Song: The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (Live)
Artist: Traffic
Album: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, 1971
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8M8R835Ck4;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_Spark_of_High_Heeled_Boys
Tempo: 4|4
Style: Jazz Blues Fusion
Method: Slow and deliberate, employing short rests at the end of verse lines
Tuning: Standard
Capo 5
Chords:
EADGBe
Am7 X02010
Bm/A X04432
A X02220
E 022100
G 320003
D XX0232
C X32010
D7 XX0212
A7 X02020
C/G 332010
INTRO:(Slow Fade-In: Sax and Piano over)
|Am7 |Bm/A |Am7 |Bm/A |
VERSE 1:
Am7 Bm/A
If you see something that looks like a star,
Am7 Bm/A
And it's shooting up out of the ground.
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
And your head is spinning from a loud guitar,
Am7 Bm/A
And you just can't escape from the sound.
Am7 Bm/A
Don't worry too much, it'll happen to you,
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
We were children once, playing with toys.
BRIDGE 1:
A E
And the thing that you're hearing is only the sound of,
G D C
The low spark of high-heeled boys.
INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE 1:
|D7 |G D7|G D7|
CHORUS 1:
D A7
The percentage you're paying is too high a price,
D A7
While you're living beyond all your means.
D A7
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car,
C/G G D
From the profit he's made on your dreams.
C/G G D C/G G
But today you just read that the man was shot dead,
C/G G D C/G G
By a gun that didn't make any noise.
BRIDGE 2:
A E
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest, was,
G D C
The low spark of high-heeled boys. (High-heeled boys)
:: INSTRUMENTAL ::
|Am7 Bm/A |Am7 Bm/A |
|Am7 Bm/A |Am7 Bm/A |
VERSE 3:
Am7 Bm/A
If you had just a minute to breathe,
Am7 Bm/A
And they granted you one final wish.
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
Would you ask for something like another chance?
Am7 Bm/A
Or something sim'lar as this?
Am7 Bm/A
Don't worry too much, it’ll happen to you,
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
As sure as your sorrows are joys.
BRIDGE 3:
A E
And the thing that disturbs you is only the sound of,
G D C
The low spark of high-heeled boys.
CHORUS 2:
A7 D A7
The percentage you're paying is too high a price,
D A7
While you're living beyond all your means.
D A7
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car,
C/G G D
From the profit he's made on your dreams.
C/G G C/G G
But today you just read that the man was shot dead,
C/G G D C/G G
By a gun that didn't make any noise.
BRIDGE 4:
A E
But it wasn't the bullet that laid him to rest, was,
G D C
The low spark of high-heeled boys. (‘heeled boys)
VERSE 4
Am7 Bm/A
If I gave you everything that I owned,
Am7 Bm/A
And asked for nothing in return.
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
Would you do the same for me as I would for you?
Am7 Bm/A
Or take me for a ride,
Am7 Bm/A
And strip me of everything, including my pride.
Am7 Bm/A Am7 Bm/A
But spirit is something that no one destroys.
BRIDGE 5:
A E
And the sound that I'm hearing is only the sound, of,
G D C
The low spark of high-heeled boys. (heeled boys)
CODA:(Slow Fade-Out: Sax and Piano over)
|Am7 |Bm/A |Am7 |Bm/A |
[End]
NOTES:
1. I have tried to make this classic Traffic song, more accessible on Capo 5. I have played it through
with a few reservations about the Bm/A. Although, it produces the closest sound to their ascending and
descending chords, that I can achieve.
2. Much the song’s appeal lies in the unique contributions from each band member. “David Lubin wrote
in his album review that appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine in 1972, "Each member of the group lays
down a track or tracks which could in parts stand alone."”
3. ‘The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys’ (album) is the fifth studio album by English rock band Traffic,
released in 1971. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_Spark_of_High_Heeled_Boys
