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Scale - Interpol
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Tabbed by: niftypapaya
Email: led.zeppelin.15@hotmail.com
Tuning: Standard (E-A-D-G-B-e)
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|(repeat)
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-5-7-7-8-8-10-12---12h13p12-12-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-7-----|
very faint but you can hear some sort of chord like this every now and then
e|-5-------|
B|-6-------|
G|-7-------|
well the first part is playing u can hear this:
e|---------------8p5h8----------|
B|--8p5h8-------------7---------|
G|-7------7----7----------------|
D|------------------------------|
A|------------------------------|
E|------------------------------|
after "son you sleep in clouds of fire...."(thats keyboard not guitar so i cant tab it sorry)
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|(repeat)
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-5-7-7-8-8-10-12---12h13p12-12-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-7-----|
again randomly
e|-5-------|
B|-6-------|
G|-7-------|
again:
e|---------------8p5h8----------|
B|--8p5h8-------------7---------|
G|-7------7----7----------------|
D|------------------------------|
A|------------------------------|
E|------------------------------|
"son you sleep on clouds of fire" part (repeat this until end of the song)
e|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-5-7-7-8-8-10-12---12h13p12-12-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-7-----|
Solo: (i don't know what effect that is soo whatever here is the solo);)
tip: play it with some sort of distortion or it wont sound as epic :D
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-10--9-7-7-9-10-10h12p10-9-7-5-7-9-14b-12-10-12\19-14-12-10-12-14-12-10-12|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------|
D|-14-12-10-12\19-19b-21b-22b-7--|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
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No Picture
Keaton Wanna Be |
#1 by Keaton Lane at Sep 26, 2007 at 9:28 PM EST |
| ^Agreed, I think it's about abortion too. And maybe he never knew that his girlfriend got the baby aborted? And the words sun and son are played with. But now that I think about the song on the whole, it's probably "Son". "Well, I made you and now I take you back It's too late but today I can define the lack I made you and now I take you back" - A reference to abortion... The baby was a part of him, but it was aborted and now it's too late. "Son, you sleep in clouds of fire" - Okay I'm guessing the baby is getting cremated? Or maybe the baby was in the middle of fights and arguments of his parents. "I see the signs when there is no shape" - Of his girlfriend's womb? "I can still feel it when you lie Pick a rose just to hide my face Well, if there's something I should know I see the signs when there is no shape" - So maybe he never knew that she got their baby aborted and that he can feel that she's lying about it still being there. He's ashamed. And if there's something she needs to tell him, then he gets the signs and he also sees the shape of her womb/stomach/whatever. Either that or maybe she's just hiding the fact that she's pregnant from him. I don't know. I like the song though. And "I have a sequin for an eye" is a beautiful line in my opinion. | |
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Jamie Average |
#2 by Jamie Kaye at Sep 27, 2007 at 12:02 AM EST |
| I think it's not "shape" nor "shame" but "shade". | |
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travis Wanna Be |
#3 by travis bass for D-Laid Reaction at Sep 27, 2007 at 1:47 AM EST |
| btw the line should read "this is a bandit's life, it comes and goes and MENDS the brakes" for some reason everyone hears that word wrong | |
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Mark Average |
#4 by Mark Neishtadt at Sep 27, 2007 at 6:46 AM EST |
| i'd agree with the abortion theory. "pick a rose just to hide my face" - kill something beatiful (the child) just to hide your own shortcomings (promiscuity/teenage pregnancy) "this is a bandit's life and them's the breaks" - life is unjust and the unborn child has got a bad 'break'. "i seek no science when there is no shape" - he doesn't feel it is wrong to kill the unborn child as there is no life (science) when it forms no shape (unrecognisable foetus) | |
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Cam Wanna Be |
#5 by Cam Reck at Sep 27, 2007 at 7:30 AM EST |
| I'm thinking of vampires, but probably because i just finished reading an Anne Rice book about half an hour ago... could also refer to dealer/user or any of the other ideas ppl on this site seem to think every song is about (rape, drugs, killing someone out of love/lust, suicide... lol) | |
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Johan Average |
#6 by Johan Soderberg at Sep 27, 2007 at 9:38 AM EST |
