Via Chicago Chords Guitar Tab

Summerteeth Tabs:

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Via Chicago - Wilco
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Tabbed by: Dave McGinn
Email: davidmcginn@gmail.com

Tuning: Standard


Intro:
Dmaj7 D  A  G

Dmaj7   D
I dreamed about killing you again last night
A             G
And it felt alright to me
Dying on the banks of Embarcadero skies
I sat and watched you bleed
Buried you alive in a fireworks display
Raining down on me
You cold, hot blood ran away from me
To the sea

I painted my name on the back of a leaf
And I watched it float away
The hope I had in a notebook full of white, dry pages
Was all I tried to save
But the wind blew me back via Chicago
In the middle of the night
And all without fight
At the crush of veils and starlight

I know I'll make it back
One of these days and turn on your TV
To watch a man with a face like mine
Being chased down a busy street
When he gets caught, I wont get up
And I wont go to sleep
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
Via Chicago

Where the cups are cracked and hooked
Above the sink
They make me think
Crumbling ladder tears don't fall
They shine down your shoulders
And crawling is screw faster lash
I blow it with kisses
I rest my head on a pillowy star
And a cracked door moon
That says I havent gone too far

I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Via Chicago

Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Searching for a home
Via Chicago

I'm coming home
I'm coming home

Dmaj7: x57675,  D: 57775,  A:  xx7655,  G:  xx5433
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As far as I can tell, that's all there is to the song. It's probably not
perfect, but it's a starting point for anybody who wants to build on this
tab. I'm slowly trying to work out the 'A Ghost Is Born' album, cos it's
an amazing album and there's no tabs from it on any guitar sites. Listen
to the changes in the chords and work out how to play the Dmaj7-D change.
It's simple stuff.
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Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/w/wilco/368628.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture alex Average	#1 by alex at Sep 1, 1977 at 7:08 PM EST
	About his mother?? I really doubt it. Its more about hating the fact you are leaving someone you love so very much and the fact that a relationship is over. I think the distance between them (the Embarcaderoe is in san francisco and he's in Chicago) is too much for them to take. He wishes he could "kill" her in his mind so he doesnt have to deal.

No Picture I fought the la Average	#2 by I fought the law and the law kicked my ass I never learn do i...?? at Jun 27, 1998 at 4:53 AM EST
	Such an optimistically hopeless song. "Crumbling ladder tears don't fall, they shine down your shoulder."

No Picture Alex Lead Player	#3 by Alex at Sep 27, 2000 at 2:54 PM EST
	I agree with Augurus, and the farenheit 451 thing is kinda cool... I love this song, and it creeps me out like the dickens! I don't however know whether I like it better live or on the CD. Live is cool when they make the guitars weep like violins in the solo, but the EP I think is a little more powerful (than kicking television, but obviously in person I think it's better, if that makes sense.)

No Picture PJVILL Professional Badass	#4 by PJVILL at Dec 3, 2000 at 5:19 PM EST
	Augurus, you make me sick. Hypocrites such as you need to re-examine your tolerance of opinion. But why let me say it? Here's your own words to chew on: "And no one has it wrong: it's an opinion. You're entitled to your opinion and I respect it," Ok cool, way to be understanding. You have a very mature outlook on interpretation.... oh wait... look at this: "Obviously, you're some stupid n00b messing around with this wonderful website designed for adults. Come back when you've developed a mind please. Otherwise, leave your insignificant comments out." Im sensing a disparity here....Sure, his/her comments may have been different and lacked evidence from the song, but your hostile reaction reveals your hypocrisy. You are the one who should leave this website if you can't understand that these are individual interpretations and they should be respected...as you yourself state.

No Picture Dan Average	#5 by Dan Johnson at Feb 10, 2006 at 7:26 PM EST
	I didn't think of it myself, but someone brought to my attention the correlation between this song and the book FAHRENHEIT 451. The fireworks display could = the nuclear war at the end, and the blank notebook, etc. The part that really convinced me of it is: One of these days and turn on your TV To watch a man with a face like mine Being chased down a busy street Theres a part in the book where the main character is being chased down a street and cameras are following him, and the whole chase is portrayed on tv. I don't know how the person I know thought of it, but it definitely all makes sense to me.

No Picture Sara Average	#6 by Sara Sunshine at Aug 27, 2007 at 7:35 PM EST
	"The hope I had in a notebook full of white, dry pages Was all I tried to save " Thisheargiraffe, you do realize that I'm not saying he will kill her, rather that if it happened, he'd be fine, after visualizing it in his dreams. And I do agree that he misses her. But he misses her so much, and he pains so much, that he can't stand not being able to persuade her to feel the same way. It hurts him so much, that he cares to erase her from the living. In another words, yes, forget her as you'd like to say. But Tweedy still implies the graphic intensity of murder, which you have obviously chosen to omit as just blantant insignificance to the song. Secondly, if he's killing his feelings for her, then why bother to kill her in the first place? By killing her, he's admitting that he does care that she lives and pains him, like a mosquito mark on your arm, constantly reminding you that you've been bitten. Third, if a notebook full of white dry pages include memories, where's the text? The notebook full of white dry pages really describes the fact that he wants to forget or erase the relationship. In another words, yes, leaving his feelings behind. And yes, his mind does wander back to her at night. Fourth, where is he moving? The chrous uses a transitive verb, 'searching for a home' in that clause, but he hasn't found one yet. Transitive verbs define actions that are still in motion. He's searching. He hasn't found a place to move to. Finally, the song following Via Chicago on Summerteeth is ELT. The first lines of ELT includes, "oh what have I been missing, wishing, wishing you were dead." He's had the intent all along in Via Chicago, boldly reinforced by ELT. Thus, yes, he really was, WAS going to be fine with her dying. He has the intent and knowledge of the consequences. And no one has it wrong: it's an opinion. You're entitled to your opinion and I respect it, as should you, but I won't boldly call you wrong since Mr. Tweedy has yet to say much about the song.

