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INTRO/VERSE
This tune starts with piano playing D, C and G.
|----2--|-----0--3--|
|----3--|-----1--3--|
|----2--|-----0--0--|
|-0--0--|-----2--0--|
|-------|--3--3--2--|
|-------|--------3--|
D C G
A clean guitar plays a little arpeggio over the top, something like:
|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
|-------7-------------7-------|-------5---------------------|
|---------7-------------7-----|---------5-----------4-------|
|----7------7------7------7---|----5------5-----------5-----|
|-5-------------5-------------|-3----------------5------5---|
|-----------------------------|---------------3-------------|
D C G
RIFF TWO
('What kind of cartwheels...')
w/ overdriven guitar (* see note -------------------)
|-------------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|-------------------|-----------------|-----7----------|----7------7---|
|-----2-------2-----|-----4-------4---|-7---7-----7-5-/|-7--7------7---|
|-3---3---3---3--3-/|-5---5---5---5---|-7---7-----7-5-/|-7--7----7-7---|
|-3---3---3---3--3-/|-5---5---5---5---|-5---5-----5-3-/|-5--5----5-5---|
|-1---1---1---1--1-/|-3---3---3---3---|----------------|-------------0-|
F G D D
(*2 see note ------------------)
|-------------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|-------------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|-----2-------2-----|-----4-------4---|-----6---------/|----6------6---|
|-3---3---3---3--3-/|-5---5---5---5---|-7---7-----7-5-/|-7--7------7---|
|-3---3---3---3--3-/|-5---5---5---5---|-7---7-----7-5-/|-7--7----7-7---|
|-1---1---1---1--1-/|-3---3---3---3---|-5---5-----5-3--|-5--5----5-5---|
F G A A
* NB: This two bar D bitty is accompanied by piano playing something
like:
(let ring)
|---------2-----------2h3---2-----|-2---2-----2---2---2-----2-------|
|---------3-----------3-----3-----|-1h3-1-----3---3---3-----3p1---3-|
|---------2-----2-----2-----2-----|-2---2-----2---2---2-----2-----2-|
|-0-----------0---0---------------|-0-------0-------------0---------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
1 x x x 2 x x x 3 x x x 4 x x x 1 x x x 2 x x x 3 x x x 4 x x x
*2 NB: Similar thing in these two bars:
(let ring)
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|---------2-----------2h3---2-----|-2---2-----2---2---2-------------|
|---------2-----------2-----2-----|-0h2-0-----2---2---2-----2p0-0h2-|
|---------2-----2-----2-----2-----|-2---2-----2---2---2-----2-----2-|
|-0-----------0---0---------------|-0-------0-------------0-----0---|
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
1 x x x 2 x x x 3 x x x 4 x x x 1 x x x 2 x x x 3 x x x 4 x x x
FILL
This is played before 2nd verse and is also the rhythm for the slide
guitar lead. Basically, we're back to the D, C, G progression... with a
twist:
(piano) *3
|-------------------------------|----------------|------------------|
|--------7-----8p7-------8p7----|--------5-------|------------------|
|--------7---------7-----7---7--|----------5-----|-----4--4--2-----|
|-7------------------7---7------|----5-------5---|-----5--5--3-----|
|-5---5------5------------------|-3--------------|-----5--5--3-----|
|-------------------------------|----------------|-0h3-3--3--1-----|
*3 NB: This bar has a distorted guitar playing the same chords.
Back to verse, with a more prominent overdriven guitar playing the
basically the same chords as the initial verse riff. Then to Riff Two
again . . . then the dreaded slide guitar.
SLIDE LEAD
If there is a note in brackets/parentheses after or before a slide, this
means don't pick the note, just slide to it (a legato slide). Make all
these slides as long and slow as possible (or use a slide, I suppose).
(last bar of Riff Two)
------------------------------|
---------------------------7--|
-----7-------7-------7-----7--|
-5/7-----5/7-----5/7---5/7----|
------------------------------|
------------------------------|
(let ring) x4
||---------------------------5--|------------------------------------||
||/-7---7------(5)/(7)---7------|/-----5---/--(12)-12--12-(10)-----||
||/-7-----7----(5)/(7)---7------|/---5----/---(12)-12--12-(10)----*||
||/-7-------7--(5)/(7)----------|/-5-----/----(12)-12--12-(10)----*||
||-------------------------------|------------------------------------||
||-------------------------------|------------------------------------||
This is the general idea. There variations on each repeat.
