Donner Party All Night Long Guitar Tab

Alkaline Trio - Donner Party
Tabbed by - Andrew Biles
Standard Tuning
The amount of strums may be a little off in the intro, but it's the basis of the
chords played and roughly how long in comparison to each other they are played for
There's lots of little riffs in this song, so most of the riffs have little x_
beside them indicating how many times played.
Riffs with lyrics under just show where the chord changes are and  you will have
to work out the strumming patterns.
Intro
|-----------------------------------------------------
|-----------------------------------------------------
|-6-6-6-6-6-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-6-6-6-6-6-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-4-4-4-4-4-2-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
|----------------------------------------------------- x2
^ passing chord
Verse - played roughly the same as the intro but the passing chord is missed out
|-------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------
|-6-6-6-6-6-6-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-6-6-6-6-6-6-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-4-4-4-4-4-4-0-0-0-0-0-0-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
|------------------------------------------------- x7
|-------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------
|-6-6-6-6-6-6-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-9-9-9-9-9-9-
|-6-6-6-6-6-6-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-9-9-9-9-9-9-
|-4-4-4-4-4-4-0-0-0-0-0-0-5-5-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|------------------------------------------------- x1
Chorus
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------4-----------
|-----5----------------------------------------------------------
and I, wanted you to know, it was you that we were thinking of
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------11-------9--------------------
------11-------9------------------7-
------9--------7------------------7-
----------------------------------5-
when we quietly died in the snow
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------4---------------9--------7-
----------------------------------------------------------------------
a place we'll never leave, a place never wanna call home
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
------------------6-6-6---6-6-6---6-6-6----9\-----
------------------6-6-6---6-6-6---6-6-6----9\-----
------------------4-4-4---4-4-4---4-4-4----7\-----
--------------------------------------------------
a place we call a final   resting place in pieces
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------
|-11-11-11-11-11-11-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-11-11-11-11-11-11-2-2-2-2-2-2-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|-9--9--9--9--9--9--0-0-0-0-0-0-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
|------------------------------------------------------- x2
|-----------------------
|-----------------------
|-11--\----------7------
|-11--\---7------7------
|-9---\---7------5------
|---------5------------- x4
|-----------------
|-----------------
|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-
|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-
|----------------- x1
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------4-----------
|-----5----------------------------------------------------------
and I, wanted you to know, it was you that we were thinking of
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------11-------9--------------------
------11-------9------------------7-
------9--------7------------------7-
----------------------------------5-
when we quietly died in the snow
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------4---------------9--------7-
----------------------------------------------------------------------
a place we'll never leave, a place never wanna call home
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
------------------6-6-6---6-6-6---6-6-6----9\-----
------------------6-6-6---6-6-6---6-6-6----9\-----
------------------4-4-4---4-4-4---4-4-4----7\-----
--------------------------------------------------
a place we call a final   resting place in pieces
|-------------
|-------------
|-7-\6--------
|-7-\6---7--7-
|-5-\4---7--5-
|--------5--5- x2
|----------------------------
|----------------------------
|-7-7-7--6-6-6---------------
|-7-7-7--6-6-6--7-7-7--7-7-7-
|-5-5-5--4-4-4--7-7-7--5-5-5-
|---------------5-5-5--5-5-5- x4
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------6-----------
|-----7----------------------------------------------4-----------
|-----5----------------------------------------------------------
and I, wanted you to know, it was you that we were thinking of
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------11-------9--------------------
------11-------9------------------7-
------9--------7------------------7-
----------------------------------5-
when we quietly died in the snow
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------6---------------11-------9-
-------------------------------------------4---------------9--------7-
----------------------------------------------------------------------
a place we'll never leave, a place never wanna call home
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
------------------6----------------------9---------
------------------6----------------------9------7~-
------------------4----------------------7------7~-
------------------------------------------------5~-
a place we call a final resting place in pieces
any questions? andrewbiles@hotmail.com

Source: GuitarMasta.net
http://www.guitarmasta.net/a/alkaline_trio/.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Ganondorf Average	#1 by Ganondorf Dragmire at Sep 27, 2007 at 9:18 AM EST
	I guess you could see this song as being a metaphor for a relationship, but i keep thinking of it as a message from Alk3 to their longtime fans about justifying 'selling out', a story continued from Mr. Chainsaw. The lyrics all make sense if you think of them in that context.

