Modest Mouse › Head South Guitar Tab

This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About Tabs:

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Head South Tab

Send "Head South" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

tabbed by: MattM


 "Struck by being ashamed of your old space..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------||
B|------------------------------------------------------------------.||
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------||
D|---5-----------------------------5------------------------444--22-.||
A|-7---5--7---6-5-------2--------7---5--7---6-5---------2------------||
E|----------8-----8-/-3-------------------8------8-/-3---------------||


  "And said, "Of what a drag!" Oh what a backwards scheme..."
e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----h-h-h---------------------------------7---7-5-4---------------|
A|-7--9-7-9-7--------h-h-h----------2-------------------------------|
E|---------------8--10-8-10-8--/--3---------------------------------|

e|------------------------------------------------------------------||
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------.||
G|------------------------------------------------------------------||
D|----h-h-h---------------------------------4---5-7----------------.||
A|-7--9-7-9-7--------h-h-h----------2-------------------------------||
E|---------------8--10-8-10-8--/--3---------------------------------||

* h -> hammer-on - keep first finger on the 7th fret, while tapping the 9th
fret with your third finger. Releasing the third finger will generate the
note back on the 7th fret, which is still held down by the first finger!  (
This is for those of you who are unfamiliar with some guitar techniques -
hope you can visualize that one, if you're not confused with my description
:/ )

Chorus:

     E (10th)   C       G
e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---9---------5-------4-------------------------------------------|
D|---9---------5-------5-------------------------------------------|
A|---7---------3-------5-------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------|

  ** The above is a simpler way to play the chorus.  If you listen
carefully, you can hear the octave chords.

   E                      C                 G
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-9---11--9--11--9-----5---7--4--7--4----------------------------------|
D|-x---x----x--x----x-----x---x---x--x---x----------------------------------|
A|-7---9---7--9---7-----3---5--2--5--2----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|


Outro:
(if you can call it that)

     F#      D
e|--------------------||----------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------.||----------------------------------------------|
G|---11------7--------||----------------------------------------------|
D|---x-------x-------.||----------------------------------------------|
A|---9-------5--------||----------------------------------------------|
E|----------(0)-------||----------------------------------------------|
              ^optional
  Proper timing: Play F# for whole bar, then D in the other three:
  ** A whole bar, in common (4/4) time, has four beats per measure(bar).
  F# | D | D | D |   x2


         B | D | E | D   C B |   x2
e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--15--12---------------------------------------------------------|
G|--x----x---7-/-9---7---5-4----------------------------------------|
D|--12--9---x-------x---x-x----------------------------------------|
A|-----------5-/-7---5---3-2----------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|


This is a pretty hard song to play; the bottom may be a bit confusing but if you listen 
the song you will get the feel of things


e|-----------------------------------------||--------------|------------------------------|
B|--12-/-15---12-/-15----12----------------||-------------.|------------------------------|
G|--x-----x---x-----x----x----9---7---5-4--||--9--7--5-4---|--9--7--5--4-/-5--4-/-5--4-|
D|--9--/-12---9--/-12----9----x---x---x-x--||--x--x--x-x--.|--x--x--x---x---x---x---x---x-|
A|----------------------------7---5---3-2--||--7--5--3-2---|--7--5--3--2-/-3--2-/-3--2-|
E|-----------------------------------------||--------------|------------------------------|

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Head South Tab

Send "Head South" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/m/modest_mouse/282615.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture JustiN Professional	#1 by JustiN at Aug 23, 1975 at 11:48 AM EST
	Toxicity is right about the lyrics. The ones on here are way off. I think you guys are wrong about a female vocalist. Pay more attention and you'll notice that's really a male voice, you can hear the strain to hit the high notes, for one thing, but I think it's obvious it's a guy. Modest Mouse is truly underrated. They are simply Gods among music, and their sound remains unique to this day.

