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) C Major D11 C9
D A D G B E D A D G B E D A D G B E D A D G B 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.
