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Yuichi Tamano (cs75sdo@sdcc13.
This is a transcript I made of "Back to the Old House" by the Smiths. It's from the
acoustic version from "Hat Full of Hollow". The notes on the high e string are
heavily emphasized and ring loudly. This should be pretty close to the recording,
though there are a few notes different here and there.
Yuichi Tamano
PATTERN A:
------------------------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1-1----------------|-0---1-------------------|
-----------------0-2---0|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|
I would...
-----------------0------|-------0---------0-------|
-0---1---------1---1---0|-1---3---3-1-3-----1---0-|
-------0----------------|-------------------------|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2---------0-------3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-----------------3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|
...rather not go back to the old house...I would
repeat Pattern A once
LEAD IN TO PATTERN B:
rather not go back to the old house
------------------------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1-1----------------|-0---1-------------------|
-----------------0-2---0|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|
PATTERN B:
there's too many bad memories
-------1---------------0|-------1-----------------|
-1---1-------0---1-3----|-1---1-------0---1-3---0-|
-2-2-------2------------|-0-0-------2-------------|
------------------------|-------------------------|
-3-----3----------------|-3-----1-----------------|
-------------3-----3----|-------------3-----3-----|
there's too many memories there
-------1---------------0|-----------0-------------|
-1---1-------0---1-3----|-------3-----------------|
-0-0-------2------------|-----------------0-----0-|
------------------------|---------------2-----2---|
-3-----3----------------|-----2-------2-----3-----|
-------------3-----3----|-0-3---0-----------------|
-----------0------------|-----------0-----------0-|
-------3----------------|-------3-----------2-----|
-----------------0-----0|-----------------2-------|
---------------2-----2--|---------------0---------|
-----2-------2-----3----|-----2-------2-----------|
-0-3---0----------------|-0-3---0-----------------|
------------------------|------------------------|-0-----|
-------3-----3-----3----|-3-----3-----3-----3----|---3-0-|
-----0-0-----0-----0----|-0-----2---2-2---2-2---2|-------|
---0-------0-----0-----0|-----0---3-----3-----3--|-------|
-2-------2-----2-----2--|---2--------------------|-------|
------------------------|------------------------|-------|
repeat pattern A twice ("When you cycled by...", "And you never knew...")
lead in to pattern B ("Are you still there?"
pattern B ("Or have you..."
repeat first two bars twice (or so)
play
-----------------0------|-------0-----------------|
-0---1---------1---1---0|-1---3-------------------|
-------0----------------|-----------------0-2---0-|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2-----------2-----3---|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3-------3-2-0-----3-----|
------------------------|-------------------------|
repeat first two bars many times (about four?)
end on slowly
------------------------|-----------3-3-3--------|
-0---1------------------|-0---1------------------|
-------0---------0-2---0|-------0----------------|
---2-----------2-----3--|---2--------------------|
-3-------3-2-0-----3----|-3----------------------|
------------------------|------------------------|
Entire lyrics:
I would rather not go
back to the old house
I would rather not go
back to the old house
There's too many
bad memories
There's too many memories
there.
When you cycled by
here began all my dreams
the saddest thing
I'd ever seen
And you never knew
how much I really liked you
'cause I never even told you
oh and I meant too
are you still there?
or have you
moved away
or have you
moved away?
I would love to go
back to the old house
but I never will
I never will
I never will.
Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Mike Average |
#1 by Mike Fraguglia at Dec 23, 1970 at 2:36 PM EST |
| it's about holding a strong connection to one person.. ..in the start of the song he states that he obviously does not want to revisit the place of bad past memories.. ..then he gets into the thought of this one person, making it seem like he/she was the only comfort he really had over there.. and this thought of them is strong enough to actually make him want to go back just to see if they're still there.. ..but inside he knows he could never conjure up the strength to actually do it.. althought he would want to, just for this one person | |
|
No Picture
Francis Average |
#2 by Francis Delongchamp at Dec 20, 1972 at 3:44 PM EST |
| Boss Man you cant be serious...the version on Hatful of Hollow is so touching and delicate. Johnny and morrissey both admitted that the electric version of this song that can be found on Louder than Bombs was an abhorration of the beautiful acousitc one | |
|
No Picture
Mauricio Average |
#3 by Mauricio Avendaņo at Dec 28, 1977 at 6:25 AM EST |
| Hoh version really is the best one by far... accoustically its actaully one of the bets Smiths songs, none are quite so sad yet beutiful cos they generally arent as simple | |
|
No Picture
Jer Average |
#4 by Jer at Jul 11, 1978 at 5:37 PM EST |
| this just might be my favorite smiths song. very very sad, the hatful of hollow version is pure beauty. | |
|
No Picture
Connor Rhythm Player |
#5 by Connor Fowler at Sep 30, 1983 at 12:04 AM EST |
| Having mixed feelings about your past, whether you want to revisit them or not. and thinking about someone you had feelings for and wishing you would have told them and if that person still lives there or moved away. A very sad song. | |
|
No Picture
Beaver Average |
#6 by Beaver Butt at Apr 19, 1986 at 4:47 PM EST |
| I've had to move away from a lot of places, and similarly leave a lot of people I care deeply for. The strongest example of this is between Texas, where I live, and Ohio, where I go to school. I tried having a long distance relationship with someone in Texas but it wound up going under. But all my memories of Texas include her. Now I'm back for the summer and all my old haunts have her laughter lingering in the back of my head and I know it's only going to get worse. That's what the song means to me. Holding back wells of tears because life threw you a one-two punch by taking something away and then taunting you with it. | |
|
No Picture
brennan Average |
#7 by brennan collins at Aug 5, 1987 at 10:33 PM EST |
| I heard the acoustic version from hoh first and it's spoiled the electric one for me really. Hey, you guys from the 'this charming man' page! There's a bicycle on this one as well! | |
|
No Picture
Average |
#8 by Fig at Feb 7, 1992 at 5:06 AM EST |
| I like the Hatful of Hollow version much better. | |
|
No Picture
Average |
#9 by vix at May 15, 2003 at 4:54 PM EST |
| I like the Hatful of Hollow version much better. | |
|
No Picture
niles Wanna Be |
#10 by niles lewis at Nov 17, 2006 at 10:01 PM EST |
| I like the acoustic version on "Hatful of Hollow" so much more than the one on "Louder Than Bombs". But both are gorgeous. | |
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