Smiths › Still Ill Guitar Tab

Hatful Of Hollow Tabs:

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Still Ill Tab

Send "Still Ill" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Band: The Smiths
Song: Still Ill
Album: The Smiths
Thom Mills dustbin_man@hotmail.com

tabbed for two guitars and a bass 
  
... = strumming 
p --> pull off h--> hammer s--> slide 
When I list half the chord like 
--- 
--- 
---  that means just strum down over the bass strings 
-0- 
-2- 
-3- 
  
  Intro - muted C#m 
  
F#-----------5-------0-------0---------0-----0---------7-------9----- 
C#---0---3-----3-0-----3-0-------0h3p2-----2-------2s3-----3s5-----0- 
 A------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 E------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 B------------------------------------------------------------------- 
F#------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  
F#---2...----------2-3...------------0...------------3...----2...---- 
C#---0...----------0-0...------------2...------------0...----2...---- 
 A---2...----------2-0...------------2...------------0...----2...---- 
 E---0...----------0-0...------------2...------------0...----4...---- 
 B---0...----------0-2...------------0...------------2...------------ 
F#-------------------3...----------------------------3...------------ 
  
 G------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 D-----------2---------------4--------------------------------------- 
 A---4---4-------2---0---0-------0---2---2---2---2---0---0----------- 
 E-----------------------------------------------------------4---4--- 
  
  
F#---0-------5-2-------------0---------0-----0---------2------------- 
C#-------3-------0---3-3-0-------0---3-----2-------2h3-------2------- 
 A---------------------------------------------------------2-----2--- 
 E------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 B------------------------------------------------------------------- 
F#------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  
F#---2...------------3...------------0...------------3...----2...---- 
C#---0...------------0...------------2...------------0...----2...---- 
 A---2...------------0...------------2...------------0...----2...---- 
 E---0...------------0...------------2...------------0...----4...---- 
 B---0...------------2...------------0...------------2...------------ 
F#-------------------3...----------------------------3...------------ 
  
 G------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 D-----------2---------------4--------------------------------------- 
 A---4---4-------2---0---0-------0---2---2---2---2---0---0----------- 
 E-----------------------------------------------------------4---4--- 
  
repeat that one more time.  Since the words dont go exactly with the music the way one might 
suspect, the But we... part starts at the end of the second time (the But
 starts at the G#m) so the cannot cling part is where the next part enters... 
confused?  Just listen to the song a bit and try to follow along). This next part 
also serves as the bridge after verse 4... 
  
F#--2...---------0--------------------------------------------------- 
C#--2...-------------3-----2-----0----------------------------------- 
 A--2...------------------------------------------------------------- 
 E--4...-----------------------------0...------------2...------------ 
 B-----------------------------------2...------------2...------------ 
F#-----------------------------------3...------------0...------------ 
  
F#--2...---------0---2----------------------------------------------- 
C#--2...---------2---3-3...------------------------------------------ 
 A--2...---------2---2-2...------------------------------------------ 
 E--4...---------0---0-0...----------0...------------2...------------ 
 B---------------------0...----------2...------------2...------------ 
F#-----------------------------------3...------------0...------------ 
  
 G------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 D---------------4---2-----1----------------------------------------- 
 A-------------------------------4---0---0---0---0---2---2---2---0--- 
 E---4---4---4------------------------------------------------------- 
  
F#---2...--------0--------------------------------------------------- 
C#---2...------------3-----2-----0----------------------------------- 
 A---2...------------------------------------------------------------ 
 E---4...----------------------------0...-------------2...----------- 
 B-----------------------------------2...-------------2...----------- 
F#-----------------------------------3...-------------0...----------- 
  
F#---2...--------0--------------------------------------------------- 
C#---2...--------2---3...-------------------------------------------- 
 A---2...--------2---2...-------------------------------------------- 
 E---4...--------0---0...------------0...------------2...------------ 
 B-------------------0...------------2...------------2...------------ 
F#-----------------------------------3...------------0...------------ 
  
 G------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 D---------------4---2-----1----------------------------------------- 
 A-------------------------------4---0---0---0---0---2---2---2------- 
 E---4---4---4---------------------------------------------------4--- 
  
To endm, do the intro and end on C#m

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Still Ill Tab

Send "Still Ill" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/s/smiths,_the/308976.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture DUMBASS Average	#1 by DUMBASS Thomas at Aug 23, 1977 at 12:40 AM EST
	Maybe "ill" is a metaphor for missing someone

No Picture Matthew Average	#2 by Matthew Spencer at Mar 9, 1978 at 7:46 AM EST
	"It was there he caught the fever which held him back on the eve of his departure for Greece and of which he lay ill so long in Naples. He was still, indeed, doing penance for it." Willa Cather - My Ántonia

No Picture Aleksandar Average	#3 by Aleksandar Radošević at Nov 15, 1985 at 4:24 AM EST
	I love his voice, there is such beauty and longing in it. The desperation is haunting in it's innocent simplicity. There is also such lecherous wit (as always!) to the tune that male or female it's impossible not to swoon when his voice writhes out of him.

No Picture ian Average	#4 by ian mckinly at Dec 5, 1988 at 9:16 PM EST
	Spot on, JohnnyMarr - that's what the line 'I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving' alludes too. Back in the '80s Thatcher advocated consumerism as a way to build the economy. So it's nostalgic for the pre-Thatcher days. That explains the first line then! I think he asks the question 'Am I Still Ill?', because of his failure to adapt to this present. There he is, pining for love in this climate of individualism.

No Picture Maarten Average	#5 by Maarten Wuyts at May 6, 1989 at 8:16 PM EST
	there are alot of people feigning illness and living off of the welfare state to avoid work. you got soul on the dole!

No Picture Luke Professional	#6 by Luke Goudreault at Sep 30, 1992 at 9:37 AM EST
	I think this one is about how old relationships can never go back to the way they were.

No Picture ryan Lead Player	#7 by ryan harney at Jul 23, 1994 at 11:58 AM EST
	Grant Morrison makes an direct reference to this song... Doom Patrol #35.... Wow, that was the most comic-book geeky thing I've ever put online. I am very fond of this band and this song.

No Picture ♥WeEzY Average	#8 by ♥WeEzY♥ at Nov 21, 2001 at 11:01 PM EST
	Cynothoglys - I read Doom Patrol #35 this afternoon actually. Small world. But yeah, D.P. #35 is bookended by "Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body?" and "I dunno". The reference is made about Robotman, a human brain in a robot body, and what happens when his robot body rebels against being controlled by the brain and tries to kill it and exist on its own. Which is neither here nor there, but it's still good. I completely understand the dilemma in this song, if you look at it in terms of depression/other mental illness - are you "still ill" because of something chemical in your body/brain, or something in your mind? Or it's a damn good philisophical question to pose when you're with a group of people, before posing and looking intellectual.

No Picture julian Average	#9 by julian at Apr 2, 2003 at 7:31 AM EST
	"Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I dunno..." i think these lines are most def about depression. I love the i dunno part, genious!

No Picture Alex Lead Player	#10 by Alex Russo at May 2, 2007 at 5:05 PM EST
	Cant believe nobody mentioned Thatcherism; "If you must go to work tomorrow, well if i were you i wouldnt bother"-Morrissey hated the idea of Thatcher making everyone try and get a job

No Picture Robyn Average	#11 by Robyn Paul at Sep 29, 2007 at 2:39 PM EST
	its actually about depression and the contribution of a confusing relationship to this ongoing depression..