Ballad Of Big Nothing by Elliot Smith

Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliot Smith


Tab by Charlotte Thistle - A Girl With A Guitar
agirlwithaguitar@netos.com
http://www.thistlemusic.com
http://www.agirlwithaguitar.com


Tuning: Open C: CGCEGC
This tuning may not work well on many people’s steel string guitars so I wrote it 
in Open D instead. However if you want to play in Open C the tab is exactly the 
same. 

Instead of retyping each chord each time it is strummed, I just entered “D”s 
and “U”s below the tab line to indicate the strums, down or up. So the number of 
D’s and U’s is the number of strums on that chord (Listen to the recording for 
exact rhythm).

Intro:					    
	  D       bmi7/D  D     bmi/D     gmi Gsus gmi Gsus   emi13/D    f#m,add4 Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|-12/4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
	   DD      DUDDUD  DD	   DUDDUD      D   D	D   D	  D	  D
      D     D    DDDUDDUDD

(no vocals .........................................................)  Throwing

candy out to the crowd



	D    Dsus D   E    Dsus4ma7  D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	DDUUDU    U      D

Dragging down the main   The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth 



	D    Dsus D   	G    Dsus4ma7  D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	DDUUDU    U      D

who's always got something to say you're sitting around at home
	D    Dsus D   E   	emi13/D     A      Asus    A5 
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	  DDDUD	     DUD    D	     UD		

waiting for your brother to call      I saw him down at the alley

	gmi/D,add2  Dsus4  Gadd2/D   D5ma7
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
	  DDDUD	     DUD      D       UD

Having had enough of it all  Said you can 



D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
	    D  DUU   U	  U     DU    DUDU	DD	DUD	DD   DD
do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you


D {|---0----|
A {|---0----|
F#{|---7----|
D {|---5----|
A {|---0----|
D {|---0----|
DD DUD DUD DD

All spit and spite you're up all ...


	D    Dsus D   E    Dsus4ma7  D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---2-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---2-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---2-----0-------0-----0------|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	DDUUDU    U      D

night and down every day A tired man with only hours to go 
 


	D    Dsus D   	G    Dsus4ma7  D6sus4 Dsus4
D {|--7---7---7---5-----0-------0-----0------|
A {|--9---10--9---5-----0-------0-----0------|
F#{|--8---8---8---5-----7-------5-----3------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----5-------5-----5------|
A {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
D {|--0---0---0---5-----0-------0-----0------|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	DDUUDU    U      D

just waiting to be taken away... getting in to the back of a car 



	D    Dsus D   E   	emi13/D     A      Asus    A5 
D {|--7---7---7---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--9---10--9---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
F#{|--8---8---8---2-------1-------7-----8-----10----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
A {|--0---0---0---2-------2-------7-----7-----7-----|
D {|--0---0---0---2-------0-------7-----7-----7-----|
	DDU  D    U	DUDDUD	  DDDUD	     DUD    D	     UD		

for candy from some stranger Watching the parade with pinpoint 



	gmi/D,add2  Dsus4  Gadd2/D   D5ma7
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
A {|---0--------0------0------0---|
F#{|---4--------3------5------7---|
D {|---5--------5------5------7---|
A {|---5--------0------0------0---|
D {|---0--------0------0------0---|
	  DDDUD	     DUD      D       UD

eyes full of smoldering anger You can 

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0------0-----0----0---0---|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4------0-----0----0---4---|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3------4-----1----4---3---|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4------5-----2----5---5---|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2------5-----2----5---0---|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0------0-----0----0---X---|--|
	    D  DUU   U	  U     DU    DUDU	DD	DUD	DD   DD

do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to there's no one to stop you

D {|--|--0------0---0----0----0---------|--|
A {| .|--7/9----7---5----4----4---------|. |
F#{|--|--0------0---0----0----3---------|--|
D {| .|--0------0---0----4----4---------|. |
A {|--|--0------0---0----2----2---------|--|
D {|--|--7/9----7---5----0----0---------|--|
	    D  DUU   U	  U     DU    DUDU

Now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to


					    
     e5/b         c#5/g#		  f#5/c#		      e	  	 gmi/D add2
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
A {|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
F#{|-------------------------------------------------2-------0-----|
D {|-------------------------------------------------2-------4-----|
A {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
D {|--7---------4----------------9-------------------2-------5-----|
            DDUUD	     DDUUD	    	   DDUUD
     	 	      DDUUD	 DUDUUDUUDUUD

Do what you want to  whenever you want to  though it doesn't mean a  thing     Big nothing
			 
					
						   


Outro:					    
	  D       bmi7/D  D     bmi/D     gmi Gsus gmi Gsus   emi13/D    f#m,add4 Dadd4 A7
D {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----2----4----5----7--|
A {|----0------0-----0-----0----------------------0-----0----0----0----0--|
F#{|----0------0-----0-----0--------4--6--4--6----1-----1----0----0----7--|
D {|----4---12/4-----4--12/4--------5--5--5--5----2-----2----0----0----5--|
A {|----0------2-----0-----0--------X--X--X--X----2-----2----0----0----0--|
D {|----0------0-----0-----0-----5----------------0-----0----4----5----7--|
	   DD      DUDDUD  DD	   DUDDUD      D   D	D   D	  D	  D
      D     D    DDDUDDUDD

	 D
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
F#{|---0----||
D {|---0----||
A {|---0----||
D {|---0----||
	 D



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