The bands 'theme' song from their debut album in all it's glory. There's
various overlaid guitar parts on the recorded version so I've concentrated
on the main guitar parts employed on the live version of the song. The song
is in E.
h - hammer on
p - pull off
/ - slide up
\ - slide down
~ - vibrato
PM- palm mute
Guitar 1 - Stuart Adamson
Guitar 2 - Bruce Watson
CHORDS FOR RHYTHM GUITAR
E5 E F#m(1) F#m(2) A5 A B C#m(1) C#m(2)
E|-------|-------|---2---|--9---|------|---5---|---7---|---4---|---9---|
B|-------|---9---|---2---|--10--|------|---5---|---7---|---5---|---9---|
G|-------|---9---|---2---|--11--|--9---|---6---|---8---|---6---|---9---|
D|---9---|---9---|---4---|--11--|--7---|---7---|---9---|---6---|---11--|
A|---7---|---7---|---4---|--9---|--0---|---7---|---9---|---4---|---11--|
E|---0---|-------|---2---|------|------|---5---|---7---|-------|---9---|
INTRO - The intro kicks in with a 12 bar tub-thumping session (drum solo to
those who wish to split hairs). Guitars 1 & 2 then kick in with
Guitar 1 playing rhythm whilst Guitar 2 picks out a palm muted riff
which reoccurs with variations, throughout the song. The last 4 bars
(where Guitar 2 switches to rhythm) are repeated twice.
E A C#m(1) F#m(1)
[PM..................]
E|-----------|----------|---19-16----19-16----16-|----------|
B|--------17-|----------|---------17-------17----|----------|
G|--------16-|----------|------------------------|----------|
D|-----------|----------|------------------------|----------|
A|-----------|----------|------------------------|----------|
E|-----------|----------|------------------------|----------|
Come up...
VERSE 1/2 & CHORUS - Verse 1 & 2 roll into one another and are then followed
by the chorus.
E5(Guitar 1) A5 E5 A F#m(1)
Guitar 2
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
B|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
G|--------------|--9-----------|--------------|--9-----------|
D|--9-----------|-----11--7----|--9-----------|-----11--7----|
A|-----11--7----|--------------|-----11--7----|--------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
I've never seen...
A B A F#m(1)
E|--------------------|-----------------|----------------12~-|------------16~-|
B|--------------------|-9----9-12--9-12-|-12/14-14-12-14-----|---14-17-14-----|
G|--------------------|----9------------|--------------------|----------------|
D|----------9---------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
A|--9-9h11----9\7-7/9-|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
E|--------------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
E5 A5 E5 A F#m(1)
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
B|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
G|--------------|--9-----------|--------------|--9-----------|
D|--9-----------|-----11--7----|--9-----------|-----11--7----|
A|-----11--7----|--------------|-----11--7----|--------------|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
I've never took...
(CHORUS)
A B C#m(2) E A B C#m(2) E
E|--------------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
B|--------------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
G|--------------------|-----------9---|-----------------|-------------9-|
D|----------9---------|--9h11---9-----|--9-9h11---9-----|--9-9h11---9---|
A|--9-9h11----9\7-7/9-|---------------|-------------11--|---------------|
E|--------------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
In a big country...
C#m(2) E B A F#m(1)
E|----------------|-----------------|----------------12~-|------------16~-|
B|-------------9--|-9----9-12--9-12-|-12/14-14-12-14-----|---14-17-14-----|
G|-----9----------|----9------------|--------------------|----------------|
D|--11------11----|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
A|----------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
E|----------------|-----------------|--------------------|----------------|
BRIDGE 1 - Again a palm muted riff similar to the intro is picked out prior to
the MAIN RIFF/SOLO being played.
E(Guitar 1) F#m(2) E
Guitar 2
[PM....................................................................]
E|---19-16----19-16----16-|------------------------|---19-16----19-16----16-|
B|---------17-------17----|---17-------17----------|---------17-------17----|
G|------------------------|------18-16----18-16-18-|------------------------|
D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
A|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
E|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
I thought that.....
A C#m(1) F#m(1)
[PM............................................................]
E|---9------9---------|---19-16----19-16----16-|---16-12----16~~----|
B|-----10-----10---10-|---------17-------17----|---------14---------|
G|--------9------9----|------------------------|--------------------|
D|--------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
A|--------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
E|--------------------|------------------------|--------------------|
MAIN RIFF/SOLO - Both guitars strum an E5 chord 4 times before Guitar 1 plays
the MAIN RIFF/SOLO.
VERSE 3 & CHORUS - To play correctly ignore the first 8 bars of VERSE 1/2 &
CHORUS. Also the CHORUS is repeated twice so you need to
repeat the bars from 'In a big country...' again.
BRIDGE 2 - Repeat the following 4 bars 4 times, but replace the final bar with
the final bar from BRIDGE 1
VERSE 4 & CHORUS - as per VERSE 3 & CHORUS although this time the chorus is
repeated 3 times instead of twice (the second time it's
played only drums & bass play the first 5 bars)
OUTRO - Guitar 2 plays it's guitar part from the chorus twice. Guitar 1 does as
follows - play the MAIN RIFF/SOLO and then repeat the first bar of it 3
times. Now repeat the MAIN RIFF/SOLO and finish by playing the following
bar 3 times.
E A C#m A C#m F#
(Come up screaming) (Come up screaming)
E A E A E A E X2
E A
I've never seen you look like this without a reason
E A F# A B E F#m
Another promise fallen through another season passes by you
I never took the smile away from anybody's face
And that's a desperate way to look for someone who is still a child
C#m E A B
In a big country dreams stay with you
C#m E C#m E B A F# E F#m
Like a lovers voice fires the mountainside Stay alive
E A
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered
C#m F# E
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime
In a big country dreams stay with you
Like a lovers voice fires the mountainside stay alive (repeat x2)
E A
So take that look out of here it doesn't fit you
C#m F#
Because it's happened doesn't mean you've been discarded
E A
Pull up your head off the floor - come up screaming
C#m F#
Cry out for everything you ever might have wanted
E A
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered
C#m F# E
But you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered
I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert
But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime
In a big country dreams stay with you
Like a lovers voice fires the mountainside stay alive (repeat x3)
CHORD | E A D G B e
A | 5 7 7 6 5 5
B | 7 9 9 8 7 7
C#m | 4 4 6 6 5 4
E | 4 7 6 4 5 4
F# | 2 4 4 3 2 2
F#m | 2 4 4 2 2 2
