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"Flood" - by Tool
One of the best songs on "Undertow", it often gets overlooked beacuse
of its long opening. As with lots of Tool songs, it's Drop D tuned.
Bear with me. My rhythem ain't so good
/ = slide up
= slide down
~ = bend
Opening: (slowly)
low D: -0--0--6--6-6----6/////////12--12
Opening Part Riff:
d -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0 muted 2-3------0
A -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0 then 2-3------0
D -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0 slowly 2-3------0
lowder
When Opening Part Riff is repeated:
d -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0-6 |
A -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0-6 :| rinse and repeat
D -5--5-6-6-6-6-0-3-3-3-2-0-0-0-6 |
Main Part Riff (single string):
A -3-5-6-5-0-3-5-0-6-5-0-3-0 :| rinse and repeat
Main Part Riff (chords):
d -3-5-6-5-0-3-5-0-6-5-0-3-0 :|
A -3-5-6-5-0-3-5-0-6-5-0-3-0 :| rinse and repeat
D -3-5-6-5-0-3-5-0-6-5-0-3-0 :|
When Maynard says "This ground is not the rock I thought it would be", you play:
d -3---3---3---3---0-0--0-0--0-0--0-0
A -3---3---3---3---0-0--0-0--0-0--0-0
D -3---3---3---3---0-0--0-0--0-0--0-0
When he says "I was wrong. This changes everything", you play:
d -5----------0 0
A -5-let ring-0 "I was wrong" 0 "This..."
D -5----------0 0
bend and slowly release
d -0/////////////10----9-10-12------12~~~~~~~
d -13-12--10-12--13-12--10--10-12-13-12--17-15--15\3
I'm not sure which notes to play for the "Runnin' away" part. Sorry.
Be careful to listen for variations when they don't play the
open note. For example, they play:
A -3-5-6-5---3-5---6-5---3-- :| you know the drill
Ending Riff:
d -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
A -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
D -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
d -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-3-4-2
A -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-3-4-2
D -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-3-4-2
d -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
A -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
D -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-1-2-3
d -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-33333
A -0--0--0--6--0--5--0--8--0-33333
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
brock Average |
#1 by brock someone at Jul 13, 1972 at 6:10 AM EST |
| i think this song is about blissful ignorance. and the moment you open your eyes you realize that your are bound to be blissful no more. | |
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No Picture
HIYA Wanna Be |
#2 by HIYA at Mar 27, 1995 at 1:38 PM EST |
| I really like the lines: "Thought I was high, and free. I thought I was there divine destiny. I was wrong. This changes everything." It's like he was getting high and thought it was the right thing to do, until it bit him in the ass, he was wrong. | |
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No Picture
Carly Average |
#3 by Carly at Oct 25, 1997 at 12:40 PM EST |
| I'm driving up to Syracuse from Long Island to see them at Syracuse, and they're playing on my birthday! How fucking awesome is that. I really hope they play this song b/c it's my favorite song off the album | |
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No Picture
Micke Lead Player |
#4 by Micke Nordin at Sep 20, 2003 at 12:09 PM EST |
| Im gonna take a broaderlook at it. the sun is really "son" and the water is refering to the flood god made to wipe out the sinners. btw the bible uses rock to define faith, for example, there is a song[they made us sing it countless times in sunday school when i was a little sponge] about a wise man and a foolish man bulding their houses, the foolish man built his upon sand and the wise man built his upon rock, it rained and the foolish mans house fell cuz it wasnt on a stong foundation, and the wise man's house is on rock so it held strong. so with that being said here's my stanza by stanza interp: -=All I knew and all I believed are crumbling images that no longer comfort me. I scramble to reach higher ground, some order and sanity, or something to comfort me.=- === He was just going through life but things got tough, cuz ya know... life generally sucks from time to time, so he turns to religion like most desperate people do. He thinks he'll find comfort there. -=So I take what is mine,and hold what is mine, suffocate what is mine, and bury what's mine. Soon the water will come and claim what is mine. I must leave it behind, and climb to a new place now.=- ====== further elaborating, i think, on the first stanza. "What is his" is really refering to his beliefs in god. [not maynerd's i doubt he ever was a believer but whoever is being refered to in this song]. So clinging to the faith he believes will protect him [jesus is the shepard we are the sheep.....god wont let you be tempted beyond your abilities,... ect... (the bible promises many types of protections for believers)] so like i thought earlier, the person is experiencing bad times, the water is the flood and its rising cuz it took awhile to actually become a destructive flood. so hes wondering if his new "higher ground" will keep him safe. -=This ground is not the rock I thought it to be. Thought I was high, and free. I thought I was there divine destiny. I was wrong. This changes everything. The water is rising up on me. Thought the sun would come deliver me, but the truth has come to punish me instead.=- ====== Doesnt need much explination, obviously religion didnt work and he fell hard on whatever it was putting pressure on him. the refernce to the sun is jesus christ, sybolizing religion in general, the "truth" is that religion is a facade so his would-be shield didnt work, and he was hit hard with whatever the water represents, i think life problems in general, ya know: girls, school, work and so on... -=The ground is breaking down right under me. Cleanse and purge me in the water.=- ======No clue what this might mean. I guess a horrible experience makes one stonger, like developing callouses. well this was just my broad interpretation feel free to elaborate on it if you agree. | |
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No Picture
chris Average |
#5 by chris jenko at Feb 14, 2004 at 4:50 PM EST |
| I agree with you Captain Obvious. As far as the last stanza goes: "The ground is breaking down right under me. Cleanse and purge me in the water." Like you said, the ground, faith, is crumbling beneath him. Water, like in the song Ænema, is supposed to wash away his beliefs, and cleanse him of his predispositions. | |
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