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Sawdust And Diamonds by Joanna Newsom
Sawdust And Diamonds
Tuning:E A D G B E
Key:D
Capo:3rd fret
[Verse 1]
C
From the top of the flight
Em C
Of the wide white stairs
Em C
Through the rest of my life
Em C
Do you wait for me there?
Em C
There's a bell in my ears
Em C
There's the wide white roar
Em C
Drop a bell down the stairs
Em C
Hear it fall forever mor
Em C
Hear it fall forevermore
[Chorus]
G Em
G Em
Drop a bell off of the dock
G Em
Blot it out in the sea
G Em
Drowning mute as a rock
G Em
sounding mutiny
G
There's a light in the wings, hits this system of strings,
Em
from the side while they swing;
See the wires, the wires, the wires.
[Verse]
G
And the articulation in our elbows and knees
Em
Makes us buckle and we couple in endless increase
As the audience admires
G
And the little white dove
Made with love, made with love
Em
Made with glue and a glove and some pliers
G
Swings a low sickle arc from its perch in the dark
Em
Settle down, settle down my desire
[Chorus]
D
And the moment I slept
C G
I was swept up in a terrible tremor
D C
Though no longer bereft, how I shook
Em
And i couldn't remember
D
And then the furthermost shake
Am
Drove a murdering stake in
C Em G
And cleft me right down through my center
D
And I shouldn't say so
C Em
But I know that it was then or never
G Em
Push me back into a tree
G Em
Bind my buttons with salt
G Em
Fill my long ears with bees
G
Braying 'please, please, please,
Em
Oh you ought not!
No you ought not!'
G
And then the system of strings tugs on the tip of my wings
Em
Cut from cardboard and old magazines
Makes me warble and rise like a sparrow.
G
And in the place where I stood
There is a circle of wood
Em
A quarter to which you chop and you stack in your barrow
G
And it is terribly good
To carry water and chop wood
Em
Streaked with soot, heavy booted and wild-eyed
G
As I crash through the rafters
And the ropes and the pulleys trail after
Em
And the holiest, holiest belfry burns sky high
[Verse]
D
And then a slow lip of fire
C G
Moves across the prairie with precision
C
While somewhere with your pliers and glue
Em
You make your first incision
D A
And in a moment of almost unbearable vision
C Em G
Doubled over with the hunger of lions
D
'Hold me close', cooed the dove
C Em
Who was stuffed now with sawdust and diamonds
[Chorus]
Em D G
A C G
I wanted to say 'why the long face?'
A C G
Sparrow perch and play songs of long face
A C G
Burro buck and bray songs of long face
Am C
Sings 'i will swallow your sadness and eat your cold clay
G
Just to lift your long face
A C
And though it may be madness, I will take to the grave
G
Your precious long face
A C
& though our bones they may break & our souls separate
G
Why the long face?
A C
And though our bodies recoil from the grip of the soil
G
Why the long face?
[Bridge]
G Em
In the trough of the waves
G Em
Which are pawing like dogs
G Em
Pitch we, pale-faced and grave
G Em
As I write in my log.
G Em
Then I hear a noise from the hull
G Em
Seven days out to sea
G Em
And it is the damnable bell
G
And it tolls, I believe, that it tolls
Em
It tolls for me!
And it tolls for me!
G
And though my wrists and my waist
Seem so easy to break
Em
Still my dear I would've walked you to the edge of the water
G
And they will recognize all the lines of your face
Em
In the face of the daughter, of the daughter, of my daughter
G
And darling we will be fine
But what was yours and mine
Em
Appears to be a sandcastle that the gibbering wave takes
G
But if it's all just the same
Then say my name, say my name,
Em
in the morning so that i know when the wave breaks
[Chorus]
D
I wasn't born of a whistle
C G
Or milked from a thistle at twilight
D
No, i was all horns and thorns
C Em
Sprung out fully formed, knock-kneed and upright
D A
So enough of this terror we deserve to know light
C Em G
And grow evermore lighter and lighter
D
You would have seen me through
C Em
But I could not undo that desire
[Coda]
D C Em
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh desire
D C Em
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh desire
D C Em
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh desire
Em C
From the top of the flight
Em C
Of the wide white stairs
Em C
Through the rest of my life
Em C
Do you wait for me there?
