by Jeff Tweedy
Tabbed by Brian R. Kessler bkessler@btv.ibm.com
Here is a detailed explanation of how to play it, followed by a summary.
For the intro, the guitar just seems to play an A-chord, with the piano adding the fill-notes. If you wish to play the fill notes on guitar, you will have to make the A-chord with your 2,3,4 fingers in a line, and your 1 (index) finger on the 1st fret of the Hi-e stg. I’ll call this chord A1, since there will be other A fingerings that we will have to use.
By the way, Jeff seems to use a lot of A-chord fingerings, as evidenced by this song and, similarly A.M.’s “I Must Be High”, where he seems to use an inverted D-chord triangle fingering (all mushed together at the 2nd fret), for the A and just slides his 1-finger down for the next chord, Amaj7.
A1: Chord (drawn like a guitar) Fill (drawn like tablature)
(numbers mean fingers) (numbers mean frets)
e .-----.-----.-----.--- e --------1-----
B |-----|--4--|-----|--- B --2--0--------
G |-----|--3--|-----|--- G --------------
D |-----|--2--|-----|--- D --------------
A |-----|-----|-----|--- A --------------
E '-----'-----'-----'--- E --------------
>>> (A1)We've got solid-state technology
>>> (F#m)Tapes on the (F#m maj7)floorFor the (F#m) to (F#m maj7) change, just put your 2-finger behind your 4-finger after the (F#m). The letter ‘O’ means make a barre with your 1-finger, like this:
F#m: e .-----.--O--.-----.-----.-- F#m maj7: e .-----.--O--.-----.-----.--
B |-----|--O--|-----|-----|-- B |-----|--O--|-----|-----|--
G |-----|--O--|-----|-----|-- G |-----|--O--|-----|-----|--
D |-----|--O--|-----|--4--|-- D |-----|--O--|--2--|-----|--
A |-----|--O--|-----|--3--|-- A |-----|--O--|-----|--3--|--
E '-----'--O--'-----'-----'-- E '-----'--O--'-----'-----'--
>>> And some (A2)songs we can't (F#m maj7/F)afford to (F#m)play (A7)For this progression, make a four-string barre for the A-chord (just don’t strum the Hi-e stg - I’ll hereafter refer to this as A2), walk the bass-note up, then pivot the 2 and 4 fingers around for the last chord (A7).
A2: e .-----.--x--.-----.-- F#m maj7/F: e .-----.--O--.-----.-----.--
B |-----|--O--|-----|-- B |-----|--O--|-----|-----|--
G |-----|--O--|-----|-- G |-----|--O--|-----|-----|--
D |-----|--O--|-----|-- D |-----|--O--|--2--|-----|--
A |-----|-----|-----|-- A |-----|-----|-----|-----|--
E '-----'-----'-----'-- E '-----'-----'-----'-----'--
F#m: e .-----.--O--.-----.-----.- A7: e .-----.--O--.--2--.-----.-----.-
B |-----|--O--|-----|-----|- B |-----|--O--|-----|-----|-----|-
G |-----|--O--|-----|-----|- G |-----|--O--|-----|-----|-----|-
D |-----|--O--|-----|--3--|- D |-----|--O--|-----|-----|--4--|-
A |-----|-----|-----|-----|- A |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-
E '-----'-----'-----'-----'- E '-----'-----'-----'-----'-----'-
>>> But when we (D)came here today (Dm)The (Dm) should really be played as a barre chord up at the 5th fret, to sound the same as the record, but I just play it open, at the nut. It’s easier that way.
>>> All I (Fm)wanted to (Em)say
>>> Is how much I (A1)miss you (add fill after the line...)
>>> (A3)Alcohol (A/G)and (A/F#)cotton balls (Dm/F)(A3) is how I make an ordinary A-chord. Most people seem to like to put their 1-2-3 fingers in a line at the second fret, but I like to use the D-chord triangle, and just mush them all together at the second fret. This puts my 3-finger on the 2nd-fret, G-stg, which makes for an easy change to the last chord in this progression.
For the (A/G), I reach up with my pinky to catch the G bass-note. The (A/F#) may actually be an (F#m7). In either case I just hit the F# bass-note with my thumb, and play the rest of the A-chord.
For the (Dm/F), don’t hit the Hi-e stg. You can hear that he stops his strum on the B-stg. To make this chord, just keep the 3-finger anchored at the 2nd fret (from my recommended A-chord fingering), and pivot around it.
A3: e .-----.-----.-----.-- A/G: e .-----.-----.-----.-----.--
B |-----|--2--|-----|-- B |-----|--2--|-----|-----|--
G |-----|--3--|-----|-- G |-----|--3--|-----|-----|--
D |-----|--1--|-----|-- D |-----|--1--|-----|-----|--
A |-----|-----|-----|-- A |-----|-----|-----|-----|--
E '-----'-----'-----'-- E '-----'-----'--4--'-----'--
A/F#: e .-----.-----.-----.--- Dm/F: e .-----.-----.-----.-----.--
B |-----|--2--|-----|--- B |-----|-----|--4--|-----|--
G |-----|--3--|-----|--- G |-----|--3--|-----|-----|--
D |-----|--1--|-----|--- D |-----|-----|-----|-----|--
A |-----|-----|-----|--- A |-----|-----|-----|-----|--
E '-----'--T--'-----'--- E '--1--'-----'-----'-----'--
>>> And some (A2)drugs we can't (F#m maj7/F)afford on the (F#m)way (A7)
Same walk-up as before.
>>> But when we (D)came here today (Dm)
>>> We all felt (Fm)something true (Em)(Em add F)
>>> Now (A1)I'm (add fill on A-chord)
>>> (F#m)red-eyed and (D)blue...Closing part: I like to play the riff over the A-chord part, then strum the full chords for the E & E7. Play this twice (obviously).
A A E E7
e -------------.-------------.------------.-------------
B -------------|-------------|------------|-3-----------
G -------------|-------------|----1-------|-1-----------
D -------------|-------------|----2-------|-0-----------
A -------------|-------------|----2-------|-2-----------
E --5-5-5-0-2--'--5-5-5-0-2--'-0----------'-------------
Then, for the whistling bit, the chords are:
A-D-Bm-Bm
A-D-Bm-Bm
A-D-F#m
A-E
Then for the two piano chords after the fade out, simply...
G-A(A1)We've got solid-state technology
(F#m)Tapes on the (F#m maj7)floor
And some (A2)songs we can't (F#m maj7/F)afford to (F#m)play (A7)
But when we (D)came here today (Dm)
All I (Fm)wanted to (Em)say
Is how much I (A1)miss you
(A3)Alcohol (A/G) and (F#m)cotton balls (Dm/F)
And some (A2)drugs we can't (F#m maj7/F)afford on the (F#m) way (A7)
But when we (D)came here today (Dm)
We all felt (Fm)something true (Em)(Em add F)
Now (A1)I'm
(F#m)red-eyed and (D)blue...
A-A-E-E7
A-D-Bm-Bm
A-D-Bm-Bm
A-D-F#m
A-E
G-A