Fixed Tabs:
- Gave Up »
- Wish
- Happiness In Slavery
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From: Burning.Inside@f929.n273.z1.fidonet.org (Burning Inside)
Date: 25 Dec 95 01:08:47 -0500
Subject: TAB:"Gave Up" by Nine Inch Nails
Gave Up by Nine Inch Nails
from the EP "Broken"
words and music by Trent Reznor
tabbed by Tom Mallon
Guitar Riff 1 (appears behind verses)
E -------------------------------------------------------------------
B -------------------------------------------------------------------
G -------------------------------------------------------------------
D --2---4------------------------------------------------------------
A --2---4------------------------------------------------------------
E --0---2------------------------------------------------------------
Chorus Riff 1 (at "It took you...")
E |-----------------------------------------|
B |-----------------------------------------|
G |.--9-----------------5-4-2---------54-.|
D |.--9----7----4------5-4-2--4------54-.|
A |---7----7----4------3-2-0--4------32--|
E |---------5----2-------------2-----------|
Chorus Riff 2 (at "Smashed up my sanity...")
E |-----------------------------------------------|
B |-----------------------------------------------|
G |.--9----11------------------5-4-2--------54-.|
D |.--9----11---7----9----4---5-4-2--4-----54-.|
A |---7----9----7----9----4---3-2-0--4-----32--|
E |--------------5----7----2----------2----------|
Synth Solo (1:21) (play twice)
E ---------------------------------------------------
B ---------------------------------------------------
G ---------------------------------------------------
D ---------------------------------------------------
A -3-3--333--3h4p3p2p0------3-3--333--3h4p3p2p0------
E ---------------------2------------------------2----
E ------------------------------
B ------------------------------
G ------------------------------
D ------------------------------
A ----------------------3p2p0---
E --2--2--2-5--0h2-2-2----------
(Note: This is my best guess. It's a little hard to figure it out because
the notes are a little muddy. This is just a rough estimate.)
There is another synth burst at 2:55. It sounds like one chord being bent
by a pitch shifter, so I just bend the living shit out a chord that is
shaped like x-x-16-18-19-x. It's some sort of F# chord.
Outro Synth Line (also appears at 2:55)
E -------------------------------------------------------------------
B -------------------------------------------------------------------
G --/9------------/9------------/9-------------/9--------------------
D ------9--7----------9--7----------7--------------7-----------------
A ------------9-------------9----------9--7-----------9--7-----------
E -------------------------------------------------------------------
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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claireus Wanna Be |
#1 by claireus s at Apr 27, 1971 at 10:22 AM EST |
| "covered in hope and vaseline" That has nothing to do with homosexuality. Vasoline is a reference to masturbation. I think the song is about him getting dumped and he tries to get back together with the girl but she doesn't want him. So eventually he realizes how pathetic he is and he gives up on getting her back. | |
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Athena-beana-fo Average |
#2 by Athena-beana-fo-feena -katrina-gina-go-zeena-fe-fi-fo...ATHENA at Mar 31, 1972 at 5:01 PM EST |
| THROW IT AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!! This song rules. | |
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ben Average |
#3 by ben doherty at Apr 2, 1973 at 8:50 AM EST |
| elaborating on that... he wakes from his dream.. and i think of the scar part cause "smashed up my sanity smashed up my integrity smashed up what i believed in smashed up what's left of me smashed up my everything smashed up all that was true gonna smash myself to pieces i don't know what else to do" and this scar gets progressivley bigger "just watching it burn in my steady systematic decline " | |
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Gabba Gabba Hey Average |
#4 by Gabba Gabba Hey at Oct 18, 1973 at 11:15 PM EST |
| i love this song so fucking much...it molds to different life events so well for me. i saw the broken movie...i liked it. i only said one little "oh my god" in a part where i thought i saw a severed doll head, then it turned out to be a human head and i said "oh ok" lol. freaky dolls scare me. | |
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Dr. Jack Average |
#5 by Dr. Jack at Jan 27, 1977 at 8:39 PM EST |
| You wake up one day and realize that you've been sacrificing everything that makes you a person. You see all of yourself that's you've given away and you no longer recognize the person in the mirror. I played this song for 4 hours straight after I quit a job that literally sucked my soul out of my body. | |
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Toni Average |
#6 by Toni at Dec 13, 1977 at 8:26 PM EST |
| i love this song so fucking much, i can mold it into almost any sucky life event... i saw the broken movie...i liked it. i only said a little "oh my god" when i thought i saw a severed doll head then it turned out to be a human head and i was like "oh ok" lol. freaky dolls scare me. | |
