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Back To The Old House

Smiths

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
Yuichi Tamano (cs75sdo@sdcc13.
This is a transcript I made of "Back to the Old House" by the Smiths.  It's from the
acoustic version from "Hat Full of Hollow". The notes on the high e string are
heavily emphasized and ring loudly.  This should be pretty close to the recording,
though there are a few notes different here and there.

Yuichi Tamano

PATTERN A:
------------------------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1-1----------------|-0---1-------------------|
-----------------0-2---0|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|

                                            I would...
-----------------0------|-------0---------0-------|
-0---1---------1---1---0|-1---3---3-1-3-----1---0-|
-------0----------------|-------------------------|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2---------0-------3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-----------------3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|

...rather not go back to the old house...I would
   repeat Pattern A once

LEAD IN TO PATTERN B:
rather not go             back to the old house
------------------------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1-1----------------|-0---1-------------------|
-----------------0-2---0|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|

PATTERN B:
     there's    too many       bad       memories
-------1---------------0|-------1-----------------|
-1---1-------0---1-3----|-1---1-------0---1-3---0-|
-2-2-------2------------|-0-0-------2-------------|
------------------------|-------------------------|
-3-----3----------------|-3-----1-----------------|
-------------3-----3----|-------------3-----3-----|

     there's too many memories  there
-------1---------------0|-----------0-------------|
-1---1-------0---1-3----|-------3-----------------|
-0-0-------2------------|-----------------0-----0-|
------------------------|---------------2-----2---|
-3-----3----------------|-----2-------2-----3-----|
-------------3-----3----|-0-3---0-----------------|

-----------0------------|-----------0-----------0-|
-------3----------------|-------3-----------2-----|
-----------------0-----0|-----------------2-------|
---------------2-----2--|---------------0---------|
-----2-------2-----3----|-----2-------2-----------|
-0-3---0----------------|-0-3---0-----------------|

------------------------|------------------------|-0-----|
-------3-----3-----3----|-3-----3-----3-----3----|---3-0-|
-----0-0-----0-----0----|-0-----2---2-2---2-2---2|-------|
---0-------0-----0-----0|-----0---3-----3-----3--|-------|
-2-------2-----2-----2--|---2--------------------|-------|
------------------------|------------------------|-------|

repeat pattern A twice ("When you cycled by...", "And you never knew...")
lead in to pattern B ("Are you still there?"
pattern B ("Or have you..."

repeat first two bars twice (or so)
play
-----------------0------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1---------1---1---0|-1---3-------------------|
-------0----------------|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|

repeat first two bars many times (about four?)
end on                  slowly
------------------------|-----------3-3-3--------|
-0---1------------------|-0---1------------------|
-------0---------0-2---0|-------0----------------|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2--------------------|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3----------------------|
------------------------|------------------------|


Entire lyrics:
I would rather not go
back to the old house
I would rather not go
back to the old house

There's too many
bad memories
There's too many memories
there.

When you cycled by
here began all my dreams
the saddest thing
I'd ever seen

And you never knew
how much I really liked you
'cause I never even told you
oh and I meant too

are you still there?
or have you
moved away
or have you
moved away?

I would love to go
back to the old house
but I never will
I never will
I never will.