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Semi Suite by Tom Waits
Semi Suite
The whole song consists of 6 chords:
Am - D9 - G - Gb7 - F7 - E7 - all play in the bar positions:
Am D9 G Gb7 F7 E7
E---5------5------3------2------1------0-------------------------------|
B---5------5------3------2------1------0-------------------------------|
G---5------5------4------3------2------1-------------------------------|
D---5------4------5------2------1------0-------------------------------|
A---6------5------5------4------3------2-------------------------------|
E---5------x------3------2------1------0-------------------------------|
Now Tom Waits never does anything straight forward. There is a lot of
bass between these notes and it makes up the turn around between the E7
and back to the Am. Think of it as a little 1-4 blues tune with the G
to run down to E7 break with the E7 turn around. The bass in these tracks
is fretless and slides a lot to get a kind of crying bass sound.
Put the chords over the lyrics like so:
1st Verse
Am D9
Well you hate those diesels rollin'
Am D9
And those Friday nights out bowlin'
G Gb7 F7 E7
When he's off for a twelve hour lay over night.
The bass starts to carry the notes down into the Gb7 and the
guitar follows hitting the notes on the lyrics.
---------------
version 2
Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
E---------2------1------0------0-------|
B---------2------1------0------3-------|
G---------3------2------1------1-------|
D---------2------1------0------0-------|
A---------4------3------2------2-------|
E---------2------1------0------0-------|
INTRO:
(--quickly---)
Am D7 Am D7 G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
Am D7
Well, you hate those diesels rollin'
Am D7
And those Friday nights out bowlin'
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
When he's off for a twelve hour lay overnight
Am D7
You wish you had a dollar
Am D7
For every time he hollered that he's
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
Leaving and he's never comin' back
Am D7
But the curtain laced below
Am D7
And his hands on your pillow
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
And his trousers are hangin' on the chair
Am D7
You're lyin' through your pain, babe
Am D7
But you're gonna tell him he's your man
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
And you ain't got the courage to leave
Am D7
He tells you that you're on his mind
Am D7
You're the only one he's ever gonna find
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
It's kind-a special, understands his complicated soul
Am D7
But the only place a man can breathe
Am D7
And collect his thoughts is
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
Midnight and flyin' away on the road
Am D7
But you've packed and unpacked
Am D7
So many times you've lost track
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
And the steam heat is drippin' off the walls
Am D7
But when you hear his engines
Am D7
You're lookin' through the window in the kitchen and you know
G Gb7 F7 E7 E7add9
You're always gonna be there when he calls
Am D7
'Cause he's a truck drivin' man,
Am D7
Stoppin' when he can
Am D7 Am D7
He's a truck drivin' man, stoppin' when he can
Am D7 Am D7 G Gb7 F7 E7
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