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Razzle Wanna Be |
#7 by Razzle jester at Jun 1, 1978 at 12:53 PM EST |
| Now, I'd love to comment on how much this song pwns, but that's already been done. So I will ask a question. Does anyone know if its Brian Warner (Marilyn Manson) minus the make-up in the video? Sure looks like him! Trent looks so vunerable, as a straight male I just wanna give him a big hug! | |
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Jimmy "Hoffa" Average |
#8 by Jimmy "Hoffa" at Mar 13, 1979 at 5:12 PM EST |
| he is in a relationship. realizes his partner hurt him. and it leaves a scar. | |
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Kyle Average |
#9 by Kyle Landers at Aug 27, 1981 at 12:10 PM EST |
| To me, this song tells about a relationship. Maybe Trent didn't mean it that way but I do. So let's imagine now that the lyrics are about a relationship. An awesome song and I love the lyrics, because I kind of find myself in the song. Of course as the guy who speaks. "Perfect little dream, the kind that hurts the most" The girl has given hope to him and he has imagined everything in his mind, probably about how he's going to spend his life with her and shit like that. "Forgot how it feels, well almost" He's been living in a dream and he admits that he almost forgot how painful life really is. "No one to blame, always the same" He can only blame himself for imaging too much of himself and nothing good ever happens to him. "Open my eyes, wake up in flames" He realizes the truth and he gets extremely angry. "Took you to make me realize, took you to make me see the light" His anger is building. He realizes now that he is good-for-nothing and he's dwelling in his anger. "Smashed up my sanity Smashed up my integrity Smashed up what i believed in Smashed up what's left of me Smashed up my everything Smashed up all that was true Gonna smash myself to pieces I don't know what else to do" He can't control his anger anymore and he lets it all come out. His last attempt to try to get some understandment. Nothing feels good anymore, and he wants to die. "Covered in hope and vaseline, still cannot fix this broken machine" He still wishes that everything could be like he imagined but then he says that he can't do shit about it. "Watching the hole, it used to be mine, just watching it burn in my steady systematic decline, of the trust, I will betray, give it to me, I'll throw it away" He claims that he's not going to trust anybody anymore and he doesn't want to. "After everything I've done I hate myself for what I've become" He tried his best and it wasn't enough. Now as he looks into the mirror he hates every bit of himself. "I tried, I gave up" He tried, he gave up. "Throw it away" He doesn't give a fuck anymore. *SORRY, THIS COMMENT IS TOO LONG* | |
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Marks Average |
#10 by Marks at Sep 14, 1981 at 2:20 PM EST |
| shocka, i love you lol | |
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Trey Average |
#11 by Trey Davis at May 19, 1982 at 12:33 AM EST |
| I, like carrera am curious about the line: "covered in hope and vaseline" I really could give a shit about any implications having to do with homosexuality. I don't understand why that concept trips people up so much, but I guess the idiots are like mollases. Anyway, that line seems to be the only line that doesn't have an obvious meaning once you think a little bit about it. | |
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Dean Rhythm Player |
#12 by Dean M at May 13, 1986 at 3:07 AM EST |
| To answer Mr Jack's question, I'm almost positive it's Brain Warner in the video. It would make perfect sense. Marilyn Manson was the first band outside of NIN to be recorded through Nothing records and given the fact that they were friends at one point. | |
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Alex Lead Player |
#13 by Alex at Mar 5, 1987 at 12:30 AM EST |
| The meaning of this song is obvious...its about being treated like pure crap in a relationship, but until recently he did not see this because he was blinded by the "good" in the girl. He is now giving up on the relationship and saying to the girl "I am not going to let you screw up my life anymore" and he then explains how she screwed it up. This one goes out to you Chameleonica... | |
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Eric Rhythm Player |
#14 by Eric at Mar 6, 1988 at 2:34 PM EST |
| Maybe the vaseline lyric has to do with masturbation. It makes sense, since many NIN songs have to do with masturbation and... yknow, you gotta have lube. | |
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julius Average |
#15 by julius vaisanen at Dec 30, 1988 at 1:04 PM EST |
| Vasoline is used as a metaphor in this song. Vasoline is used in the song to explain something that is used for its healing purposes but still doesn't fix the job - think about it "covered in hope and vasoline but still cannot fix this broken machine". Yes its that simple, it really isn't about gay sex or masturbation. And seriously, what is with straight guys who wanna suck trent off? | |
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Colleen Average |
