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This Island Life

Violent Femmes

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. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 22:24:23 -0500
From: Bryson Meunier 
Subject: TAB:"This Island Life" by "Violent Femmes"

               "THIS ISLAND LIFE" by the Violent Femmes

>From the album "NEW TIMES"(1994)
Written by Gordon Gano
Transcribed by Bryson Meunier

        Here's a pretty cool song off of "New Times." It should be right but
if it's not(or if you just have additions, comments or questions) e-mail me
at meunier.1@osu.edu

intro(clean electric)-
              B5 (palm mute)
 E-----------------------------|
 B-----------------------------|
 G-----------------------------|
 D------------4--4--4--4-------|  (strum quietly)
 A-----0---2--2--2--2--2-------|
 E-----------------------------|

        A lot of the verse just sounds like straight bass. The guitar
pattern that I could decipher sounds like this:
verse-
 "This tea is too strong for me..."
 E----------------------------------------------|
 B----------------------------------------------|
 G----------------------------------------------|
 D-----------------4---4---4\5---4----2----4----|
 A----0---2----2--------------------------------|
 E----------------------------------------------|



repeat that a couple of times and then go into this:

 E-----------------------------------------------|
 B-----------------------------------------------|
 G-----------------------------------------------|
 D--------------9--9--9\10---9---7---9-----------|
 A----0--7--7------------------------------------|
 E-----------------------------------------------|

The chorus is just an A chord followed by a B5
  "This Island Life..."
      A                      B5
 E-----------------------------------------------|
 B----2------------------------------------------|
 G----2-----(strum)----------4-------------------|
 D----2----------------------4-------------------|
 A---------------------------2-------------------|
 E-----------------------------------------------|

The overdub part of the solo sounds like this: 
 E----------------------------------------------------|
 B--7~~~~~~~----8p7~~~~~~~------7p0-------------------|
 G-------------------------7h9---------------7--------|
 D--------------------------------------7h9------(9)--|
 A----------------------------------------------------|
 E----------------------------------------------------|
 
 
 E----------------------------------------------------|
 B--------------------------------7--7\8----7--7--7\8-|
 G---------------7-------8--------7--7\8----7--7--7\8-|
 D---------7h9-------9--------------------------------|
 A---7h9----------------------------------------------|
 E----------------------------------------------------|

 E--0--0--0-------9h10----7h9p7----5h7p5-------------|
 B--5--8--7--------------------------------7---------|
 G---------------------------------------------7---4-|
 D---------------------------------------------------|
 A---------------------------------------------------|
 E---------------------------------------------------|
 
 lyrics:

   This tea's too strong for me
   As I await yoir company
   I had too much sun today
   Ocean waters wash away
   Nothing but the present
   Presenting its presence
 
   This island life
   Separate my right from my wrong

   No I am not pagan 
   but my heart has been forsaken
   And the hand of God was on my mind
   It took some time from time to time
   Now in the course I know
   Time itself will go when
   
   (chorus)
 
   You forgot your shoes and I 
   I have sent a message but I 
   There's so many stars in the sky
   It's the truths that will not lie
   There's a young wild native maiden
   Running mad and barefoot to the sea until

   (chorus)

   This island life 
   Finally separates my right from my wrong

   (guitar solo) 
 
   This tea's too strong for me
   As I await more company
   I had too much sun today
   Dream of lands lying far away
   Pregnant with the present
   Presenting its presents
    
   This island life
   Separate my right from my wrong
   This island life 
   Will separate my rights from my songs
   Separate my right from wrong

   (electric sitar outro)