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The Rail Song
The Rail Song
by Adrian Belew
This is my best guess of the lyrics and chords to
The Rail Song by Adrian Belew. The
reference version is found on Acoustic Adrian Belew.
This song combines metered plucking on the high strings
with strong rhythm guitar strumming (work on getting the
alternating strum correct) to great effect, but it's always
the lyrics that get me.
Errata (and simple stupid mistakes) can be brought to
my attention at marjx@aol.com.
Chords:
1,2,3,4 Refer to Finger used
T Refers to Thumb
0 Refers to open string
x Refers to muted string
# at top refers to Fret Position
0 E 0 A 0 Asus4 2 F#m 0 E7
0 - - - 0 - - - - 0 - - - 1 - - - 0 - - - -
0 - - - - - 4 - - - - - 4 1 - - - 0 - - - -
- 4 - - - - 3 - - - - 3 - 1 - - - - 2 - - -
- - 3 - - - 2 - - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - -
- - 2 - 0 - - - - 0 - - - - - 2 - - - 3 - -
0 - - - x - - - - x - - - 1 - - - 0 - - - -
The Rail Song - Adrian Belew**
piano
E c///////|////////|c///////|b///////|////////|b///////|////////|
B a///////|////////|9///////|9///////|////////|8///////|////////|
G --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
D --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
cresc...
E b///////|9///////|9///////|////////|
B 7///////|7///////|7///////|////////|
G --------|--------|xxxxxxxx|xxxxxxxx|
D --------|--------|0///////|////////|
A --------|--------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|--------|
** I cheated on the notes by using HEX notation for the upper
frets. Use the following chart:
a=10, b=11, c=12, d=13, e=14, f=15
VERSE:
(strum pattern is /./\/./)
A
I recall as a boy we would hop the freights
Asus4
wasn't nothin' but a kick back then
E7
there was no better thrill for my anxious heart
F#m
than a long flatcar
E
headin' out of the yard
REPEAT VERSE:
and I knew even then she was in my blood
like the time when I first hired on
and the fireman laughed at my bony nose
but he tossed me a cap
said GM&O
and I was a
piano
E c///////|///// / / / |c///////|b///////|
B a///////|///// / / / |9///////|9///////|
G --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
D --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
A --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
E --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
man... I gave her my best years
E b / / / / / / / | b///////|////////|
B 9 / / / / / / / | 8///////|////////|
G - - - - - - - - | --------|--------|
D - - - - - - - - | --------|--------|
A - - - - - - - - | --------|--------|
E - - - - - - - - | --------|--------|
well, what can you do but laugh? I
cresc...
E b///////|9///////|9///////|////////|
B 7///////|7///////|7///////|////////|
G --------|--------|xxxxxxxx|xxxxxxxx|
D --------|--------|0///////|////////|
A --------|--------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|--------|
don't expect she'll ever be coming back
VERSE:
When we climbed up the great Appalachians
her engines would be raging like hell
then we'd come back down to the rising towns
where the cattle stare
in the frozen air
VERSE:
For me there nothing more sacred
than the beautiful sound she'd make
her long blue signal blowin' deep in the night,
it would get to me there,
it would get to me there
Now I'm
E c///////|///// / / / |c///////|b///////|
B a///////|///// / / / |9///////|9///////|
G --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
D --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
A --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
E --------|----- - - - |--------|--------|
afraid... Afraid of these silent hours
E b///////|b///////|////////|
B 9///////|8///////|////////|
G --------|--------|--------|
D --------|--------|--------|
A --------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|
awake underneath my old cap. I I
ritard...
E b///////|9///////|9///////|9///////|8///////|////////|
B 7///////|7///////|7///////|7///////|6///////|////////|
G --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
D --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
don't expect she'll ever be coming back
cresc...
E 9///////|9///////|////////|
B 7///////|7///////|////////|
G --------|xxxxxxxx|xxxxxxxx|
D --------|0///////|////////|
A --------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|
VERSE: (instrumental)
VERSE:
Well, I watched the beginning of the end for her
when I saw my first jet airplane
flying high overhead like a bird of prey
while the mighty fell
in the land of the brave
Now I'm
ritard....
E c///////|////////|////////|////////|////////|--------|--------|
B a///////|////////|////////|////////|////////|--------|--------|
G --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
D --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
A --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
E --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
alone.
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