A Most Peculiar Man Guitar Tab

Sounds Of Silence Tabs:

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Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 17:21:14 +0100 (BST)
From: R P Kent 

A Most Peculiar Man
-------------------
Words and Music by Paul Simon
As perormed by Simon and Garfunkel off Sounds of Silence...

Tabbed and transcribed by Rich Kent r.p.kent@dur.ac.uk

All strings down half a tone to match the recording.

Verse 1
----- -
  D(sort of)
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
                                                               He was a
                                      D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . h p   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---------2---020-|---------0-------|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  most                         peculiar man

  Em                                                    A
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------2-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0-----------0---|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-----------------|
           That's what Mrs Reirdon said and she should know  she lived up

  D                                   G                A
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---2-----2-------|---2---------2---|---3---------3---|-------------0---|
|-----3-------3---|-----3---3-------|---------0-------|---2-----3-------|
|-----------2---2-|-----------2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------2---------|
|-------0---------|-------0---------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|-----------------|
  stairs from him                         she said he was a most peculiar man

 Verse 2
 ----- -
  D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
                                                               He was a
                                      D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|-------------020-|---------0-------|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-----3-------|-3-----------3---|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  most                         peculiar man

  Em
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
           He lived        all alone   within a house   within a room

  A      (triplets) D                         G                A
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---------------0-|---2---------2---|---3---------3---|-------------0---|
|---2-----2--3----|-----3---3-------|---------0-------|---2-----3-------|
|-----2---------0-|-------2---2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------2-2--4----|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------2---------|
|-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|-----------------|
          within himself                               a most peculiar man

  Verse 3 is the same as verse 2...

  He had no friends he seldom spoke,
  And no one in turn ever spoke to him,
 'Cause he wasn't friendly and he didn't care
  And he wasn't like them.
  Oh, no! he was a most peculiar man

  Verse 4
  ----- -

  D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
                                                             He died last
                                      D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---------2---020-|---------0-------|
|---------3-------|---------3-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------4---------|-------4---------|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
                        Saturday

  Em (Strum)
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|-------------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|
|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-2-----2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|-------2---------|
|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
  He turned on the gas    with the   windows closed so he'd never wake up

    Em                                (strum)           (strum)
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|-------------0---|-------------0---|
|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|---------0-------|
|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------2---------|-------2---------|-2-----2---------|-2-----2---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-2---------------|-2---------------|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|
  To his silent world and his tiny room and Mrs Reirdon says he has a
  brother somewhere

  A                                   D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|---0---------0---|---0---------0---|---------2---020-|---------0-------|
|---------2-------|---------2-------|---3-------------|-3-----------3---|
|-----2-----2---2-|-----2-----2---2-|-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2---2-|
|-------2---------|-------2---------|-0---------------|-0-----------0---|
|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-------0---------|-------0---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
   Who should        be               notified soon                 and

  G       A         D       Bm                          G
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|-3-------0-------|-2-------2-------|-----------------|---3---------3---|
|-0-------2-------|-3-------3-------|-----------------|---------0-------|
|-0-------2-------|-2-------4-------|-----------------|-----0-----0---0-|
|-0-------2-------|-0-------4-------|-----------------|-------0---------|
|-2-------0-------|---------2-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-3-----------3---|
  all the people said 'What a shame that he's dead but wasn't he a

   D
  , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .   , . , . , . , .
|-------------0---|---5---------5---|---0---------0---|---5---------5---|
|---2-----3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|---------3-------|
|-----2-----2---2-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|-----0-----0---0-|
|-------2---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|-------4---------|
|-0-----------0---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|-5-----------5---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
  most peculiar     man                                  Fade Out.....

************************************************************************
*  Rich Kent; email r.p.kent@dur.ac.uk ;  http://www.dur.ac.uk/~d213ga *
************************************************************************

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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture PJVILL Professional Badass	#1 by PJVILL at Sep 30, 1973 at 8:24 PM EST
	To follow up with what chameleon said, here is a direct quote from Paul on the song. It's on the Live in New York 1967 album.... "I wrote this song when I was living in England, and the seeds of the song were planted one day when I saw an article in a London paper about a man who had committed suicide. Four lines in the paper. And I thought that’s a very bad way to go out; bad eulogy. Four lines. It’s called ‘A Most Peculiar Man’." Great song, albeit sad.

No Picture Dakota Lead Player	#2 by Dakota Sparks at Sep 15, 1974 at 8:23 AM EST
	I love this song, pretty much all Simon and Garfunkel songs. I think this song about little people try to get to know people or understand or just care about someone being there. This songs shows that the people think he's peculiar, but know anything else... it's such a depressing song.

No Picture amy Average	#3 by amy at Nov 5, 1974 at 11:08 AM EST
	The point is he wasn't peculiar at all, he was just a normal guy ... a normal lonely, apparently rather introverted guy. But basically people shouldn't assume someone "isn't like them" because he seems not-very-social. The overall point being that people are people, human. And people need people.

No Picture Jimmy "Hoffa" Average	#4 by Jimmy "Hoffa" at Dec 23, 1976 at 8:54 AM EST
	This song used to make me feel sad when I was little even though at that age I couldn't have had an understanding of suicide or even realised the man died in the song.

No Picture Gunther Wanna Be	#5 by Gunther at Nov 21, 1978 at 11:53 AM EST
	Does anyone else notice the similarity between the Most Peculiar Man and the narrator of I Am A Rock?

No Picture Goat Average	#6 by Goat Screwer at Oct 12, 1980 at 6:52 PM EST
	That is an interesting angle, ilovetorun. I hadn't thought of that. Kind of adds another dimension to both songs.

No Picture kyle Average	#7 by kyle sharpshooter at Oct 23, 1983 at 2:23 AM EST
	I agree with maxwellsmart...I think this song shows how people get dragged down by little differences in others (being shy) and use that as an excuse to look down on them. They can't even be sad about his death without justifying that it was kind of inevitable b/c they viewed him as a wack-job.

No Picture Ryan Average	#8 by Ryan Noffke at Mar 28, 1984 at 6:33 PM EST
	change anything to nothing,

No Picture Keegan Average	#9 by Keegan at Oct 28, 1990 at 11:12 PM EST
	This has to be one of the most depressing songs ever-at the same time it is very powerful. The other posters have made very intelligent and thoughtful comments on it. No man is an island, and everyone needs contact with others, even if they are shy, introverted, and have some conversational difficulties. Beneath all those, there is usually an interesting person beneath those layers.

No Picture $~Andrew~$ Average	#10 by $~Andrew~$ at Oct 18, 1991 at 10:02 PM EST
	This song is so sad I can't believe no one's commented yet

No Picture health risk Rhythm Player	#11 by health risk at Dec 6, 1993 at 10:13 AM EST
	Paul Simon wrote this song when he was living in England. He read an obituary in the newspaper that was only four lines. Intrigued, he wrote a song imagining what that person must have been like.

No Picture Ryan Average	#12 by Ryan Noffke at Dec 11, 1997 at 6:15 PM EST
	To me this song is about well just what it says, and I think it kinda makes a statement about the little people going unnoticed, and well, the results are bad, so always be nice.