Dont Lets Start Guitar Tab

They Might Be Giants Tabs:

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Artist: THey Might Be Giants
Song: Don't Lets Start
Album: They Might Be Giants

Em+maj7 can be played 021000
 Em+dom7       "      020000
 Em+6          "      042000

Intro: G C Em A x2

G                   C                   Em                  A
Don't     don't  don't  let's start          this is the worst part
Em        Em+maj7   G                   A                   D
  could believe for all the world  that you're  my precious little   girl but
G                   C                   Em                  A
don't     don't  don't  let's start          I've got a weak heart        and
G                   C                   A                   D
I   don't    get   around     how  you  get   around
G                   C                   F                   D
When  you   are    alone  you  are  the cat, you  are  the  phone, you are an
G                   C                   F                   D
animal
Em                                      F
D         world   destruction           O    ver   and      overture
G                                       C                   C7
N         do   I    need     apostrophe T     need  this    torture
D
I   don't want to   live      in   this world               anymore
D
I   don't want to   live      in   this world

Coda:
Em  Em+maj7  Em+dom7  Em+6  D   G

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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Bobby Lead Player	#1 by Bobby Parker at May 27, 1971 at 2:41 AM EST
	It's simple what this song is about.It's about a a guy who hates that his daughter is kind of slutty.

No Picture Dusty Wanna Be	#2 by Dusty Delonge at Jun 14, 1971 at 5:51 PM EST
	i absolutely love this song. tmbg are great. i agree... it's about a guy who has this girlfriend that keeps cheating on him and he has a weak heart, so he keeps going back to her, even though she keeps running away.

No Picture KISS is the gre Average	#3 by KISS is the greatest at Jan 1, 1973 at 3:17 PM EST
	...I don't understand a word of this bloody song... and as i can see, neither does anyone else. i think its a crazy old man telling off a teenager who sleeps too much... ....anyone else? anyone...?

No Picture Tyler Average	#4 by Tyler at May 30, 1973 at 4:31 PM EST
	The phrase "don't let's start" basically is a fatigued expression asking that you and I not once again start up the same argument. The guy is telling the girl "let's not get into this, because it will start a huge fight". The "D world destruction" bridge is a play on the old 50's and 60's bit of spelling out words in love songs (like "L is for the way you look at me" in "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole). One of my favorite things about TMBG is how they recycle bits of pop culture and turn them to their own twisted designs. Deputy Dog was a cartoon character (from Hannah Barbara, if memory serves me right). I'm pretty sure they are just using it as a nonesense scat because it's fun to say really fast.

No Picture Joan Average	#5 by Joan Rius at Sep 24, 1973 at 6:41 PM EST
	The part of the song that has been neglected in out commentary is: "No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful " which I feel is true. I am not sure if the major issue is chaeting, but I think that he still wants to be with her because he realizes nothing is ever perfect. (Read Lovesong: I and thou by Alan Dugan, it's a beutiful poem to that effect.) I think the song is about a desirte to change and save the relationship, but frustration about the lack of support from the girls side.

No Picture Mike Average	#6 by Mike Dawgg at Jun 9, 1975 at 4:25 AM EST
	i absolutely love this song. tmbg are great. i agree... it's about a guy who has this girlfriend that keeps cheating on him and he has a weak heart, so he keeps going back to her, even though she keeps running away.

No Picture Thomas Average	#7 by Thomas Buckman at May 29, 1978 at 11:01 AM EST
	based on lyrics alone i would say its more of a guy telling a girl not to sleep around. although i say let her sleep around and laugh when she contracts a std

No Picture eric Rhythm Player	#8 by eric johnson at Jan 26, 1980 at 2:43 PM EST
	Funny side note--in an interview they asked Linnel what this song was about. He said it's about, "not let's starting". Good stuff

No Picture Turd Fergeson Lead Player	#9 by Turd Fergeson Fergeson at Dec 22, 1985 at 2:03 AM EST
	This is one of my favorite songs cuz its so bittersweet. Basically, the guy is saying "oh god not this again...here we go" (dont, dont, dont lets start) The speaker and his girlfriend are just on the verge of breaking up. (this is the worst part- the worst part of a relationship is the end). The next lines are saying that to him, she is perfect and sweet, but she doesn't care about him as much as he cares about her, and it hurts him too much to have her walking all over him all the time, sleeping around. She's had lots of relationships but for him...there's just her. Then there's the part about "no one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beatiful" and it is, in a bittersweet way, but by the end of the song he says "i dont want to live in this world anymore"- he's sick of never getting what he wants and being frustrated all the time.

No Picture The Guitar Guy Lead Player	#10 by The Guitar Guy at Aug 25, 1986 at 5:14 PM EST
	I know this is weird talking about this on a "song meanings" site, but I just think maybe every song doesnt have to have a meaning, we are talkin about They Might Be Giants here, maybe some of their songs don't mean anything at all.

No Picture eddy Lead Player	#11 by eddy blade at Mar 3, 1988 at 12:16 PM EST
	D, world destruction Over and overture N, do I need Apostrophe T, need this torture? it spells don't. neato.

