Califone – Mean Little Seed
Album – Quicksand/Cradlesnakes
Open E tuning (easiest to do open-D: DAD#AD with capo on 2nd; tab relative to capo)
*As with most Califone songs, as you play this main riff/melody, you also do a light
strumming of the open strings to affect that open tuning drone, which I won’t painstakingly
tab out here. Just play this riff and strum around until it sounds right.
Intro/Verse (4x):
E----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G#---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E---10----5///9\\\----0h4------0h2--------------0----------------------------|
B------------------------------------0h2-------------------------------------|
E-------------------------------------------0--------------------------------|
“Texas looks like Galilee,
Cripple trees and mean little seed”
Chorus (4x):
E----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G#---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E--------3h5--3--------------------0-------------0---------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-----------------5/6\5------3bp0----------3bp0------------------------------|
Verse riff (4x)
“Today hung clearly fake only for your eyes
Spit it out, James, take it all apart
Waiting for the yellow bleed mustard from a crow
Quiet quick violence
Chorus riff (4x)
Bridge:
E-----------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
G#----------------------------------------------|
E----10--9--10--9------///7-------4\\\2p0-------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------------|
Yeah, like shit on old money
E-----------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
G#----------------------------------------------|
E----10--9--10--9------///7-------4\\\2p0-------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------------|
yeah, can't wash it off
E-------------------------------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------------------------------|
G#------------------------------------------------------------|
E----10--9--10--9------///7-------4\\\2p0---4\\\2p0-----------|
B-------------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------0--------|(ring heavy)
Held like lice on a lion
Then this slight variation on the verse riff (2x)
E----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G#---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E------10-----9-----5----7-----4\\2p0---------------0------------------------|
B----------------------------------------0h2---------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------------0----------------------------|
Chorus riff (4x)
Bridge riff (2x)
Well, stay quick and quiet now mmm, my mean little seed
Held like lice on a lion
Chorus riff (4x)
