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Heart Attack In A Layby CD: In Absentia
Words and music by Steve Wilson
A beautiful sad and breezy song, by my fave band Porcupine Tree, Steve Wilson
ROCKS! In Absentia is without a doubt the cd of the year for 2002.
Drop D tuning
For firure 1
See bass figure(this part sounds muddled
could be played by another guitar)
Verses
fig.1
. (-------------------)
E|----4---4--5----2-----------------------|
B|----2---2--2----2------2-----------2----|
G|----2-2-2--2----2--------2-------2---2--|
D|----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------|
D|--4----------------4--------0h4---------|
I pull off the road
3X .
E|----4---7---2--------------------------|
B|----2-------2---------2---------2------|
G|----2-------2-----------2-----2---2----|
D|---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
D|--4---------------4-------0h4----------|
East of Baldock and Ashford
3X .
E|-------4--5----2----------------------|
B|-------3--3----3-----3-----------3----|
G|-------2--2----2-------2-------2---2--|
D|-------0--0----0----------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
D|--0---------------0--------0----------|
Feeling for my cell
3X .
E|-------4--7---2--------------------|
B|-------3------3-----3--------3-----|
G|-------2------2-------2----2---2---|
D|-------0------0--------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
D|--0--------------0------0----------|
In the light from the dashboard
Chorus (not sure what to call it!)
E|----4---4--5----2-----------------------|
B|----2---2--2----2------2-----------2----|
G|----2-2-2--2----2--------2-------2---2--|
D|----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------|
D|--4----------------4--------0h4---------|
Lighting up a smoke
3X .
E|----4---7---2----------------------|
B|----2-------2----------2-----2-----|
G|----2-------2----------2-------2---|
D|--------------------2--------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
D|--2--------------4--------4--------|
I've got this feeling inside me
3X .
E|-----7--9-------------------------|
B|-----7----9-------9----------9----|
G|-----7----7-----7---7------7---7--|
D|--0-------0---0---------0h7-------|
A|----------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
Don't feel too good
3X sl.
E|-----9--10/12--10----------9------|
B|-----7---------7-------------7----|
G|-----7---------7---------7--------|
D|--0------------0-----0h7----------|
A|----------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
3X .
E|-----7--9-------------------------|
B|-----7----9-------9----------9----|
G|-----7----7-----7---7------7---7--|
D|--0-------0---0--------0h7--------|
A|----------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|
let ring
E|-------------4--------------4-----|
B|----------3--------------2--------|
G|-------2--------------2-----------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------|
D|---4---------------4--------------|
Bass riff for figure 1
3X 3X
E|------------------|-------------------|
B|------------------|-------------------|
G|----------4-------|----------4--------|
D|-------4-----4----|------4------4-----|
A|------------------|-------------------|
D|--0h4-------------|---0---------------|
Extra tab lines so you can correct, nit-pick or whatever,
add to this!
3X
E|--------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
Any comments and/or corrections are not only welcome but encouraged!
Transcribed by Mike Ferenczy e-mail me: michaelferenczy@msn.com
Heartattack in a Layby
Verse 1
I pull off the road
East of Baldock and Ashford
Feeling for my cell
In the light from the dashboard
Hissing from the road
The smell of rain in the air con
Maybe check the news
Or just put a tape on
Chorus (not sure what to call it!)
Lighting up a smoke
I've got this feeling inside me
Don't feel too good
Verse 2
If I close my eyes
And fell asleep in this layby
Would it all subside
The fever pushing the day by
Chorus 2
Motor window wind
I could do with some fresh air
Can't breathe too well
(She waits for me. Home waits for me.)
verse 3
I guess I should go now
(She's waiting to make up)
To tell me she's sorry
(And how much she missed me)
I guess I'm just burnt out
(I really should slow down)
I'm perfectly fine but
(I just need to lie down)
We'll grow old together
We'll grow old together
We'll grow old together....
Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Jaime Average |
#1 by Jaime at Mar 27, 1971 at 3:35 PM EST |
| Wow, I just read interview with Steven Wilson where he says that this song is about man who had argued with his wife that morning and was coming back home, but finnaly he died. He had heartattack. | |
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No Picture
Dan Average |
#2 by Dan Flores at Jun 22, 1975 at 10:29 AM EST |
| Whoa, Xim's explanation is definitely amazing and worth reading. I had always thought of it as being... kind of the opposite. I thought that he was PESSIMISTIC about his life; stuck in a rut, and that "we'll grow old... together" was meant to be ironic, like, "oh God, I can't take much more of this life." :( It's even sadder now that I know what it's really about. | |
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No Picture
Joshua Wanna Be |
#3 by Joshua Osprey at Jan 25, 1979 at 11:59 AM EST |
| I think komplexnous has it explained very well. | |
|
No Picture
Razzle Wanna Be |
#4 by Razzle jester at Jan 15, 1981 at 7:19 PM EST |
| So beautiful. So sad. Can't you just see him there? He had a fight with his wife earlier that day, and now he's going out for a drive to blow off some steam. Check the news, listen to some music, anything to take his mind off her. As he's driving, he feels worse and worse. Slowly he begins to realize it may be more than emotional stress. Lights up a cigarrette. Maybe he'll be able to relax. But the feeling grows even worse. Then he thinks maybe he's just tired. He pulls off the road into a lay by. But instead of sleeping he gets out of his car to try and catch his breath. Maybe if he can catch some fresh air, the feeling would subside. He's no longer angry or hurt by his wife. He gets to thinking he should go home soon. Go back to her an then everything will be all right. The way it always had been. She's waiting for me.. "We'll grow old together.." he repeats to himself with a tear in his eye as he slowly lies down. His final thoughts. He knows it isn't true. And so, he dies of a heartattack. His wife never knows how sorry he is. The last time he ever saw her, he stormed out of the house in a moment of heated anger. So beautiful. So sad. The moral is, no matter how angry you are at someone, if you truly love them, never leave their side after saying something you don't really mean. Even if you intend to apologize, you may never get a chance. | |
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No Picture
Dillon Rhythm Player |
#5 by Dillon H. at Apr 29, 1982 at 6:57 PM EST |
| I've been putting this off for some time now. This has got to be one of the saddest, most bittersweet, and beautiful songs of all time. This heart-wrenching story of a man who's wife/girlfriend has done him wrong and then he leaves her just to get away for a few moments, maybe a few fours, to cool things down, only to suffer a heart attack while thinking about how their lives are going to be better once he goes back and she tells him she's sorry. Can you imagine his life flashing before his eyes, knowing he'll never see her again, didn't get to say the things he wished he could say to her? And then there's the wife/girlfriend, who eventually finds out that he died of a heart attack by the side of the road. A heart attack probably brought on by the stress of their argument. Could anything be sadder? The last part, where Steven sings 3-4 lines of the chorus at the same time on different beats, is so haunting, knowing that the heart attack victim is probably saying these same lines before he dies. One word: Incredible. | |
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No Picture
UknownSoldier Lead Player |
#6 by UknownSoldier Nightmare at Nov 14, 1984 at 6:19 AM EST |
| I'm listening to this as I right. Why is it that I can't concentrate on anything but the understated beauty of this album? Help me, dear God, for I cannot listen to anything else. | |
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No Picture
Bloody Mess All Musical Thunder |
#7 by Bloody Mess All Over My Clothes at Dec 8, 1985 at 3:57 AM EST |
| Agree with earlier post, perhaps the most beautiful PT song...So empty sounding, yet full of sadness. Strange how something so sad can be so beautiful, but Steven Wilson makes it so, one of the genius' of our time... | |
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No Picture
nick Average |
#8 by nick coffeen at Apr 21, 1987 at 7:08 AM EST |
| to this as I WRITE, that should be. Sorry, my hands are working faster than my brain. This song is too good. | |
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No Picture
Jake Average |
#9 by Jake m at Jul 17, 1988 at 1:30 PM EST |
| I think the song is about someone who feels a bit strange but thinks he's OK and then has a heartattack. He knows he'll "live" with his dead girlfriend again. If In Absentia is a concept album, then this theory's good, because it could be that: Soon after his wedding (Wedding Nails) his wife died (Wedding Nails / Prodigal) (maybe because she was murdered by a rapist), and he tried to find something to help him (Prodigal) but couldn't. | |
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No Picture
klown Rhythm Player |
#10 by klown at Feb 4, 1994 at 1:45 PM EST |
| perfection | |
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No Picture
Brad Lead Player |
#11 by Brad Vincent at Sep 1, 1997 at 9:46 AM EST |
| This song really strikes me with it's beauty and sadness. I think it's about a guy who's time has come and realises that he will join his late wife/girlfriend... | |
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No Picture
Bassdude Average |
#12 by Bassdude at Dec 8, 2001 at 7:32 AM EST |
| YYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssss! Someone finally got a meaning right on this. I'd have to say, that near the end, when the backing comes in, and begins to overlap itself... Orgasmic. "She...Waits...For...Me...Home...Waits...For...Me... | |
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No Picture
A.K.A. Steven Average |
#13 by A.K.A. Steven Stelacio at Sep 16, 2002 at 9:41 PM EST |
| This is perhaps the most beautiful porcupine tree song ever. It's very calming, yet the lyrics hit a lot of emotions. It's about a guy sitting in his car and thinking about a fight with his significant other, and how when he drives home it will be better, but then there's that feeling that he's not going to make it back because of the "heartattack in a layby" part. It's a very bittersweet song, you can't help but think about the fragility of life and how even though your plans may be "to grow old together" things can swiftly change. | |
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No Picture
nick Professional |
#14 by nick Sutliff at Jul 16, 2003 at 12:11 PM EST |
| One thing I love in this song I just noticed today. I'd somehow missed before that there's backing vocals doing an ambulance siren sound. | |
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No Picture
Josh Average |
#15 by Josh Duncan at Mar 12, 2005 at 9:34 PM EST |
| Amazing song...I think it's about his car breaking down looking for his phone to call for help, which is symbolic of what he drove away from: a hurt relationship. He sits back thinking after deciding about whether to turn on the radio or not. He still sees hope and thinks that if he can just calm down, he can go back and make things better to cause the relationship to last longer (maybe even a lifetime)....that's what I get from it...The instrumentation is what really gets me with it!! | |
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No Picture
nathan Average |
#16 by nathan skidmore at May 2, 2007 at 6:15 AM EST |
| It may sounds sad but it has quite optimistic message.. "she waits for me" This man should just stop smoking :) | |
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