So, I think all the components to play the song are here. Just put 'em
all in the right order.
The tune finishes on a D.
Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net
|
No Picture
sean Wanna Be |
#1 by sean bradly at Sep 28, 1972 at 9:47 PM EST |
| I'd say it is hard to argue this is a song about impressing a girlfriend's mom. This song nails what its like to spend a weekend at a girl's parent's house when her mom is acting like you aren't good enough for her. Its frustrating as hell. Notice how the song is directed "spoken to" the girl and not the mom as a way of telling her that he WANTS the mom to like him but she isn't giving him much of a chance. He kind of tells the girl that he wants to make her happy despite what the mom thinks of him. | |
|
No Picture
Dale :D Average |
#2 by Dale :D O' Mondo Of DOOM!!! at Jan 2, 1976 at 12:41 AM EST |
| yeah i always thought this was more about wanting a friend's mom or something, not just trying to impress her. | |
|
No Picture
sebastian Professional |
#3 by sebastian at Mar 25, 1976 at 1:36 PM EST |
| no way....its totally rod stewart | |
|
No Picture
dylan Average |
#4 by dylan pesino at Feb 20, 1978 at 2:13 PM EST |
| About trying to impress a lover's mother. | |
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No Picture
IM A MAN WHO C Rhythm Player |
#5 by IM A MAN WHO CHANGED INTO A BEAST at Apr 15, 1981 at 11:13 PM EST |
| It's "I want to be the boy TO warm your mother's heart". | |
|
No Picture
Kyle Rhythm Player |
#6 by Kyle Wait I Aint Telling You at Sep 28, 1983 at 4:45 PM EST |
| jack said in an interview that thing song is about the whole "sweetheart notion" and he though that if he was a parent would he let his daughter date someone like him? if Jack was a boardgame he'd be Scrabble :D | |
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No Picture
ryan Lead Player |
#7 by ryan harney at Oct 6, 1986 at 8:11 AM EST |
| This can't be about a friends mother because you wouldn't tell a friend you wanted their mother to like you. It's definitely about his girlfriend's mother. Jack's not being that traditional here, because traditionally he'd be much more concerned with the father's opinion of him. | |
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No Picture
Ryan Rhythm Player |
#8 by Ryan Ruegemer at Mar 16, 1992 at 9:04 PM EST |
| My favorite song on Elephant. Beauiful. The meaning is fairly straight forward. | |
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No Picture
Peter Wanna Be |
#9 by Peter Lambden at Jun 15, 1996 at 5:28 PM EST |
| allegedly Jack and Meg aren't brother and sister, but are actually divorced. which would explain, why they share the same surname, and why they feel the need for secrecy. Correct me if i'm wrong, (could just be a rumor i've taken as fact), but it makes sense to me. It's uncomfortable, how much sexual tension there appears to be between them, for a brother and a sister. Watch almost any of their videos and i'm sure you'd agree. tres good song, though. | |
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No Picture
The Great South Lead Player |
#10 by The Great Southern Trendkill at Jul 14, 1996 at 12:15 PM EST |
| He seems genuinely frustrated because his girlfriend's mum isn't interested in him and won't give him any chance. "I never claimed to have any looks" but, but, but. . . Jack white is GORGEOUS!!! He's crazy..... | |
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No Picture
chris Average |
#11 by chris at Feb 25, 2001 at 7:04 PM EST |
| I've got a feeling that Jack is being sarcastic or that there's a hidden meaning somewhere.... | |
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No Picture
Randy Lead Player |
#12 by Randy Lott at Jun 23, 2005 at 2:21 AM EST |
| Listening to this song, I can really hear the pain in his voice. It sounds like a teenage boy really wants the respect of his girlfriend's mother. This obsession, which is to the point of exclusion of his girlfriend in this song, maybe an oedipal replay of his childhood. Or maybe the relationship had to end because the mother disliked him so much that she forced the break-up... that's why it is so important to win her over. | |