Cohen, Leonard › Who By Fire Guitar Tab

New Skin for the Old Ceremony Tabs:

Send "Who By Fire" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

From jmo@fysparc3.fy.chalmers.se Wed Jul 12 12:09:46 PDT 1995
Article: 43448 of rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature
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From: jmo@fysparc3.fy.chalmers.se (Jean Marc Orliaguet)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature,alt.guitar.tab
Subject: TAB : Who By Fire ( Leonard Cohen )
Date: 12 Jul 1995 14:26:16 GMT
Organization: Chalmers University of Technology
Lines: 247
Message-ID:
NNTP-Posting-Host: fysparc3.fy.chalmers.se
Xref: unixg.ubc.ca rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature:43448 alt.guitar.tab:55008
Who By Fire ( Leonard Cohen )
From the New Skin for the Old Ceremony album
Transcribed and tabbed by Jean-Marc Orliaguet
( jmo@fy.chalmers.se, http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo )
Notes : This is the guitar part on the left channel in the studio version.
( The guitar on the right will be posted later )
No capo
The most difficult part is the finger picking.
the thumb, index, major and ring fingers are referred
as t, i, m and r.
Am/E
>     >           >           >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------------------------------------|
G-|--------2-----------2-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--0----------(0)---------(0)----------0-----------|
i     i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i
t
Am/F
>     >           >           >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------------------------------------|
G-|--------2-----------2-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----------2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--1----------(1)---------(1)---------(1)----------|
i     i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i
t
E(7)
>     >     >     >     >     >     >     >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--------------------------------------------------|
G-|--------1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--0-----------------------------------------------|
t  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t
>     >     >     >     >     >     >     >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--------------------------------------------------|
G-|--1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2----2------2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t
Am           G          Am
>           >           >     >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------1-----------------------|
G-|--------2-----------0-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------0-----------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  i  t  t  i  t
Who          by         fire
Am           G          Am
>           >           >     >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------1-----------------------|
G-|--------2-----------0-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------0-----------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  i  t  t  i  t
Who         by          water
C/E         G/D         C/E
>           >           >           >     >
e-|--------------------------0-----------------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------------1-----------|
G-|--------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  r  t  i  t  m  t  i  t
Who         in    the   sun - shine
C/E         G/D         C/E
>           >           >           >     >
e-|--------------------------0-----------------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------------1-----------|
G-|--------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  r  t  i  t  m  t  i  t
Who          in     the  night - time
Am           G          Am
>           >           >     >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------1-----------------------|
G-|--------2-----------0-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------0-----------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  i  t  t  i  t
Who               by   high ordeal
Am           G          Am
>           >           >     >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------0-----------1-----------------------|
G-|--------2-----------0-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------0-----------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  i  t  t  i  t
Who               by   common  trial
C/E         G/D         C/E
>           >           >           >     >
e-|--------------------------0-----------------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------------1-----------|
G-|--------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t
Who in your merry merry month of May,
C/E         G/D         C/E
>           >           >           >     >
e-|--------------------------0-----------------------|
B-|--1-----------3-----------------------1-----------|
G-|--------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----0-----0-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  m  t  i  t  r  t  i  t  m  t  i  t
Who    by   very        slow  decay        and
Am/E
>     >           >           >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--1-----------------------------------------------|
G-|--------2-----------2-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------0-----------0-----------0-----------|
m  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i
Shall I   say
Am/F
>     >           >           >           >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--------------------------------------------------|
G-|--------2-----------2-----------2-----------2-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--1-----------1-----------1-----------1-----------|
t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i  t  t  i  i
is
E/B
>     >     >     >     >     >     >     >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--0-----------------------------------------------|
G-|--1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--2-----------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
m  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t  i  t
i
t
calling
>     >     >     >     >     >     >     >
e-|--------------------------------------------------|
B-|--------------------------------------------------|
G-|--1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----1-----|
D-|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2--|
A-|--------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------|
Lyrics :
And who by fire, who by water,
who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
who in your merry merry month of may,
who by very slow decay,
and who shall I say is calling?
And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
and who by avalanche, who by powder,
who for his greed, who for his hunger,
and who shall I say is calling?
And who by brave assent, who by accident,
who in solitude, who in this mirror,
who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
who in mortal chains, who in power,
and who shall I say is calling?
--
Jean-Marc Orliaguet ( jmo@fy.chalmers.se  http://fy.chalmers.se/~jmo )

Send "Who By Fire" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/c/cohen,_leonard/353777.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture PJVILL Professional Badass	#1 by PJVILL at Sep 30, 2007 at 7:09 AM EST
	Good interpretations, I like the saint peter one alot. I first liked this song just because the girls voice is amazing now it is even better!

No Picture Shotgun Average	#2 by Shotgun Joe at Oct 4, 2007 at 8:47 AM EST
	I think it's addressed to us, the listeners. Which one will YOU be, will you die by fire, by water.... So it's calling to mind the moment of our own death. A bit scary?

No Picture UknownSoldier Lead Player	#3 by UknownSoldier Nightmare at Oct 8, 2007 at 5:35 AM EST
	I think of St. Peter at the gates of heaven, calling on those who are waiting to get in.

No Picture Dudevill Average	#4 by Dudevill at Oct 11, 2007 at 8:05 AM EST
	LadyMidnight has it. I think it's about how we all die... Sooner or later we will have to face up to the fact. Everyone thinks they are invincible, and that "could never happen to me" mentality.

No Picture Jon Lead Player	#5 by Jon Zell at Oct 14, 2007 at 5:16 AM EST
	Based on the Yom Kippur prayer Unetaneh Tokef, part of which is as follows: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written and Yom Kippur it is sealed How many shall pass on and how many shall come to be; who shall live and who shall die; who shall see ripe old age and who shall not; who shall perish by fire and who by water; who by sword and who by beast; who by hunger and who by thirst..."

No Picture kenzie Professional Badass	#6 by kenzie at Oct 14, 2007 at 10:41 AM EST
	Yeah, I definitely get the feeling of the afterlife, but I think it's hell they're going to, and Satan's adressing the dead; "who by common trial", "who by something blunt", "who by powder", etc. This is a great song though, maybe my favourite of Cohen's.