"Peace In Our Time" by Big Country
From the Album "Peace In Our Time"
Tab by Colin Dawson - colin_g_dawson@hotmail.com - February 2005
Updated - May 2006
Comments and corrections welcome!
For more information about Big Country, visit www.bigcountry.co.uk
For this tab, I've used the live version from the BBC Live In Concert CD.
IMHO it's the best version of this song by a long way.
h = hammer
p = pull
s = slide
sd = slide down
r = let ring (sustain)
Intro;
This is played with digital delay distortion and chorus. Damp the strings at the
bridge using the edge of your right hand. The first echo needs to arrive half way between
the second and third notes. Thereafter each echo arrives half way between subsequent notes.
Put a little more emphasis on the B. The resulting effect makes it sound like you are
playing twice as fast as you actually are playing. Playing this live, the
best idea is to give the drummer a click track to follow (through headphones) that is
set at two thirds of the delay speed. If you don't do this, there is a very good
chance that the song will fall apart since it relies heavily on everything
matching the delay speed from the guitars. The delay speed is about 465ms and therefore
the click track needs to be 310ms. This sounds complicated, but it's actually pretty
straightforward once you get the hang of it.
No chord
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---9---|
A|---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7-|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
The digital delay is about 465ms. Let the delay play much of this part for
you. Note the subtle difference in the timing of the notes in each phrase
and therefore the difference this makes to the way the delay operates in
relation to what you're playing. This is a superb use of a digital delay.
C#m A E
E|----------------|
B|-7-9-7h9p7--7-9-|
G|----------9-----|
D|----------------|
A|----------------|
E|----------------|
(Give us peace) Give us peace in our time
Verse 2;
Bsus A9 C#m
In sun-kissed rooms in city slums
Bsus A9 C#m
Minds are restless till the airmail come
A9 C#m
From the forest floor to the western mind
Bsus A
Like a chat show topic on a party line
Dsus2 C#m
And the hardest love of all is to forgive
Dsus2 A E
E|----------------------------------------------------|
B|7-7----10-7h10p7------------------------------------|
G|----9-----------9--6---9--6h9p6---------------------|
D|---------------------9---------9-6------6-7-6-7-7s9-|
A|----------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------|
Dsus2 A E
E|-7-7---------------------------------------|
B|-----10-9---7-7----------------------------|
G|----------------9-6------------------------|
D|----------------------9-6-----6-7-6-7-7s9--|
A|-------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------|
Bridge;
The guitar part above continues through the bridge.
Dsus2 A E
Let all the rain come down on blind desire
Dsus2 A E
Like a thundercloud that holds a prairie fire (a prairie fire)
E E E
E|-----------------------------------|
B|-9h10p9p7--7h9p7-------------------|
G|----------------9---6h9p6----------|
D|-------------------------9---------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|
Chords:
CHORD | E A D G B E
A9 | 5 7 7 6 5 7
A | 5 7 7 6 5 5
Bsus | 7 9 9 9 7 7
B | 7 9 9 8 7 7
C#m | 9 11 11 9 9 9
D | 5 5 7 7 7 5
Dsus2 | 5 7 7 5 5 5
E | 7 7 9 9 9 7
Esus2 | 7 7 9 9 7 7