------------------
version 2
Tuning:C G C F A D
Key:Bb
Capo:no capo
Tuning:
Drop D and down a tone - CGCFAD
So the C chords here sound as Bb.
_______________
Time signature:
12 notes in a bar, 4 lots of 3 (Bass Treble Treble BTT BTT BTT)
Except in the polyphonic bit, which is 4 bass notes per bar and 2 treble notes
for each 3 bass notes.
_________
Breakdown:
1. Intro/Outro
From the top of the flight
2. Verse parts
(Numbering i-iv is the four different ways I play it)
i Drop a bell off the dock
ii There's a light in the wings
iii Push me back into a tree
ii And then the system of strings tugs
iv And in the trough of the waves
ii And though my wrist and my waist
3. Chorus
And the moment I slept
And then the slow lip of fire
I wasn't born of a whistle
4. Tricky polyphonic bit
I wanted to say, why the long face?
_______________
TAB
_______________
1. Intro/Outro
From the top of the flight...
Chords:
Am and F, give or take.
D|-8-- -3-- -8-- -3--|
A|-8-- -3-- -8-- -3--|
F|-0-- -0-- -7-- -5--|
C|-7-- -3-- -7-- -3--|
G|-7-- -3-- -7-- -3--|
C|-7-- -3-- or -7-- -3--|
Picking rhythm:
Sometimes just one strike, sometimes broken, not always all notes.
Fretting:
With a big hand you can do 777 with thumb and 88 with index finger, then just
slide down to third fret.
The open G is nice and can be let to ring without deliberately plucking it.
Add flourishes in for "There's a bell in my ears...". Using the picking hand on
the fretboard helps.
__________
2.i.
Drop a bell... blot it out...
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|---5-----5-- ---5-----5-- ---5-----5-- ---5-----5--|
F|-7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7-|
C|5----------- 5----------- 5----------- 5-----------|
G|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|---5-----5-- ---5-----5-- ---5-----5-- ---5-----5--|
F|-7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7- -7--7-57--7-|
C|7----------- 7----------- 7----------- 7-----------|
G|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
Chords:
C and Am.
Picking rhythm:
Like pretty much the whole song, it's 4 lots of 3 (Bass Treble Treble BTT BTT
BTT)
One finger per string:
D|--8--8--8--8| ring (r)
A|---5-----5--| middle (m)
F|-7--7-57--7-| index (i)
C|5-----------| thumb (t)
G|------------|
C|------------|
Then the picking hand goes:
tir mir i_r mir
Notes:
The bass notes are a C triad (555), picked out G E C E G E C E ...
switching to Am (755), picked out A E C E A E C E ...
The treble notes are a D (7) and a higher C (8), played straight after each bass
note.
They overlap the bass notes to make a nice rolling effect.
This position is compact and has a hammer on, so it doesn't sound very harpy.
The next section opens up and sustains more.
_______
2.ii
There's a light in the wings...
And then the system of strings tugs...
And though my wrist and my waist
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|-3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3-|
F|---10----10- ---10----10- ---10----10- ---10----10-|
C|------10---- ------10---- ------10---- ------10----|
G|10---------- 10---------- 10---------- 10----------|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|-3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3- -3--3--3--3-|
F|---10----10- ---10----10- ---10----10- ---10----10-|
C|------10---- ------10---- ------10---- ------10----|
G|12---------- 12---------- 12---------- 12----------|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
Similar to 2i. but easier picking, nicer ringing, A-string involved, no hammer
on, one note per string.
__ 3rd fret on B string __
Presumably your hand can't play this D, so use a friend or your toe.
__ 8th fret on E string __
The thumb is best for this and then the little finger is free to throw in a high
E on the 12th fret.
You can drop it to a G by removing fretting thumb if 3rd fret is also being
fretted by friend or toe.
