                                       G5                
Now, I've met the Queen and I understand why, why she closed the door 
        G5                                 
I'm not making excuses, but you see I've been there a few times, you know I was 
G5                        
  I was knocking on the door 
           -             G5        -             G5     
I said I, I think I know what's wrong,    I think I know what's wrong 
  

               G5                                        G5      
See, there's a man, he lived in a house, he had a family of five 
         G5                                             G5 
Well, he blew up the windows and the doors, he said I just couldn't, 
                        
   I just couldn't survive 
  

            B5                       A5 
Well, we've all been removed in one way or another 
   B5                          A5 
We don't know our families, we don't need our brothers 
D5   -  D5 - D5  - D5  D5 D5 D5     -          G5      G5    
Pushin' the needle too far,        pushing the needle too far 
  

G5    G5      G5    G5   
{Guitar solo} 
G5    G5      G5    G5   
{Guitar solo} 
  

            G5                                                      G5    
Well if you wake up in the morning, grey dawn, with a prayer on your breath 
           G5                                         G5                  
Maybe you lost something precious; your god will save you from losing yourself 
   -             G5        -             G5 
  I think I know what's wrong,    I think I know what's wrong 
  

         G5                          G5              {etc.} 
It's the queen who closed the door, the family that lies 

The people who turn, the cat that has died 

A boy that O.D.'s, a girl with a gun 

The world on its knees, the band on the run 

(You'd help me more by not giving in) 

(I said you'd help me more by not giving in) 

(You'd help me more by not giving in) 

(I said you'd help me more, now don't you give in) 
  
{Ad lib on G &  for a while} 
  

           -             G5        -             G5     
I said I, I think I know what's wrong,    I think I know what's wrong 
{slowly:}          -          G5   {end on slow arpeggio of G5 chord} 
          We're pushing the needle too far 
  
  
  
STRUMMING PATTERN: 
  
{Amy Ray probably doesn't strum every measure exactly the same, but these are 
 typical.  Note that this isn't the intro, or the chorus, or anything; it's 
 just for illlustrative purposes.  ("d"=strum down, "u"=strum up.)} 
  
  G                                                      
E 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | 3-----3-3-3-3-----3-3-3- |  
B 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | 3-----3-3-3-3-----3-3-3- |  
G 0---0-0---0-0-----0-0-0- | 0---0-0---0-0-----0-0-0- | 2-----2-2-2-0-----0-0-0- |  
D 0---0-0---0-0-----0-0-0- | 2---2-2---2-0=2---2-2-2- | 3-----3-3-3-2-----2-2-2- |  
A 2---2-2---2-0=2---2-2-2- | 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | ------------3-----3-3-3- |  
E 3---3-3---3-3-----3-3-3- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  d   d u   u d     u d u  d   d u   u d     u d u  d     u d u d     u d u 
  
  
GUITAR SOLO: 
  
=    hammer-on or pull-off 
/    slide 
T    tenth fret (takes up less space this way) 
  
t16  denotes 16th-note triplets; other than those, the timing and spacing 
      are accurate. 
  
  G                                             G 
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
B ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
G ------------------------ | 4=5--------------------- | -----------57---5---4--- |  
D ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
A ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  
                       G                         
E ------------------------ | ------------------5-7-8- | T87---------T87--------- |  
B ------------------------ | ----------3-5-7-8------- | ----8-----------8------- |  
G 45---------------------- | ----0=2/4--------------- | ^^^---------^^^--------- |  
D ------------------------ | 0=2--------------------- | t16---------t16--------- |  
A ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  
  G                                             G 
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
B ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
G 7-----------7---5---4--- | 5----------------------- | 2=0---4-----5-----7----- |  
D ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
A ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  
                       G                         
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
B ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
G 5-----4-----2---020----- | 7---4-------5---2---0--- | 4-------0---2=0-----0--- |  
D --------------------4--- | --------5--------------- | ----5-----------4=5----- |  
A ----------------^^^----- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ----------------t16----- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  
  G                                             G 
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------5-7-8- |  
B ------------------------ | ------3-----5-----8----- | ----------3-5-7-8------- |  
G 2=0---4-----5-----7----- | 2=0---4-----5-----7----- | ----0=2/4--------------- |  
D ------------------------ | ------------------------ | 0=2--------------------- |  
A ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
  
                       G                         
E T--T--T--T--T--8--7----- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
B ------------------------(8)---------------------- | ------------------------ |  
G ------------------------ | 2-----------2=4--------- | 4/5---------5/7--------- |  
D ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
A ------------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------ |  
E ------------------------ | -------(This-section-repeats-four-times)--------- |  
  ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   .    ^   .   .   ^   .   . 
              "Well if you wake up in the morning..." 
  
{The (8) on the B string in the second-to-last measure is only played the 
 first time through, coming out of the solo.  After that, play the 2 on 
 the G string.} 
 
 
 
- Adam Schneider, schneider@pobox.com
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