A Northern Soul Tabs:
- On Your Own
- History »
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
#
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 23:42:59 +1200
From: Ross
Subject: CHORD: History By The Verve
Group: The Verve
Album: A Northen Soul
Song: History
Music: The Verve
Lyrics: Richard Ashcroft
Hut Recordings, (72438404372)
Chorded by: Ross Howard (Rossh@clear.net.nz)
>From work by: Michael A. Atienza, Kevin Dutcher
I have had trouble finding a chording of History to my satisfaction. All
of the versions that I have come across have been flawed in many ways.
But I found a reasonable one on a Verve site and have used this as my
base for this one. I must then thank Atienza and Dutcher for theirs was
the base for this work here. Bear in mind that I have only been able to
complete this after discovering a chord (Asus4) used in The Verve's new
album Urban Hymns. I hope this feels better than other chords around. It
certainly does for me. Also their version has a different intro - one
that sounds completely wrong and their Cmaj7 is incorrect - I prefer a a
Cmaj with a G on high E string.)However, the lyrics on the copy were
superb and I have used them and the structure provided.
Chords
A - X02220
Asus4 - X02200
Am - X02210
Am7 - X02010
C1 - X32013
D - X00232
D6 - X00202
E - 022100
E7 - 022130
Em - 022033
G - 320033
Intro: G-D6-Asus4-E - x2
Verse 1
-------
G D
I wander the lonely streets...
Asus4 E E7
Behind where the old Thames does flow.
G D
And in every face I meet...
A E E7
Reminds me of what I have run for.
Bridge
------
Am7
In every man, in every hand,
Em
In every kiss you understand,
C1
That living is for other men,
D
I hope you too understand...
Verse 2
-------
G D
I've got to tell you my tale...
Asus4 E E7
Of how I loved and how I failed...
G D
I hope you understand?
A E E7
These feelings should not be in the man.
Bridge
------
Am7
In every child, in every eye,
Em
In every sky above my head...
C1
I hope that I know,
D
So come with me in bed.
Chorus
------
Am
Because its you and me we're history
Em
There ain't nothing left to say
C1 D
When I...will get you alone...
Verse 3
-------
G D
Maybe we could find a room?
Asus4 E
Where we could see what we should do...
G D
Maybe you know its true?
A E E7
Well, living with me is like keeping a fool.
Bridge
------
Am7
In every man, in every hand,
Em
In every kiss you understand,
C1
That living is for other men,
D
I hope you know that I am me...
Chorus (Reprise)
----------------
Am7 Em
So come on, I'm thinking about history,
C1
And I'm living for history,
D
And I think you know I'm bound for you,
Cause I am...
Bridge (Reprise)
----------------
Am7 Em
And one and one is two, but three is company
C1
When you're thinking about the things you do,
D
And you're thinking about the things you do...
Verse 4
-------
G D
I wanna tell you my tale...
Asus4 E
How I fell in love and jumped out on my bail...
G D
Do you understand?
A E
There's more in a smile that in a hand.
Bridge
------
Am7
In every sky, in every kiss
Em
There's one thing that you've might have missed
C1 D
Oh, why am I going to a place that now belongs to you?
Chorus
------
Am7
But you and me, and so am I
Em
Lets make it up
C1
Lets even try to live today, so why not smile?
D
Don't dream away your life...
Middle 8
--------
Am7
Cause it is mine...
Em
It is mine...
C1
Is that a crime?
D
Is that a crime?
Am7 Em
This life is mine, but the bed ain't made,
C1 D
Its filled full of hope, I've got a skinfull of dope...
Am7 Em
Oh, the bed ain't made,
C1 D
But its filled full of hope, I've got a skinfull of dope...
