• Song:

    Catching The Butterfly

  • Artist:

    The Verve

  • Album:

    Homecoming (disc 1)

"Catching The Butterfly" from the album _Urban Hymns_ by The Verve
Written by The Verve
Produced by Potter/The Verve

tabbed by Jeremy Joseph-=-

The opening bass line kicks in:

Gwith an organ that sounds like it's breathing
G|----------------------------------|
D|------5h7---5h7---5--7---5---7----|  repeated through the song
A|----------------------------------|
E|---5------------------------------|


The lead guitar uses some kind of sustaining effect that
sounds almost like an E-bow.  I'm not sure what he actually
uses, but you can get a similar effect by using a wah pedal.
Start with the pedal all the way back and slowly press down
a little bit.

The subtle decending lead guitar at the beginning:
E|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
D|---11----\--------(7)-------------|---7--------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|

And the main riff:
E|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
D|-11----------(b9)-------12----------|---(b9)-----11------7-----(b9)--(7---5)-|
A|-(0)=====-------------(0)====-----|--(0)=====--------------------------|
E|--(b9)---------7--------10----------|---7-------(b9)-----5-----7---(5---3)-|
 (It sounds good if you let the A string drone)

A guitar pretty much mimics the vocal melody during the verses.
Another guitar improvises on muted A barre chords.

And the chorus goes something like:

   A
I'm gonna keep             catching the butterfly              in that
E|---------X-----X---------------------|---X-----X-----------------------|
B|---------X-----X---------------------|---X-----X-----------------------|
G|---------6--X--6---------------------|---4--X--4-----------------------|
D|---------7--X--7---X-7---X-7--X--7---|---5--X--5---X--5---X--5--X--5---|
A|---------7--X--7---X-7---X-7--X--7---|---5--X--5---X--5---X--5--X--5---|
E|---------5--X--------5-----5--X--5---|---3--X---------3------3-----3---|

  dream of mine..
E|----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|
D|--4---X--4---X--4--X--4(-\-2-)----|
A|--5---X--5---X--5--X--5-----------|
E|--2---X--2---X--2--X--2(-\-0-)----|


Chorus lead fill 1:
  E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  B|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  G|------------7------7-\-6----------|--------------------------------|
  D|----7-/-(b9)--(b9)--(b9)---------7------|----------5h7-------------------|
  A|----------------------------------|---5-h-7------------------------|
  E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|

Chorus lead fill 2:
     tremolo picking
  E|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|
  B|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|
  G|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|
  D|----7h9h7h9h7------5h7h5h7h5----|--4h5h4h5h4------2h4h2h4h2--------|
  A|--------------------------------|----------------------------4-----|
  E|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|

Chorus lead fill 3:
  E|-------------0--------------------|---------0--------0---------0-------|
  B|-----8---8--------10--------------|----8--------10--------12------10---|
  G|--X7------------------------------|------------------------------------|
  D|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
  A|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
  E|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|

Solo:
   very explosive
E|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
D|-7------(b9)---10--(b9)----10----7----|--7------(b9)---10--(b9)----10----7-----|
A|-0====----------------------------|--7---------------------------------|
E|-5------7-----8--7------8----5----|--5------7-----8--7------8----5-----|

  then this is repeated with some weird phasing effect:
E|-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------|
G|--12b(14)---b14---b14--b14--14(12)---|
D|-------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------|

And now let's put everything together to make sense

Verse 1:
So you were born and so you saw
The beauty's eyes to keep and hold
Oh child within has healing ways
It sees me through my darkest days

Chours:
I'm gonna keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.
I'm gonna keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.

In my lucid dreams
In my lucid dreams

Verse 2:
Something known through life no fun
I wanna feel, I wanna run

Chorus:
I'm gonna keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.        * (with fill 1)
(x2)

In my lucid dreams
In my lucid dreams

(Solo)

Chours:
I'm gonna keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.
Keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.        * (with fill 2)
I'm gonna keep catching the butterfly
in that dream of mine.        * (with fill 3)

Outro:
My darkest dreams
My darkest dreams
My lucid dreams
My forgotten schemes
My lucid dreams
My forgotten schemes
I see through you,
You see through me...
Belive in me..
To be in the light...


That's pretty much it.  I didn't tab every little note because
all of the lead guitar sounds very improvised and that's what
makes the song so awesome.  But, you get the picture.  Enjoy...
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