No Picture sharon Wanna Be	#12 by sharon howell at Sep 16, 1990 at 9:31 AM EST
	It's about whiny teens to me Don't don't don't let's start This is the worst part Could believe for all the world That you're my precious little girl But don't don't don't let's start I've got a weak heart And I don't get around how you get around Guy needsa girl friend and dosn't see how his freinds gt around not having one... When you are alone you are the cat, you are the phone You are an animal The words I'm singing now Mean nothing more than meow to an animal Wake up and smell the cat food in your bank account But don't try to stop the tail that wags the hound This means two things. First, you think you're cool when you're alone. When you do this no one knows. THe reality is that you needa a job and something to support yourself on. D, world destruction Over and overture N, do I need Apostrophe T, need this torture? Teens wanting to rule the world in their perfect vision and the John's being tired of it. No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful They want what they're not and I wish they would stop saying, Deputy dog dog a ding dang depadepa Deputy dog dog a ding dang depadepa The next two verses are what the teens are always saying what goths usually write in they're notebooks. Then the Deputy Dog is like the blah blah blah for valley kids. I don't want to live in this world anymore I don't want to live in this world The view point of kids everywhere... and that's my meaning and I'm sticking to it.

No Picture Jake Average	#13 by Jake Staley at Sep 4, 1992 at 7:21 PM EST
	I just think this song is about a guy and his cat. The cat is sort of unruly, and keeps doing stuff like, I don't know, fighting with the dog. And the narrator is kinda old, and the cat just bounces around, and he can't keep up with her, hence the line "I don't get around how you get around" And if anyone should say this is shallow thinking, they should check out how the song was written. The music was done first, and the most part of the lyrics were done 'cause the syllables fitted the line. Maybe the only inspiration was a cat, like the inspiration for 'I Am Not Your Broom' was a broom in the corner of the room.

No Picture † james † Average	#14 by † james † at Apr 14, 1996 at 4:09 AM EST
	Okay, I was reading some interpretations of this song, and this was the general consensus. It's about a man who loves a woman who is sleeping around. He really wants her to be faithful ("could believe for all the world/that you're my precious little girl"), but she won't stop. The first verse is how he keeps explaining the chorus to her, but she doesn't listen. Of course, I started listening to TMBG when I was pretty young, so I thought it was about a father and daughter who weren't seeing eye to eye. When he says, "I don't get around how you get around," I didn't read anything sexual. I thought he was literally saying that he can't move around as easily as she can and as he used to be able to. I don't know which interpretation is right. Any more thoughts?

No Picture Derek Average	#15 by Derek Lamberty at Aug 21, 1996 at 7:15 PM EST
	Has anyone hear of common rotation..I think they toured w/ TMBG and they do some really cool covers of TMBG songs...and they are just a good anyway. They covered Don't lets start and Hey MR. DJ

No Picture mike Average	#16 by mike rojas at Sep 16, 1996 at 4:29 AM EST
	there defintly not saying deputy dog. And I am possitive there was never a deputy dog cartoon, perhaps your thinking of under dog? anyway I think the lyric "And I don't get around how you get around" just means that he isnt quite as popular as she is. And that if she left him, he would have a much harder time finding some one else then she would. And by dont lets start, he just means he dosnt want to start another stupid argument.

No Picture goofy Rhythm Player	#17 by goofy at Jul 9, 1997 at 11:49 PM EST
	i love they might be giants!!! this is an example of how behind their humor and playful music they can write songs with sad story lines, and have the listener not even realize it...and the music is rockin' too! "it's about a guy who has this girlfriend that keeps cheating on him and he has a weak heart, so he keeps going back to her, even though she keeps running away. " yeah, couldn't have summerized it better. this reminds me of "end of the tour", a super sad song of theirs, which story is well hidden to the casual listener.

No Picture Adrian Lead Player	#18 by Adrian Ortega at Nov 17, 1999 at 11:42 PM EST
	First, there absolutely WAS a cartoon called "Deputy Dog", except actually it was called "Deputy Dawg". ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personally, I always took this as a guy who was saying he didn't want to get started in a relationship with a certain girl. In his head, he could see the way the relationship would end, and he didn't want to deal with the pain of it. So, he was saying "Don't, don't, don't let's start", because he knows how it would end. It's interesting to me that so many people take it as a relationship that's already happening, since there's really nothing in the song that indicates that. It's also interesting how many people see the "Don't Let's Start" words as relating to an argument. No offense meant; I really do find it interesting. -Jody-

No Picture Chris Average	#19 by Chris H... at Aug 4, 2001 at 4:23 AM EST
	I may be way off with this, but to me i always thought this song was about someone being attracted to a girl who also is attracted to him but is too anxious and physical contact to persue the relationship. Rather he doesn't want to start, as the start is the worst part and he doesn't want to go through with it. She has sexual experience that he doesn't have (she 'gets around', unlike him) which only increases his anxiety. I think the no one ever gets what they want bit is just him justifying it to himself, its not his fault because in fact no one ever gets what they want, and thats the right way the world should be and so he shouldn't be with the girl. no idea what the cat bit is about...but i like the theory that its actually about a cat! I guess the greast thing about TMBG songs is that it means differant things to differant people!

No Picture adrian Average	#20 by adrian zamora at Apr 12, 2005 at 8:39 PM EST
	This song is about the begining of a relationship (or at least that's what I'v always gotten). I think the begining is the worst part, when you like someone, and you think they like you, but you just don't know if they are seriouse or not. He "could believe for all the world that [she's his] precious litle gril"but, he's afraid she'll hurt him. but in the end he agrees, he sais Don't, Don't Don't beging her to leve him alone, then Let's start.