Fade out
-----------|
Am7-Em-C1--|D-A
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
Marcus19 Rhythm Player |
#1 by Marcus19 Doug at Jun 19, 1971 at 11:57 AM EST |
| this is probly one of the greatest verve songs ever written and no one has commented on it... absolutely beautiful. xx | |
|
No Picture
mike Average |
#2 by mike duncan at Oct 13, 1971 at 1:43 AM EST |
| I love this song, since I can really relate to it. Who can't? Everyone has longed for someone they can't have. | |
|
No Picture
Sawyer Rhythm Player |
#3 by Sawyer Hildebrandt at Jan 8, 1974 at 12:12 PM EST |
| I think this is how about how he loves this woman and she loves him back but she can't live with him because she lies a normal life where Ashcroft lives a depressed drugged up life. So she doesn't go with him even though she loves him and he can't understand why because he is caught up in how much he loves her and not in how bad his life is. | |
|
No Picture
goofy Rhythm Player |
#4 by goofy at Sep 24, 1974 at 4:39 AM EST |
| One of the most sincere and honest songs I've ever heard, this is one of the centerpieces of the album A Northern Soul. Listen to this song while lying down with headphones on and it will take you away. The strings in the beginning and the end make you shiver and the overall feel of the song is so thought provoking. This song is about someone who feels as though they are hindering a relationship and wants to end it to stop the bleeding. This could be a father-son relationship, friends, or a significant other, but the song does not have a depressed feel and is quite and uplifting experience. | |
|
No Picture
Jimmy "Hoffa" Average |
#5 by Jimmy "Hoffa" at Nov 10, 1974 at 1:36 AM EST |
| I reckon its about him varing deaply for a girl, but wants to leave the relationship woth her, cus ihe seeks freedom | |
|
No Picture
Derek Lead Player |
#6 by Derek O'Kanos at Mar 20, 1976 at 12:40 AM EST |
| about** | |
|
No Picture
Marcus19 Rhythm Player |
#7 by Marcus19 Doug at Feb 15, 1977 at 2:52 AM EST |
| I was just adding something to the 'This Is Music' page and realised how important the William Blake reference is here. William Blake wrote Jerusalem, which is about England and in particular, the use of spirituality and christian values to free the 'Dark Satanic Hills' of the Industrialised Northern England from the dispair and devastation that the mill owners created during the industrial revelation. Blakes 'London' continues on the theme of the poor and how they are downtrodden by society and how terrible that makes London. I think the reason it has a resonance for the Verve is that they are from one of the towns that Blake was specifically talking about, Wigan in Lancashire. Moving to London to persue a music career, to seek your fortune means leving the past behind as 'History' and then sadly finding that London is also a shit-hole and that working in the music industry is like being a mill worker in the 18th century. All that summed up by Ashcroft in "Reminds me of what I have run from". Genius, shear genius. | |
|
No Picture
Dr. Jack Average |
#8 by Dr. Jack at Sep 9, 1978 at 9:30 PM EST |
| This has to be one of Ashcroft's greatest works, deffinately about a lover walking away from him, an expression of him not being able to let go and the depression that he is overcome with as a result. | |
|
No Picture
Punk Rock Princ Wanna Be |
#9 by Punk Rock Princess at Apr 29, 1979 at 5:35 PM EST |
| It's about his band breaking up the first time! | |
|
No Picture
Mike Average |
#10 by Mike Murphy at Jul 3, 1987 at 5:52 PM EST |
| This is such a good song, for some reason and I don't know why, but when the singer goes, "And one and one is two But three is company," hot damn, it gets me everytime. I just love the way Richard says it. | |
|
No Picture
gosh, frickin i Wanna Be |
#11 by gosh, frickin idiot! at Sep 19, 1990 at 5:52 AM EST |
| I have to disagree about this song being an uplifting experience. Personally, this song makes me the saddest of any song I've ever heard, but that is from my own memories with which I associate the words. This was the first Verve song that really moved something in me. Gorgeous, brilliant song. | |
|
No Picture
Matt Rhythm Player |
#12 by Matt at Jun 28, 1991 at 12:40 AM EST |
| There's nothing uplifting about History except it's beauty. It single-handedly got me into my favourite band of all time. | |
|
No Picture
nick Average |
#13 by nick coffeen at Apr 17, 1992 at 12:38 PM EST |
| i fink this song is about an ex that he wishes he could still see even though he knows she won't have him back, its aout unrequited love | |
|
No Picture
The REAL Godfat Average |
#14 by The REAL Godfather at May 25, 1992 at 5:41 AM EST |
| Great song, but the entire first verse is a re-working of the poet William Blake's "London". It's worth having a look at that poem to see how Richard re-contextualises Blake. Check the link: http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem184.html | |
|
No Picture
Average |
#15 by nirvana at Oct 30, 1995 at 9:24 AM EST |
| I didn't know about the William Blake link before, but seeing that now makes complete sense of the whole song. Blake's 'London' is about his sadness at seeing the way that the ordinary people of London were set in chains and enslaved to the wealthy landowners. In the Verve context, it is about the way that society and social rules constrain us to behave and act. So the song is about breaking away from convention, whether it be social convention or the conventions we all make in any relationship. A truly powerful and amazing song. | |
|
No Picture
Jesus Average |
#16 by Jesus Christ at Jul 14, 2005 at 9:26 AM EST |
| This song is beautiful on every level and it's scary how much I can relate to it. What it means to me? He wants to sew the wounds of a past relationship or friendship that was very close to being something more. I think it tops just about any break up song played on the radio. | |
Top 7 The Verve Guitar Tabs
Popular Guitar Tabs