This is my take on the song. I left it as open as i could for interpretation. Feel free
to through in your own stylistic what-not. Anyway, standard tuning, let's get to it.
-Intro (it sounds like there's a cello in there too, you
can approximate that by playing the octave higher, as well):
Guitar 2 (distortion & reverb):
E|-0-1--8--7-9--5-|-0-1--8--7-|-5--9--12-13--8--7-|-9--5--0-1--8--7--|
e|-0~---------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-0~---------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-6~---------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-7~---------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-0~---------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
High-pitched riff that starts playing during Intro
(This gets repeated in the verse as well):
e|-12-10-9-10-9--12-10-9-10-9--12-10-9-10-| x2
-Verse:
Guitar 1 - rhythm guitar (pro co rat distortion, probably)
e|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B|------------------|------------------|------------------|
G|-6-666-66-66-6666-|-8-888-88-88------|-7-777-77-77------|
D|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-7-777-77-77-2424///7-777-77-77-2424//
A|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|
E|------------------|------------------|------------------|
e|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B|------------------|------------------|------------------|
G|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-97676-66-66-6666-|-97676-66-66-6666-|
D|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-77777-77-77-0000-|-77777-77-77-0000-|
A|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-00000-00-00-0000-|-00000-00-00-0000-|
E|------------------|------------------|------------------|
e|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B|------------------|------------------|------------------|
G|-6-666-66-66-6666-|-8-888-88-88------|-7-777-77-77------|
D|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-7-777-77-77-2424///7-777-77-77-2424//
A|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|
E|------------------|------------------|------------------|
e|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B|------------------|------------------|-55555-55-55-5555-|
G|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-97676-66-66-6666-|-77776-66-66-6666-|
D|-7-777-77-77-7777-|-77777-77-77-0000-|-77777-77-77-0000-|
A|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-00000-00-00-0000-|-00000-00-00-0000-|
E|------------------|------------------|------------------|
-Chorus:
Guitar 1
e|------------------|------------------|------------------|
B|------------------|------------------|------------------|
G|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|
D|-1-111-11-11-1111-|-4-444-44-44-4444-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|
A|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-4-444-44-44-4444-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|
E|------------------|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|
e|-------00-00-0000-|-------00-00-0000-|-------00-00-0000-|
B|-------00-00-0000-|-------22-22-2222-|-------22-22-2222-|
G|-1-111-11-11-1111-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|
D|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-2-222-22-22-2222-|
A|-2-222-22-22-2222-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|-0-000-00-00-0000-|
E|-0-000-00-00-0000-|------------------|------------------|
-Repeat Intro (trem guitar comes in here):
Tremolo part (REVERB & ECHO):
e|-5tr~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
-Verse (trem guitar part continues)
e|-5tr~~4tr~~|-2tr~~4tr~~|-1tr~~|------|------------------|
B|-----------|-----------|------|-3tr~~|-6tr~5tr~3tr~2tr~~|
e|------------------|-5tr~~4tr~~~~~~~~|-2tr~~4tr~~|-1tr~~~|
B|-6tr~5tr~3tr~2tr~~|-----------------|-----------|-------|
e|-8tr~~7tr~~|-5tr~~|------------------|------------------|
B|-----------|------|-6tr~5tr~3tr~2tr~~|-6tr~5tr~3tr~2tr~~|
-Chorus
-Verse Again with Tremolo lead-in. Solo guitar plays similar
melody to trem part, without trem & the addition of bends and
double-stops, etc (i.e. a guitar solo)....oh, & (no rhythm guitar)
-Chorus (rhythm guitar returns) x2
-Then comes the 'BREAKDOWN/BREAKOUT' part. There is a
tremolo guitar part. however, it's mostly FX, just
improvise (and make it nice and epic while you're at it)
(Optional Rhythm Guitar Part):
e|-0-000-00-00-0-0-|-0-000-00-00-0-0-|
B|-2-222-22-22-2-2-|-0-000-22-22-2-2-|
G|-2-222-22-22-2-2-|-2-222-22-22-2-2-|
D|-2-222-22-22-2-2-|-2-222-22-22-2-2-|
A|-0-000-00-00-0-0-|-0-000-00-00-0-0-|
E|-----------------|-----------------|
*Bring in the intro riff at the end
*AND...finish with!:
e|-0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
B|-0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
G|-6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
D|-7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
A|-0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
perhaps i exaggerated the hold time, but in any case, that's the song. cheers.
| tr Tremolo pick (i.e. pick as fast as fast as you bloody well can)
| / slide up
Brought to you by the GuitarMasta
http://www.guitarmasta.net/r/radiohead/356931.html
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
Sal Average |
#1 by Sal With The Lights Out at Sep 30, 2007 at 2:36 AM EST |
| Holy crap. I was just posting my last comment, and then thought about the title of the song. "Airbag" could mean someone who's full of hot air. Maybe the lyrics are about someone who is self-centered and egotistical? I dont know... it was just a thought that occured to me... | |
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No Picture
simon Average |
#2 by simon cody simon at Oct 4, 2007 at 3:56 PM EST |
| being late for his tea?lol dont know what thats about but i think thats what radiohead are getting at even though there are ofcourse infinite views you can see this from you know. | |
|
No Picture
Guitar FrE@k Average |
#3 by Guitar FrE@k Freak at Oct 6, 2007 at 1:41 AM EST |
| This so is absolutely incredible. Radio head is one of my favorite bands, because of the talent, and emotion in all of their songs. I love yorke's vocals here, and its really really deep. its definetly about a near death experience and his fear of automoblies. i wish there were other beands doing this kind of music... or mabye i don't. | |
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No Picture
James Rhythm Player |
#4 by James T.H. at Oct 6, 2007 at 10:34 AM EST |
| I think the "jackknifed juggernaut" is a semi truck or tractor-trailer, whatever you want to call it. I always hear about a semi that "jackknifed on I-94" or something. So I think the accident had to do with a car and a semi. Did the accident actually happen to Thom or one of the band, or is it just hypothetical? | |
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No Picture
Chris Rhythm Player |
#5 by Chris Pray at Oct 7, 2007 at 9:56 AM EST |
| Okay, I have no idea what other people are saying, but I want to try whatever they're smoking. I agree with roger wilco, a clear mind above the fray. In addition, I would like to venture this song as being chronologically the last song on the album. Lucky is the crash, The Tourist is limbo, and Airbag pulls you back to life. Technology is suffocating real life, but ironically it can save you? | |
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No Picture
Zane Rhythm Player |
#6 by Zane Haight at Oct 15, 2007 at 12:59 AM EST |
| I agree with Spin Piggie agreeing with Gordo here. Jove W, lay off the acid man, take a breath. It's not sposed to be that complicated dude! :) Thom is really paranoid about cars. It's like he has a phobia of them. He says that they're really unsafe, and everytime he gets out of one, he screams "thank God". He says we don't really have any control over them... we kind of just glide... Anyway, i'm going to bed | |
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No Picture
klown Rhythm Player |
#7 by klown at Oct 18, 2007 at 2:49 PM EST |
| Funny. I've never had the issue of wanting to hear "Airbag" again after a listen-through of OK Computer (not that it's not a fantastic song, which it truly is). It seems to be an explanation, a description of the catalyst -- a pre-album revealing of why the album was written at all. Perhaps the band felt that, without a synopsis of the album's motivation at the beginning of OK Computer, the reasons (and the album's nature as a loop) would be lost on audiences. | |
Connor's Other Tabs
Connor's Favorites:
Top 7 Radiohead Guitar Tabs