Kings Crossing Acoustic Chords Guitar Tab

Elliott Smith
King's Crossing
Capo: 1st Fret
Intro:
Am			F
C	    G			Dm
Am			F
The King's crossing was the main attraction
C	    G			Dm
Dominoes falling in a chain reaction
Am			F
The scraping subject ruled by fear told me
C	    G			Dm
Whiskey works better than beer
Am			F
The judge is on vinyl, decisions aren't final
C	    G			Dm
And nobody gets a reprieve
Am			F
And every wave is tidal
C	    G			C
If you hang around you're going to get wet
Am			F                               C G Dm
I can't prepare for death any more than I already have
Verse:
Am                    F
All you can do now is watch the shelves
C          G            C
The game looks easy, that's why it sells
Chorus:
C                    B/Am
Frustrated fireworks inside your head
Am              	F
Are going to stand and deliver dark instead
C                      B/Am
The method acting that pays my bills
Am            	F
Keeps the fat man feeding in Beverly Hills
C                             B/Am
I got a heavy metal mouth, it hurls obscenity
Am           	F
And I get my check from the trash treasury
C                             B/Am
Because I took my own insides out
Am                      F
It don't matter cause I have no sex life
C              G      Dm
And all I wanna do now is inject my ex-wife
Am
I've seen the movie
F                  C G Dm
And I know what happens
Am
It's Christmas time
F
And the needle's on the tree
C               G        Dm
A skinny Santa is bringing something to me
Am
His voice is overwhelming
F
But his speech is slurred
C    G          C
And I only understand every other word
C			B/Am
Open your parachute and grab your gun
Am			F
Float down like an omen, a setting sun
C			B/Am
Read the part and return at five
Am			F
It's a hell of a role if you can keep it alive
C
But I don't care if I fuck up
B/Am
I'm going on a date
Am
With a rich white lady
F
Ain't life great?
C			B/Am
Gi'me one good reason not to do it
(Because I love you)
Am			F
So do it.
C   G   Dm
Am			F
C		G		Dm
Am			F
This is the place where time reverses
C		G		Dm
And dead men talk to all the pretty nurses
Am			F
Instruments shine on a silver tray
C                G		C
Don't let me get carried away
C                G  		C
Don't let me get carried away
C               G       Dm
Don't let me be carried away


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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


Aaron Average	#1 by Aaron NoOneKnows at Sep 26, 2007 at 9:37 AM EST
	I've always pictured this song as something that was happening as he was very much on drugs. The "Santa" with the slurred speech and skinny manner makes me think that Santa is a metaphor for a drug dealer. I honestly picture Elliot sitting on a couch throughout the whole song and random people coming in and out of his house to shoot up and him on the verge of purposly overdosing the whole time.

No Picture Ben Wanna Be	#2 by Ben Porter at Sep 27, 2007 at 10:17 AM EST
	This song is like none other I've heard. He has put his torments to verse, setting them within some of the most beautiful, poweful music that he's written. The most chilling moments come at the beginning and at the end of the song. The beginning, when we hear Elliott's lone voice struggling to rise over the clamor of street urchins, dealers, etc., paints for us a truly vivid and wrenchingingly painful picture from his memories of what we imagine are so many late night, back alley moments. The end, when he sees "dead men talk to all the pretty nurses" and "instruments shining on silver trays" reminds us who know how his final moments transpired of only one thing. "Don't let me be carried away" - this heartbreaking plea would have been answered by many thousands of us in a second. If only we knew how.

Chris Average	#3 by Chris Essery at Sep 27, 2007 at 10:18 AM EST
	the title and lyric used to be "big problem" for some reason. but anyways.. the live versions are nothing compared to the new version on the album. the piano intro is great, and when the bass and drums come in, holy fuck. my favorite song right now.

John Lead Player	#4 by John Bombara at Sep 28, 2007 at 12:54 AM EST
	This is an amazing song that discusses suicide but moreso Elliott's heroin addiction. This quote: "it's christmas time and the needles on the tree a skinny santa is bringing something to me his voice is overwhelming but his speech is slurred" makes me think of heroin because of the "needles" and the skinny santa that is bringing the drugs to him. also, this quote: "but i don't care if i fuck up i'm going on a date with a rich white lady ain't life great? give me one good reason not to do it" makes me think of heroin as well because the "rich white lady" is the actual heroin and then he proceeds to say give me one good reason not to do it. This last part could also be relating to suicide but I think it also has to do w/ heroine as well. Am I making any sense?