_______
2.iii
Push me back into a tree
D|--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20|
A|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
F|-19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
G|---19-15-19- ---19-15-19- ---19-15-19- ---19-15-19-|
C|17---------- 17---------- 17---------- 17----------|
D|--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20--20-20-20-20|
A|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
F|-19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19 -19-19-19-19|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
G|---19-15-19- ---19-15-19- ---19-15-19- ---19-15-19-|
C|19---------- 19---------- 19---------- 19----------|
Compared to 2i/2ii, the treble notes are an octave higher. But not the bass
notes, too much finger-squish.
This way the bass and treble aren't overlapping
Use the thumb on the A string 15th fret.
_______
2.iv
And in the trough of the waves...
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
F|-7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7-|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
G|---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7--|
C|5----------- 5----------- 5----------- 5-----------|
D|--8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8 --8--8--8--8|
A|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
F|-7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7- -7--7--7--7-|
C|------------ ------------ ------------ ------------|
G|---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7-- ---7--3--7--|
C|7----------- 7----------- 7----------- 7-----------|
This is 2iii but an octave lower, less of a squish, more of a stretch.
Compared to 2i/2ii, the bass notes have dropped an octave.
Still use the thumb on the A string, 3rd fret.
The bass and treble not overlapping is more noticeable here.
I didn't mind departing from the original because I wanted to make some use of
the lower end of the guitar.
This way was easier to add the flourishes that come in on the Am chords for the
"noise from the hull".
__________
3 Choruses
Chords:
G... F... C... ....
G... F... Am.. ....
G... Dm.. F.Am C...
G... F... Am.. ....
In the second and third choruses, throw in a G# before the G that begins the
fourth line.
Picking hand / rhythm:
Still 4 lots of 3 (Bass Treble Treble BTT BTT BTT)
Thumb for the bass notes, fingers for the treble.
Fretting hand:
Try to keep it in a simple, fixed shape throughout each chord and switch
smoothly.
Bass notes:
A barre on the lower three strings (e.g. 555 for G)
Pick (up to) four notes out as appropriate, e.g.
gDGG, gGgG, cGCG CDCG
Treble notes:
Complete the chord shape on the top three strings, and pick two of those notes to
play.
________________________
4. Tricky polyphonic bit
Chords:
Dm.. Dm.. F... F... C... C...
Rhythm:
Four bass notes per bar, e.g. dAFD
Picking hand:
Thumb for all the bass notes on the lower three strings.
Ring finger for all the treble notes on high E.
Middle finger for the treble notes on G string.
Fretting hand:
Complicated. Index finger barres the 12th or 10th fret but regularly lifts off to
allow the open E.
Tab:
The three lines below each show 4 pairs of bars, with 8 -s in each bar.
Sorry lazy, I haven't yet worked out the bit before "I wanted to say", I just do
something like line 3 Burro.
I wanted to say...
Sing "I will swallow your sadness"...
And though our bodies recoil...
D|15-0--12----15-0 --12----15-0--12 ----15-0--12---- 15-0--12----15-0|
A|---------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------|
F|---------12----- -----12--------- -12----------12- ---------12-----|
C|----------12--12 ----------15--15 ----------10--10 ----------10--10|
G|--12--12----12-- --151215----15-- --10--10----10-- --10--10----10--|
C|12--15--12------ 15------15------ 10--14--10------ 10--14--10------|
Sparrow perch and play...
And though it may be madness...
D|--12----15-0--12 ----15-0--12---- 15-0--12----15-0 --12----15-0--12|
A|---------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------|
F|-----12--------- -12----------12- ---------12----- -----12---------|
C|----------12--12 ----------15--15 ----------10--10 ----------10--10|
G|--12--12----12-- --151215----15-- --10--10----10-- --10--10----10--|
C|12--15--12------ 15------15------ 10--14--10------ 10--14--10------|
Burro, buck and bray...
And though our bones may break...
D|----15-0--12---- 15-0--12----15-0 --12----15-0--12 ----15-0--12----|
A|---------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------|
F|-12----------12- ---------12----- -----12--------- -12----------12-|
C|----------12--12 ----------15--15 ----------10--10 ----------10--10|
G|--12--12----12-- --151215----15-- --10--10----10-- --10--10----10--|
C|12--15--12------ 15------15------ 10--14--10------ 10--14--10------|
--------