| So great, love it and it's Son not Sun | |
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jordan Porreca Lead Player |
#7 by jordan Porreca porreca at Sep 27, 2007 at 3:49 PM EST |
| Does anyone know what Interpol's obsession with breaks is? They mention it in at least three different songs on "Our Love to Admire." | |
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No Picture
Paul Wanna Be |
#8 by Paul Milne at Sep 27, 2007 at 7:22 PM EST |
| I love this song so much. This must be my favorite song on OLTA. I hope I'm not sounding ridiculous, but when I first hear this song I made an immediate relation to the name of the song being The Scale and the sound of the song is just so heavy. | |
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mik Average |
#9 by mik at Sep 29, 2007 at 1:13 AM EST |
| OLTA's A Time to be so Small? | |
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Satan SAF! Rhythm Player |
#10 by Satan SAF! Lucifer at Sep 29, 2007 at 7:55 AM EST |
| great song | |
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Rob Average |
#11 by Rob T at Sep 29, 2007 at 11:38 AM EST |
| I think the line "I have a sequin for an eye" is actually written from the child's perspective. Sequins are small, so if the child has small eyes, it would mean it's a baby or fetus, which would imply abortion. | |
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No Picture
tom Average |
#12 by tom jenkins at Sep 29, 2007 at 12:00 PM EST |
| I love this sooong! I'm not sure it's about abortion. I take it actually a conversation with god and a man. And it's called scale because it's a balance act between who is going to win out. man says: I have a sequin eye- I only look for beauty.. but it's fake.. and tacky... Pick a rose and hide my face- I don't think I'm good enough, so I want to hide behind true beauty.. ( ie find some hot girls. lol) This is a bandits life ( i steal people's hearts) Under a molten sky, beyond the road, we lie in wait ( what's the purpose of life? I'm waiting for something to change my life) You think they know us now? ( You think you know what we are all doing) Wait 'til the stars come out ( well at night we act out, ie have lots of sex, act crazy,debauchary) You see that ( God, do you see. we aren't perfect) GOD: Well, I made you and now I take you back It's too late but today I can define the lack I made you and now I take you back ( self explain) Son, you sleep in clouds of fire ( you think you are happy but it's a dangerous life) That's all and that's right My son, you sleep in clouds of fire That's all and that's right Man: I can still feel it when you lie ( God you lie, don't take me) Pick a rose just to hide my face (just put something on me that will make me good enough so you don't have to take me back) GOD: "Well, if there's something I should know" ( hmm I will think about it...) I seek no science when there is no shape ( I'm not logical though, if there is nothing in your soul I think I will take you back) Under a molten sky, let the days collide Well, I made you and now I take you back ( ok I"m taking you back, You fucked up too much) | |
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Snap! Crackle! Average |
#13 by Snap! Crackle! Josh!! waldenmaier at Sep 29, 2007 at 2:25 PM EST |
| btw "this is a bandit's life, it comes and goes and EBBS the brakes" this is the word i hear. haha. | |
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No Picture
mnb Wanna Be |
#14 by mnb vhm at Sep 29, 2007 at 7:03 PM EST |
| _space_ I definitely have to disagree with you. It doesn't sound anything like "Mends the brakes"... to me it sounds like "Them's the breaks." which is a common phrase for "That's just how things go." or even, "That's how the cookie crumbles" if you want to get into cliches. It should read: This is a bandit's life It comes and goes And them's the breaks 1 | |
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stuart Professional |
#15 by stuart finlayson at Sep 29, 2007 at 7:36 PM EST |
| this song is amazing! long live interpol | |
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Th3Tempest Average |
#16 by Th3Tempest at Sep 30, 2007 at 1:58 PM EST |
| I'm also pretty sure it's "them's the breaks." Everyone on the Interpol message board has been using that phrase lately. | |
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No Picture
Jesse Wanna Be |
#17 by Jesse ritchie at Sep 30, 2007 at 6:40 PM EST |
| One of my favorites off the new album...I've seen the lyrics posted as "Son, you sleep in clouds of fire" as opposed to "Sun, you sleep in clouds of fire." I wonder which one it is? | |
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No Picture
Perfect Pervers Rhythm Player |
#18 by Perfect Perversion™ at Oct 2, 2007 at 12:23 PM EST |
| That's what I thought, "Son" instead of "Sun". | |
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Smellson Wanna Be |
#19 by Smellson at Oct 3, 2007 at 9:46 AM EST |