No Picture cash Wanna Be	#2 by cash putnam at Sep 27, 2007 at 9:00 PM EST
	I always thought the Donner Party was an allegory for a failed relationship in this song. First verse, everything is free exciting and good. Then in winter it falls apart hence the "died quietly in the snow" and "no trace of springe" parts. The relationship is dead.

No Picture Freddy Badass	#3 by Freddy Timmons at Sep 27, 2007 at 10:41 PM EST
	hey, i just thought of something. Maybe he IS talking about God. And when it says "it was you that we were thinking of as we quietly died in the snow", the Donner Party was thinking about God. Maybe Skiba was just kind of mocking the whole God thing, like, the Donner Party believed in God so much (i dont know if thats true, im just guessing), but in the end, they just ended up a bloody mess on some godforsaken mountain. Like, religion really doesn't matter. It's all fucked anyway. Maybe that's the point he was trying to make. Kind of vague, though. I don't know.

No Picture eric Rhythm Player	#4 by eric johnson at Sep 28, 2007 at 1:09 PM EST
	Ok I have to agree the song being just about the Donner party is not his writhing style. people keep referring to the song "Sadie" as in just about the Manson murders but it also has an underlying religious meaning. that's like saying "blue in the face" is just about a failing relationship. his songs always have a underlying meaning. I kind of agree with the god idea I hadn't thought of that before. I never understood the "we" part till than.

No Picture Dark Lead Player	#5 by Dark Avenger at Sep 29, 2007 at 4:54 AM EST
	this song puts weird images of my heads about what could've gone on at the donner party. it freaks me out but also like pretty much everyone else said he just used the idea of the donner party to describe a relationship on the rocks

No Picture l2aVeN-5 String Wanna Be	#6 by l2aVeN-5 Stringed Mother F***er at Sep 29, 2007 at 12:22 PM EST
	i always thought it was about the donner party, not every song has to have some hidden metaphore or meaning...

No Picture Jordan Average	#7 by Jordan S. at Sep 29, 2007 at 10:17 PM EST
	yes matt skiba would definitaly write randomly about the donner party, he did it about the mansons (sadie) and most alkaline trio song that you think are about girls and relation ships arnt. this one most likley isnt about a doomed relationship, thats just mindfucking the song. its about the donner party

No Picture Huuuu??? Yessss Wanna Be	#8 by Huuuu??? Yessssssss Its Meeeeeeee >jOrDaN< at Sep 30, 2007 at 12:31 AM EST
	The Donner party, for those of you who don't know, is the group from Illionois in 1846 who was going out west to California. They suffered many hardships and shit but then it came to a pass now known as "donner pass" because half the group 81 people went and 47 died in the snow and were eaten by each other and stuff. But this is all a Metaphore for a doomed relationship. MATT SKIBA IS AMAZING

No Picture vincent Average	#9 by vincent sayre at Sep 30, 2007 at 9:38 AM EST
	good song, describing a horrific event... trio rocks out better than any other band.Edited by oofus on December 11 2005, at 12:46PM

No Picture rachel ♥ Wanna Be	#10 by rachel ♥ has met the pink spiders at Sep 30, 2007 at 9:42 AM EST
	"a final resting place in pieces"-- that's your cannabolism.

No Picture Mathias Rhythm Player	#11 by Mathias Geleyn at Oct 1, 2007 at 12:17 AM EST
	Yeah but didn't the Donner Party resort to canabilism? Theres no evidence of that in the song...

No Picture Punk Rock Princ Wanna Be	#12 by Punk Rock Princess at Oct 1, 2007 at 3:47 AM EST
	Um. I love how a lot of people say how Alkaline Trio write songs about selling out. Uh huh. They never sold out, nor are they going to. Not once has their music changed, unless you mean that it was produced better and that makes them sell outs. The song is about the donner party. It says in the title.

No Picture ian Average	#13 by ian at Oct 1, 2007 at 3:55 PM EST
	i think this song is defintely about the Donner party, hence the title... but has anyone given the thought that maybe he's actually singing about God's absence in such a horrific situation. "I wanted you to know, it was you we were thinking of as we quietly died in the snow" it seems like once again he's singing from his "fallen/forgotten angel looking out perspective". if it was about a doomed relationship, why would he bother to refer in the perspective of "we". i really just think he's making his speech to God up above. let me know what ya'll think

No Picture Konner Rhythm Player	#14 by Konner Holzwart at Oct 1, 2007 at 9:30 PM EST
	i love how you can hear the breath in the back ground twords the end

No Picture Lee Average	#15 by Lee Corrigan at Oct 2, 2007 at 2:33 AM EST
	i think this song is about an actual group of people ::the donner party:: that died in the wilderness.. pretty sick topic.