No Picture FUCK Average	#5 by FUCK at Sep 28, 2007 at 2:49 PM EST
	I disagree that smith took his own life before his full potential was realised. Thats doing a diservice to his work. I think he more than fullfilled his potential with some of the most moving and amazing songs of the last ten years. I think the saddest thing is that this was not realised by a larger number of our worlds population, though in the same breath i can also imagine that that kind of adulation would have been the last thing that elliot could have wanted. Many reviews i have read of 'from a basement....' have claimed that the lyrics give no indication of what ensued. I dont agree. 'i can't prepare for death any more than i already have' 'give me one good reason not to do it' Speaks for itself as far as im concerned.

dena Lead Player	#6 by dena didrickson at Sep 28, 2007 at 9:03 PM EST
	notice how just before the verse 'this is the place where time reverses.....' there is a reversed guitar loop that establishes a new 'place' altogether. that's brilliant shit.

dan Average	#7 by dan binley at Sep 28, 2007 at 10:11 PM EST
	I agree that the song could either be suicidal or about heroin, but what is the actual "King's Crossing," though? The whole first verse pretty much confuses me, and I also think that the line about time reversing is pretty interesting.

Wanna Be	#8 by at Sep 29, 2007 at 1:16 AM EST
	Perhaps the skinny santa could also be a needle. I mean, granted, that'd be a REALLY skinny santa, but still - and is the actual "king's crossing" an allusion to something that I'm just ignorant of?

eric was here Professional Badass	#9 by eric was here at Sep 29, 2007 at 11:52 AM EST
	this song reads like he has a gun to his head. its so sad and deep. Elliott Smith is the most talented song writer ive ever heard, and i love the Beatles. this man was brilliant. yes, he was heavily influenced by the Beatles, but he did it better in my opinion. everyone will probably disagree with me, but i find Elliott a lot more interesting and entertaining. From A Basement On The Hill has the best songs he's ever written, sadly the album isnt as strong as it should be because of his death. if he had lived, this album would have been absolutely stunning, if it already isnt to some of you.

� The Jester � Average	#10 by � The Jester � at Sep 29, 2007 at 3:15 PM EST
	sethbrown beat me to it, yea def. put that in there, b/c when he would sing this at concerts his gf jennifer chiba and his half sister ashley would yell because we love, and she recorded it onto the track and after that he asked her to marry him. RIP elliott

Dany Average	#11 by Dany Meyerink at Sep 30, 2007 at 4:09 AM EST
	didnt see this mentioned above but "judge is on vinyl, decisions are final" Judge is on vinyl refers to the fact that he will be judged based upon his earlier albums maybe even a reference that he knows that the current "vinyl" will never make it to market. "Decisions are final" could either be that people arent going to change their mind about him/that he's never going to be more popular OR his decision to commit suicide is final. Either is pretty depressing. any ideas about what movie he is talking about? one idea is that he's played out his life in his head, he's seen how his life ends, he's planned his death. In any case, this is one of greatest songs of his, and ive probably listened to it about 200 times in the last week since i got the disc.

#12 by In Memory of Syd 1946-2006 at Oct 1, 2007 at 12:21 PM EST
	I usually don't comment on songs anymore, i used to but it's just projecting opinions since none of us know what any of the songs really mean. Also unless it is stated then the song isn't a narrative coming from the singer and therefore couldn't be a "suicide note." Just like when Poe got semi-famous after writing the Raven everyone thought he was deranged and that he was the central character in every work he wrote. In the same way you have to remember that songs are just songs, not suicide notes, one of the album's themes might have been death but it's not the only one. Likewise the line, 'i can't prepare for death any more than i already have' might have been about death but in the same way i feel prepared to die after i almost did last summer, that doesn't mean i'm going to kill myself just that i can accept things for what they are now. I feel like dissecting the song since no one commented on everything yet. I'll start with 'the method acting' which is going through the motions and putting out records on big labels; of course the 'fat man' is corporate record labels. He had to disregard his conscience, 'took my own insides out' to get his 'check from the trash treasury' which is the big labels again. 'Inject my ex wife' came from the velvet underground lyric 'heroin, it's my life, it's my wife.' When he says, 'i've seen the movie and i know what happens,' he could mean this movie about drug abuse called 'Less than zero' which seems appropriate with the song but i think it just meant he knows what going to happen with drug use. 'It's christmas time and the needles on the tree' is one of the best lines on the album i think; the needle is for drug use again and the skinny santa could represent a drug user but more often a malnourished body represents a malnourished soul. Lastly, the 'rich white lady' is a double entendre for cocaine(which he has used before in the white lady loves you more) and also probably the way our society is going with Hollywood and all, got to date that blonde reality tv star and everything will be great. Dante 1 2 3 4 5 Next

blake Average	#13 by blake pratt at Oct 1, 2007 at 4:10 PM EST
	This song is heartbreaking. I'm amazed, time and time again, song after song, by Elliott Smith's ability to put such feeling into words. This song is a masterpiece, and Mr. Smith truly lives on through his music.