No Picture Alexander Wanna Be	#2 by Alexander Taule at Feb 16, 1977 at 7:58 PM EST
	Coming from Ohio, I have to listen to all the whiners saying how "this state is so boring, I can't wait to get out of here!" And that's what this song is all about. People bailing out of Washington because (sarcastically) it's a "backward scheme." Gotta love the Mouse.

No Picture brian Average	#3 by brian haun at Dec 13, 1984 at 9:14 PM EST
	How could this song sound like an earlier song when it's on their first full album?

No Picture Jake Average	#4 by Jake Staley at Aug 7, 1988 at 4:23 AM EST
	this song is amazing i love how liek our 3:00 he make the gutiar sound, it sounds almost like person sounds

No Picture Dale :D Average	#5 by Dale :D O' Mondo Of DOOM!!! at Mar 3, 1996 at 1:02 PM EST
	This doesn't have much relevancy to the meaning of the song, but does anyone know who the girl is that chimes in with "Head south, head south, head south," is?

No Picture dann Average	#6 by dann at Mar 26, 1996 at 1:55 AM EST
	its one of the most light songs on long drive. just making fun of all the wananbe surfer kids in WA. it perfectly describes the weather there. but yeah basically its about going south to cali. because theres no surf in washington, just pine trees. really.

No Picture kewl Wanna Be	#7 by kewl dude at Nov 28, 1997 at 2:29 PM EST
	I swear this song would be 10x better without the first line. The way it's delivered is just annoying. The song should start abruptly with "Stuck by being ashamed..."

No Picture zoe Wanna Be	#8 by zoe cherrie at Apr 8, 1998 at 2:13 PM EST
	Hmm, does the male background voice sound an awful lot like Doug Martsch to anyone else? I mean, I would be surprised if it were, but the resemblance is pretty uncanny to me.

No Picture Caitlin Rhythm Player	#9 by Caitlin Carlisle at Oct 18, 2000 at 9:38 PM EST
	It could very well be about changing who you are to fit society's wills, but perhaps on a more specific, earthly scale it could be in spite of those who head for the 'scene' cities like Los Angeles, (head SOUTH...) and abandoning the more modest environments that people tend to take for granted. Mainly i think it deals with changing yourself to meet the wants of others.

No Picture Bodom Lake Murd Average	#10 by Bodom Lake Murderer at Jan 4, 2002 at 11:11 AM EST
	Personally, I think the first two lines are a great part of the song, and definitely belong in it. It's ultra-zany (typical Modest Mouse :)) and it helps transition from She Ionizes and Atomizes into the rest of Head South. Just my opinion though....My friend and I sung (loudly) the first two lines at a high school football game once. It was funny when we hit the high G-note on "plen-TY" and "pine TREES". We got a few strange looks...but it was great.

No Picture Freddy Badass	#11 by Freddy Timmons at Oct 25, 2004 at 9:28 PM EST
	maybe i'm just locked in the PNW theme, but it seems to me to be criticizing all those bands (or whatever else) that bailed on the PNW for CA. HERE (in the pnw) shit goes from grey to grey to green (clouds, more clouds, lots of green from the rain). things happen slow here and the action is all down south. even norcal (not mention socal) has more going on, it seems like sometimes, than seattle or portland or auburn or issaquah or the aroma (tacoma). we got rallies for nader and long grey beat down winter. you probably got crappy surf rock cred if your band practices in a place evergreen trees cover the hills, shorts are a no-no, where beaches are made of rock and only maniac try swimming in 40 degree water. socal is where THE SHIT for showbiz happens. people want to bail on the pacific northwest and head for browner but hipper pastures--for where the action is rather than working your shit out at home. head for the warm climate and the hot scene--and pretend like you've been there the whole time. you sold out for palm tree seen. socal maybe where the shit is but where your soul ain't.

No Picture josh Rhythm Player	#12 by josh groocock at Nov 14, 2005 at 1:22 PM EST
	i'm not sure if there's any history between the two bands, but this could be a specific dig at everclear - exemplifying the move to bleach blonde cali-cool. i'd agree with mousefan's interpretation, it's just that every time i hear this song i think of everclear.