| "the sequin for an eye" thing is way too much. i think the abortion theory is a stretch. | |
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Mack Lead Player |
#20 by Mack at Oct 3, 2007 at 3:06 PM EST |
| The line, "Sun, you sleep in clouds of fire" Could be either in reference to a "son" or a sunset. like when the sun sets sometimes it makes the clouds look as if they're on fire... | |
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Nicolas Rhythm Player |
#21 by Nicolas Turgeon at Oct 3, 2007 at 7:01 PM EST |
| ooh yes and just thought that that line makes much more sense now "this is a bandit's life, it comes and goes and EBBS the brakes" I steal peoples hearts, ( ie sleep around, break girls hearts,) this yearning to fuck around comes and goes and makes it hard for me to realize that it is wrong and I should stop. 1 | |
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batman Average |
#22 by batman chum at Oct 4, 2007 at 7:56 AM EST |
| I fell in love with this song the firs time i head it. Definalty can't wait for the album. Then again, from Interpol, I expect no less. | |
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fasterdisco Average |
#23 by fasterdisco at Oct 4, 2007 at 1:55 PM EST |
| just got the new album today. i have no clue what the songs about but "You think they know us now? Wait 'til the stars come out." is my favourite line of the album. such a great lyric and the way he sings it is amazing. | |
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No Picture
Quinn Wanna Be |
#24 by Quinn Carvalho at Oct 4, 2007 at 1:55 PM EST |
| i'd agree with the abortion theory. "pick a rose just to hide my face" - kill something beatiful (the child) just to hide your own shortcomings (promiscuity/teenage pregnancy) "this is a bandit's life and them's the breaks" - life is unjust and the unborn child has got a bad 'break'. "i seek no science when there is no shape" - he doesn't feel it is wrong to kill the unborn child as there is no life (science) when it forms no shape (unrecognisable foetus) | |
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No Picture
Z-Boy Average |
#25 by Z-Boy at Oct 4, 2007 at 9:36 PM EST |
| I think it's son. Like "I made you, I take you back" like a father saying he has the right to kill his son since he gave him life in the first place. | |
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No Picture
Zack Average |
#26 by Zack Tredway at Oct 5, 2007 at 4:43 AM EST |
| Well I'm a little apprehensive of assuming the following is right, because I always listen to The Mars Volta, and their songs deal with religion, but w/e: the narrator is God talking to humanity (his son) But the twist in this song is that he allowed us to go awry by giving us free will "You think they know us now? Wait 'til the stars come out." is sort of different. The voice changes to religion as a whole (God,people, leaders,ect) and is suggesting the situation will get worse. the fire imagery (clouds, molten sky) symbolize the state of humanity, it's in hell or disarray. 'Thats all and that's alright' means you brought it upon yourself (free will) something along those lines, but I doubt it because I don't recall any of their songs dealing with this theme. | |
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Collin Average |
#27 by Collin at Oct 6, 2007 at 1:22 AM EST |
| btw the line should read "this is a bandit's life, it comes and goes and MENDS the brakes" for some reason everyone hears that word wrong | |
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No Picture
Public Enemy Wanna Be |
#28 by Public Enemy at Oct 6, 2007 at 9:40 AM EST |
| These lyrics are wrong, the Japanese booklet with the lyrics says "them's the breaks" and "my son you sleep in clouds of fire"...I believe it is "no shame" not "no shape" too but that might be wrong...anyway, I've heard people describe this as being about abortion, and it actually makes a lot of sense to me. I think the line "pick a rose just to hide my face" could mean something about trying to make an act (whatever it is) sound like something right and beautiful but hiding your shame behind it...hmmm I'm not sure. I'm surprised this doesn't have that many responses, the imagery in this song is so vivid and amazing. I hate that line "I have a sequin for an eye", though...it seems to fall flat among the other great lines in this song, to me. Great, though--classic, dark Interpol. | |
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Bjorn Average |
#29 by Bjorn Nordvall at Oct 6, 2007 at 3:28 PM EST |
| I think the line is "it comes and goes and THEM'S the breaks". The band is NY centric and "them's the breaks" is a common term up there meaning "it is what it is" or "that's life". | |
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Ian Lead Player |
#30 by Ian Kien at Oct 6, 2007 at 10:07 PM EST |
| I think this is amazing so beautiful like the rest of the songs on the new album are | |