Zach Wanna Be	#14 by Zach Honeycutt at Oct 2, 2007 at 12:38 AM EST
	that piano intro...my god, haunting beauty, what sadness

No Picture sam Wanna Be	#15 by sam johnson at Oct 2, 2007 at 2:38 AM EST
	i think you do make sense, fore777 also this quote "all i want to do now is inject my ex wife" makes me think of heroine, though the "ex wife" makes me wonder.. what a beautiful song.

shareef Average	#16 by shareef turner at Oct 2, 2007 at 5:27 AM EST
	"sadly the album isnt as strong as it should be because of his death"- what do you mean by that, nopoetic? An album is the same whether the artist who recorded it is alive or dead. Its another fantastic elliot smith album. i dont personally think its his best, but its got some outstanding songs on it. What would have made the album stunning if he had of lived?

Zack Wanna Be	#17 by Zack Volm at Oct 2, 2007 at 12:38 PM EST
	this song is nothing less than amazing. one of my newest elliott favorites. on sweetadeline the live recording is wonderful. he sings it with so much passion. i can't wait til the album comes out later this month

haloonpc Average	#18 by haloonpc at Oct 2, 2007 at 4:35 PM EST
	King's Crossing is a safe injection site in Sydney, Australia. I'm not sure if Elliott knew this, or had been there, but it makes a whole lot of sense.

nick Professional	#19 by nick Sutliff at Oct 3, 2007 at 3:32 PM EST
	This song seems to hauntingly draw out a suicide note itself from beyond the grave. Lyrics like "I can't prepare for death anymore than I already have" pierce the soul. He goes on to highlight his disillusion with the music industry with "the method acting that pays my bills keeps a rich man feeding in beverly hills" and his heroin addiction with an entire verse. King's Crossing is the inescapable climax in a the downward spiraling story Smith has painted for us since Figure 8. One of the best songs of 2004 on one of the best albums of 2004. It's all too sad that Elliott took his own life well before his full potential could be realized.

Brandon Average	#20 by Brandon Dunzer at Oct 3, 2007 at 10:11 PM EST
	in response to fore777, yeah, its totally about heroin addiction. inject his ex-wife, his ex-wife is heroin. like lou reed said, "heroin, it's my life, its my wife". it don't matter cause i have no sex life (heroin diminishes your urge to fuck, basically, cause god knows that smack is better than sex.) all i want to do now is inject my ex wife (self explanatory) i've seen the movie and i know what happens it's christmas time and the needles on the tree a skinny santa is bringing something to me (haha, elliott is so funny. this line always makes me laugh, because you can almost hear him smiling as he says it as he pictures a skinny santa bringing him a bag of dope...hey, if i saw that, id smile too. nothing is better than a fat sack of smack on christmas morning.) his voice is overwhelming but his speech is slurred and i only understand every other word (you can't understand a god damn thing anyone says when they're high on heroin. your speech gets slurred, your vision gets blurred, you kind of become this puddle because all of your muscles relax & you just sink into euphoria - ps the skinny santa is a junkie.)

punk bassist Average	#21 by punk bassist at Oct 4, 2007 at 8:15 AM EST
	in reference to nopoetics comments i have to say that i think an artist like elliott smith left this music behind purposely to be put together by his friends and family etc he specifically told a friend engineer how he wanted it mixed should anything happen to him i heard he wanted it much more lo fi . either way this is one of the greatest rock records ever. i think it will take awhile to catch up to where it should be, but that's how it goes...

cuac3 Wanna Be	#22 by cuac3 jejeje at Oct 4, 2007 at 11:58 AM EST
	decisions are final decisions are final decisions are final decisions are final

Jeremy Average	#23 by Jeremy Rees at Oct 4, 2007 at 2:00 PM EST
	the lyrics for this song were recorded oct. 20, 2003 - one day before elliott's death. and if you listen carefully, right after "give me one good reason not to do it..." you can hear jennifer chiba's line "because we love you" that elliott had her record because she and elliott's sister would yell that during his concert's so sweet

No Picture chris Average	#24 by chris rowley at Oct 4, 2007 at 3:24 PM EST
	it was unfinished, it was set to be a double album if you read any info on it. it was compiled by his friends and family so it wasnt exactly what he would have made. its still amazing, but just not as an album, it has some of his greatest songs, this one included.

josh Rhythm Player	#25 by josh groocock at Oct 5, 2007 at 7:21 PM EST
	A suicide song if I ever heard one. Actually, "From a Basement on the Hill" could be THE definitive suicide album, which is unfortunate because its great and should have been a precursor for even better stuff (if that's possible).