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The Rail Song

Adrian Belew

Text File

ADRIAN BELEW - THE RAIL SONG
As played on the amazing record "acoustic".


Intro: *Play riff*


     A
I recall as a boy we would hop the freights
        D2
wasn't nothin' but a kick back then
          E
there was no better thrill for my anxious heart
       F#-
than a long flatcar
        E
headin' out of the yard
      A
and I knew even then she was in my blood
         D2
like the time when I first hired on
        E
and the fireman laughed at my bony nose
       F#-
but he tossed me a cap
     E
said GM&O
   *riff........
and I was a man...
........................
I gave her my best years
.............................
well, what can you do but laugh
.........................................*
I don't expect she'll ever be coming back
         A
When we climbed up the great Appalachians
    D2
her engines would be raging like hell
          E
then we'd come back down to the rising towns
          F#-
where the cattle stare
        E
in the frozen air
   A
For me there nothing more sacred
         D2
than the beautiful sound she'd make
    E
her long blue signal blowin' deep in the night,
         F#-
it would get to me there,
         E
it would get to me there
   *bridge riff.........
Now I'm afraid...
............................
Afraid of these silent hours
..........................
awake underneath my old cap
.........................................*
I don't expect she'll ever be coming back


*(instrumental with chords A  D2  E  F#-  E)*

         A
Well, I watched the beginning of the end for her
       D2
when I saw my first jet airplane
       E
flying high overhead like a bird of prey
         F#-
while the mighty fell
       E
in the land of the brave
   *final riff*
Now I'm alone.

Riff:
E|--12-------|--12------|--11-------|--11-------|--11------|--9------|--9------|
B|--10-------|---9------|---9-------|---8-------|---7------|--7------|--7------|
G|-------x16-|-------x8-|-------x16-|-------x16-|------x8--|------x8-|--7--x16-|
D|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|----------|---------|--7------|
A|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|----------|---------|---------|
E|-----------|----------|-----------|-----------|----------|---------|---------|


Bridge riff:
E|-12------|-12-----|-11------|-11-------|-11------|-9------|-/------|-9------|
B|-10------|--9-----|--9------|--8-------|--7------|-7------|-6------|-7------|
G|-----x16-|-----x8-|-----x16-|------x16-|-----x8--|----x24-|----x32-|-7--x16-|
D|---------|--------|---------|----------|---------|--------|--------|-7------|
A|---------|--------|---------|----------|---------|--------|--------|--------|
E|---------|--------|---------|----------|---------|--------|--------|--------|


Final riff:
E|--12-------|
B|--10-------|
G|-------x25-|
D|-----------|
A|-----------|
E|-----------|


Of course, fell free to make this tab better.
I did my best, but Adrian is a monster guitarist and he does some strange chord; he's a 
he's the story, and I'm only a nut.
But this is my tribute to him.
Thank you Ade.

_Ozzy
geomscortichini@interfree.it

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The Rail Song

Adrian Belew