#16 by Colleen Shmeltin at Apr 9, 1990 at 6:48 AM EST |
| This is my favorite NIN song of all time. He has always been treated like dirt by his girlfriend, he has now given up on the relationship and is telling us why. | |
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Indy Lead Player |
#17 by Indy Windrose at May 8, 1990 at 4:48 PM EST |
| I never realized that before... I only really realized how "The Downward Spiral" made a story, but ANYWAY, I think this song is about relationship. A lot of NIN's songs are about love, sex and relationships. By the way, I'm kinda bad at explaining things, so if noone understood this, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to put it any simpler. | |
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marvin Lead Player |
#18 by marvin at Feb 7, 1991 at 7:13 PM EST |
| I put my ex-fiance in Trent's place for a long part of our relationship, I never noticed and neither did she until she moved to australia, I was to follow and be with her shortly after, when she broke up with me, and now it seems too late to fix things up. I would of been more than happy to fix things up for her, but now she doesn't want to give me that chance, as she doesn't want me to ruin her life anymore. Life really can throw you some really bad ones :( | |
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GonnaKill Average |
#19 by GonnaKill YOU at Feb 27, 1994 at 5:17 AM EST |
| Gave Up is about Trent's experience at a cooking class, because he was trying to learn how to cook stuff but in the end he had to give up. The whole Broken album is actually about a blender that Trent owned but it got broken | |
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Matt Rhythm Player |
#20 by Matt at May 8, 1996 at 4:10 AM EST |
| this is a song about being in a relationship,and that person turning on you,and hurting you in some way. and then he wakes up and realizes what happened.and in the line--prefect little dream,the kind that hurts the most--thats thinking you found that "one",and then it comes back and "hurts" you!!! amazing song!!! | |
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MelissA Average |
#21 by MelissA at Jul 26, 1996 at 2:09 PM EST |
| huh | |
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kevin Rhythm Player |
#22 by kevin jeung at Aug 8, 2000 at 5:00 PM EST |
| This song (not to mention that the whole album) revolves around TVT, but as most NIN songs do, they also have a secondary meaning. Almost every NIN song has two meanings to it - the song's own personal message and what the song means to the album. Hurt is a good example. To the album, it is about the person either killing himself or that mechanical mind that was taking him over. On its own, Hurt has been agreed by many to be a song about dealing with depression and addiction. But every single song on this album has hate towards TVT on it. After PHM, Trent found out what kind of a bitch the music industry was and he hated TVT for treating him the way they were. They wanted another album from him ASAp, which he refused to do; they wouldn't give him the producers he wanted, etc etc. Happiness in Slavery is another example of the duel meaning theory. On one hand, its about Trent's realization that he will always be a slave to the music industry and he is learning that he'll have to live with it (hence, happiness). On the other hand, well, look for the song on this website. I'm not going to write an essay for you guys and lay out all the songs here, but I never saw this song being about a woman. I always saw it as his relationship with TVT, as I take the whold album (except Suck and Physical of course). | |
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lewi Wanna Be |
#23 by lewi broadway at Jul 10, 2002 at 7:50 AM EST |
| YES I MADE THE 100,000th Comment i juss signed on and only 99,999 I KICK ASS! AND what a song to be commenting to it on this song is amazing and NIN helped me thru my life with they're music everytime i hear this song i wanna cry ilove NIN and when i heard this i couldn't believe how good it was | |
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Quinn Rhythm Player |
#24 by Quinn I killed my last name at Dec 24, 2002 at 11:36 PM EST |
| I think this song is explaining Trent's relationship with TVT Records, if you remember "Broken" was secretly recorded. Trent didn't want to be forced to make a new album, and he decided to make one secretly. Anyway, the album is full of hate, anger, and rage, anyway Trent tried to play the game with TVT and the music industry, so he tried and gave up, realizing he can't fix the broken music industry that existed even before "Pretty Hate Machine" was released, so "Broken" is sort of a short 30 minute concept album. This song and the entire album is very complicated to me, mainly because of Trent's lyrics. You people should also check out his unrleased long form movie for the album it's called "Broken" it is very graphic and disturbing. | |
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can Wanna Be |
#25 by can sahin at Oct 8, 2004 at 4:40 AM EST |
| what is up with the vaseline?? not saying he is gay, i really like the music but what else does it mean "covered in hope and vaseline" | |
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