Standard (EADGBE)
Intro
The strumming pattern for each chord is:
(at least that's how it works right for me)
Down, Palm Slap, Up, Down, Palm Slap, Up, Down, Up, Palm Slap,
Up, Up, Down, Up
Then switch to the next chord (bar G) and do the same pattern.
Be sure to strum EVERY string, don't get lazy and just strum the
power chord; you need the ring of the high notes.
Verse
(Strum pattern and length same as the intro)
"She walks to the mailbox each morning at nine.
Everyday she begins, she's allways one day behind,
at least when it comes to the mail.
She sits on the balcony paying the bills,
no letters, just hashing her cigarettes
onto the sill. Every breath a little more..."
"He sits in the basement from midnight 'till four
painting pictures that nobody sees from his days in the war.
Canvases bathed in bright red, (red).
He heats up the shower, he paces the hall,
he'll scrub for an hour or more
but he won't get it all.
Paint in his fingernail..."
Pre-chorus
Notice that the pre-chorus flows in from the verse. You will be
playing the B minor as the pre-chorus starts, then going to this
(notice in the above lyrics for verses 1 and 2, where the ...'s
are show where your transition will occur):
You'll go from the B minor in the verse to this first chord (listen
to the song) and then slide your index finger to the 3rd fret
(listen for length on this chord) then slide the entire chord to
the 5th fret. The last two parts are there, they are just very
short. You slide to the power chord on the seventh and slide quickly
back to the fifth. I promise its there, though it's not entirely necessary.
"...pale. The hill's still left to climb. It's just so..."
"...beds. The hill's still left to climb. It's just so..."
Chorus
[Note! I personally like the way the D chord sounds in this song
with your thumb on the second fret, first string, as shown. But it
is not necessary.]
Repeat this chord progression for however long necessary (listen
to the song, if you can't figure it out then this is a good guitar
lesson for you). You switch pretty fast here, half the length of
the verse's chords.
"...high and I'm so tired. Come on, look at me in my bloodshot eyes.
The clouds are all on fire. It's just so high and I'm so tired. Come
on, look up at the bloodshot sky, the clouds are all on fire."
I dunno what you'd call this next part. maybe the bridge?
Bridge
Once again, you can figure out the pattern and length.
"We wait in valleys while the clouds come in. We see no shadows
'cause the shadow's all there is. And we climb, and we climb, but
it's just so..."
Toward the end of the Bridge, when he starts with the word "shadows,"
you should be on the Bar G chord. At this point, I believe he goes
between this G and slides two frets up to the A. Then go back to G
and back to A one more time. Following that A you should once again
go back to the chord G for the start of the last chorus. This is where
I'm just guessing.
That's it...that's the whole song. Hope you enjoyed it.