No Picture Millhouse Wanna Be	#16 by Millhouse van Houten at Oct 2, 2007 at 7:31 AM EST
	"A place we'd never leave A place we'd never want to call home A place we'd call a final resting place in pieces" i think that part alone makes it obvious the song has to do with the actual donner party...theyre lost in the woods and they dont want to be there but they never found a way out (final resting place) and by adding "in pieces" im sure hes talking about the canabalism, since i doubt the people were eaten whole, so pieces of them must have been left behind... "So we began this way, I don't recall where we got started And so we end this way no trace of us in spring All in all, I guess it's for the better if you just can't feel a fucking thing Fall asleep and die" the donner party was lost in the woods (dont recall where they got started) in winter and half of them died and were eaten during that time, so when spring came around (the season after winter) there was no trace of them...get it? also when you freeze to death you just 'fall asleep and die', you dont feel anything.

No Picture Faiz Average	#17 by Faiz fender at Oct 2, 2007 at 8:00 AM EST
	Queenofpain7, they often write songs randomly about famous tragic or disturbing events - see "Sadie", "Prevent This Tragedy" and others.

No Picture jake Average	#18 by jake battkoo at Oct 2, 2007 at 8:37 AM EST
	no. i definatly agree with descendent528... i dont believe that he would randomly write about the donner party.. instead i think he used the donner party to represent a relationship gone wrong or something to that degree

No Picture jimmy Wanna Be	#19 by jimmy rodrigues at Oct 3, 2007 at 11:55 AM EST
	Alright.first of all of you dont think he would randomly write about the donner party then you dont know very much about him.he writes about shitting himself and step by step murders.of course hed write about the donner party.but.i think this song might be using the events of the donner party to describe his relationship."and all and all i guess its for the better if you just cant feel a fucking thing"sounds like a relationship kind of thing to me.i could be wrong though.

No Picture .-ѕα Average	#20 by .-ѕαм-. .-gσя∂σи-. at Oct 4, 2007 at 3:50 AM EST
	Yes, he wrote about the Donner Party as an allegory for a relationship. Very well written. The key part to me that tells off he's talkin'bout a relationship is: "And I wanted you to know It was you that we were thinking of as we quietly died in the snow" As in "It's all gone to hell, but know that I kept you in mind as we slowly fell apart". You can figure the rest.

No Picture Jordan Wanna Be	#21 by Jordan Ivory-Marcotte at Oct 4, 2007 at 6:35 AM EST
	How can this song not be about the donner party? 1. Its the tital and two its obvious from the lyrics. The donner party didn't resort to canabolism as in killing and eating people they ate the dead. heance the "fall asleep and die" part of the song... 1 2 Next

No Picture Brad Average	#22 by Brad Cooke at Oct 4, 2007 at 10:35 PM EST
	i kind of agree with you, blakeguy. as i was listening to this song, i thought the same thing: he's talking about God. but that idea passed quickly. somehow it doesn't fit right... i dont know. all i know is, every time i watch SLC Punk, and they're at the part where Stevo and Trish are in the canyon where the Devil Worshipers go, and there's a river of blood flowing down the hillside, and Stevo is talking about how the Donner Party "Came through here... the cannibals... right... the two families..." and so on, THIS song pops into my head. it's a disturbing song for me.

No Picture Lucas Average	#23 by Lucas Gracia at Oct 5, 2007 at 3:58 AM EST
	no, this is obviously about the donner party (see the shining, it'll make more sense). Great song nonetheless, though.

No Picture nate Average	#24 by nate eastman at Oct 5, 2007 at 5:57 AM EST
	this song is about a relationship during the treck to california. afictional relationship. matt rules! okay im wrong about themeaningg, but it's either REALLY about the donnerparty, -or- friggin a failing relationship. A3 is agood goood gooooooodawesomeband. Ilikemrchainsaw

No Picture screamokid Average	#25 by screamokid at Oct 5, 2007 at 5:09 PM EST
	Alright.first of all of you dont think he would randomly write about the donner party then you dont know very much about him.he writes about shitting himself and step by step murders.of course hed write about the donner party.but.i think this song might be using the events of the donner party to describe his relationship."and all and all i guess its for the better if you just cant feel a fucking thing"sounds like a relationship kind of thing to me.i could be wrong though.