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Dangling Conversation by Joan Baez
Dangling Conversation
Tuning:E A D G B E
Key:Eb
Capo:1st fret
[Intro]
D Am D
[Verse 1]
Am D
It's a still life water color
Am D
Of a now late afternoon
Am D
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
Bm G
And shadows wash the room
Em C
And we sit and drink our coffee
F
Couched in our indifference
E
Like shells upon the shore
D
You can hear the ocean roar
[Chorus]
D
In the dangling conversation
Em
And the superficial sighs
C G Em C G Em Am C G
That are the borders of our lives
[Verse 2]
Am D
And you read your Emily Dickinson
Am D
And I my Robert Frost
Am D7
And we note our place with bookmarkers
G
That measure what we've lost
Em C
Like a poem poorly written
F
We are verses out of rhythm
E
Couplets out of rhyme
D
In syncopated time
[Chorus]
D
In the dangling conversation
Bm G
And the superficial sighs
C G Em
That are the borders of our lives
[Verse 3]
Am
And we speak of things that matter
Am
With words that must be said
D
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
G
"Is the church really dead?"
Em
And how the room is softly faded
F
I can only kiss your shadow
E
I cannot feel your hand
D
You're a stranger now unto me
[Out-Chorus]
D
Lost in the dangling conversation
G
And the superficial sighs
C G Am D C G C G
That are the borders of our lives
------------------
version 2
Capo:no capo
This tab (esp the stretching certain lines, and compressing others) is based on a live
performance recorded by Joan Baez and Dar Williams. There are different ways to count this out, but it's important to note that
the
lines are not balanced with the same number of beats for each phrase and that's part of what
makes this song so beautiful. The overall pattern goes:
Intro: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the 4th line
Verse: 6 beats in the first 3 lines then 8 beats in the next 4 lines
Chorus (similar to intro but slightly different): 6 beats in the first 2 lines, then 1
line of 4 beats, and then then 8 beats in the last 2 lines
To help make this easier to follow, I've entered the chord names below for every beat.
Tuning: standard
If you choose to use Travis picking, the rhythm would essentially be to start with a
quarter note on 1 and then accent the 'ands' of 2, 3, and 4. So the rolling rhythm of
each bar
sounds like 1(&2)&(3)&(4)&.
Each chord letter below is one beat (and rhythm switches between 6/4 and 8/4 with one measure
of 4/4)- don't blame me! That's how Joan and Dar played it.
INTRO
(In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to D)
e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G D D D D
(In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to D)
e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------x-----------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G D D D D
(In this line, travis rhythm starts here when it switches to Am)
e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1-------x----------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------|
D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G Am Am Am Am
Travis rhythm for this whole line.
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G Em Em Em Em Em Em
Travis rhythm for this whole line.
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G Em Em Em Em Em Em
VERSE
e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------------------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G D D D D
V1: It's a still life watercolor
V2: You read your Emily Dickinson
V3: And we speak of things that matter
e|---------------------------2----3h2--------2---------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------------------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G D D D D
V1: Of a now late afternoon
V2: And I my Robert Frost
V3: With words that must be said
e|---------------------------0-----------------0--------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------1-------1---0h1---1------------------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2---------2-------2------------------------------|
D|-------------------------2----------2------2----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G Am Am Am Am
V1: As the sun shines through the curtain lace
V2: And we note our place with bookmarkers
V3: Can analysis be worthwhile?
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G Em Em Em Em Em Em
V1: And shadows wash the room
V2: To measure what we've lost
V3: Is the theater really dead?
e|----------3---------------3------------------3---------------3-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0----------------0---------------0-----------------0---------------|
A|---------------0h2--------------2h3---------------3p2----------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G G G G G G G
V1: And we sit and drink our coffee
V2: Like a poem poorly written
V3: And now the room is softly fading
e|-1--------1-----3---------1---------------0--------------0-------------------|
B|-------1------1-------1-------1--------0------0-------0-------0--------------|
G|-----2------2-------2-------2--------1------1-------1-------1----------------|
D|-3------3-------3-------3---------------2--------------2---------------------|
A|--------------------------------0h2-------------2----------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
F F F F E E E E
V1: Cast in our indifference, like shells upon the shore. You can
V2: We are verses out of rhythm, Couplets out of rhyme. In
V3: I can only see your shadow. I cannot feel your hand. You're a stranger now unto
e|-0h2------2-----3---------2-----0h2-------2------3--------2-----------------|
B|-------3------3-------3-------3-------3-------3-------3--------3------------|
G|-----2------2-------2-------2-------2-------2--------2-------2--------------|
D|-0------0-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0------0-------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D D D D D D D D
V1: hear the ocean roar.
V2: syncopated time.
V3: me.
CHORUS:
e|---------------------------2----0h2--------2---------------------------------|
B|-------1-------1-------3-------3-------3-------------------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------2-------2-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|-3-------2-------0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
C G D D D D
Lost in a dangling conversation
e|-3-------2-----------------0---------------0---------------------------------|
B|-3-----3-3-----1-1-----1-------1-0h1---1-------0-----------------------------|
G|-----0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------------------------------|
D|---------0---------------2-------2-------2-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------3-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G D C C C C
and the superficial sighs
e|----------0---------------0---------------------------------|
B|1-----1-------1-0h1---1-------x-----------------------------|
G|----0-------0-------0-------0-------------------------------|
D|--------0-------0-------0-----------------------------------|
A|0-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------|
C C C C
that are the borders of our
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G Em Em Em Em Em Em
lives....
e|----------3---------------3------------------0---------------0-------------|
B|-------0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0---------|
G|-----0------0-------0-------0--------0---------0-------0-------0-----------|
D|--------0------0h2-------2------2h4------4--------4p2------2---------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G G Em Em Em Em Em Em
Back to VERSE
It's a still life water color
Of a now late afternoon
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs
The borders of our lives
And you read your Emily Dickinson
And I my Robert Frost
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm
Couplets out of rhyme
In syncopated time
And the dangled conversation
And the superficial sighs
Are the borders of our lives
Yes, we speak of things that matter
With words that must be said
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the church really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow
I cannot feel your hand
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs
That are the borders of our lives
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
| b Bend
| pb Pre-bend
| br Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend
------------