No Picture Connor Rhythm Player	#7 by Connor Fowler at Oct 2, 2007 at 6:41 AM EST
	"the cups are cracked and hooked above the sink, they make me think" i love that line, i just wonder what he was thinking when he wrote that

No Picture Kieran Average	#8 by Kieran Molloy at Oct 2, 2007 at 7:17 PM EST
	Summer Teeth is all a dream. It's about waking up and looking ahead. It might just be a dream; but he still doesn't mind, which is the point I'm trying to make. After that dream, he would not mind at all if she died, if he killed her. God forbid anyone could accept such a concept.

No Picture kevin Rhythm Player	#9 by kevin jeung at Oct 4, 2007 at 5:54 AM EST
	I disagree with the argument that asserts or claims that Via Chicago is hopelessly optimistic. When in fact, the entire album is at the opposite end of the charged spectrum. Our hero loves his significant other so much that even after their seperation, he cares so much that he could and would live through the death of this significant other. He doesn't even mind the significant other's blood raining over him. He doesn't mind watching his lover die: that says a lot about the amount of love he had for this significant other. And the other euphemisms spliced onto dark pop just makes this more interesting, and perhaps the centerpiece of Summer Teeth. "And a cracked door moon says I haven't gone too far" just goes on to explain that he won't be satisfied after burying him/her (most likely her) in a fireworks display. In fact, he's even apathetic to the falsely accussed. And as you listen to this song, you hear a guitar weeping and wailing through the saddest days of Summer Teeth. --- Via Chicago works in a similar way with Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees. Both of these songs address something extremely depressing but tackle it with an anthemic response. In other words, the songs answer comes from the fact that these songwriters are sharing their experiences with others, learning and finding out about each other and realizing that they're not the only ones in this type of situation. And that all of them are still... "search for a home" no matter which city you prefer to reside. So perhaps, one could argue that Wilco plays Via Chicago in such a depressing tune in order to send an optimistic message.

No Picture THE RONANATOR ( Average	#10 by THE RONANATOR (aka.Ronan) downer at Oct 8, 2007 at 12:15 AM EST
	I agree with "thisheargiraffe". I think that it's about his mother. Her death had a great impact on his family and definitely on him. She seems to be the source and inspiration for a lot of his emotions and songs.

No Picture Jon Lead Player	#11 by Jon Zell at Oct 8, 2007 at 5:35 PM EST
	I think the person above me has got it all wrong. He isn't saying that he'd be fine with his significant other literally dieing. The song is about him moving away from his significant other, and he misses her. The song is about him trying to forget her. When he says he killed her, it means he's trying to kill his feelings for her. All he wants from the relationship is a notebook full of white dry pages, just memories. He wants to leave his feelings behind. But in the night, his mind wanders back to her.

No Picture amy Average	#12 by amy at Oct 9, 2007 at 9:19 AM EST
	I think this is just a great song, telling a great (and very depressing) story. You see, not all songs are literal about the artists that write them. Some songs tell great stories. Guy kills wife, skips town. He goes in to hiding, but finds he can't live that way. So he decides he's coming home, whether he gets caught or not. As far as him saying "I Dreamt about killing you" at the beginning, I believe the song is just beginning with a fantasy. Then it happens. Then he's in hiding. Then, obviously, he's coming home. Forgive me for giving such a simple explaination. :-)

No Picture ALEX Lead Player	#13 by ALEX FOWLER at Oct 11, 2007 at 9:24 AM EST
	I think Jeff is one of the best lyricists around today. Even if you take "And it felt alright to me" literally, it's in a DREAM. I do all sorts of stuff in dreams that would be out of the question in life. I murdered a clown in a dream once. It felt alright then, but when I woke up, I had all sorts of remorse. I think he's talking about killing the relationship.

No Picture michiel Wanna Be	#14 by michiel adams at Oct 12, 2007 at 12:09 PM EST
	This is the song that I listen to when I just want to stare off at the sunset. There's just some beautiful, tingly imagery in here: "the crush of veils and starlight" "pillowy star/cracked door moon" "a notebook full of white dry pages" Tweedy's got such a knack for making words tactile.

No Picture phil Average	#15 by phil gdfgr at Oct 15, 2007 at 4:00 AM EST
	Sunben, what the hell are you talking about? Where did the word "mother" appear in the song? And her death? No death was mentioned on the entire album, ever. He dreamed of killing someone on Summerteeth and maybe if you count Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again) as a song with intent (to at least fight for you love), and that's it. Most of Tweedy's songs are about plutonic love. His mother is still alive. What are you talking about? Obviously, you're some stupid n00b messing around with this wonderful website designed for adults. Come back when you've developed a mind please. Otherwise, leave your insignificant comments out.

No Picture Jimmy Rhythm Player	#16 by Jimmy at Oct 18, 2007 at 8:00 AM EST
	Wilco certainly uses stars a lot. California Stars. Silvery Stars in Radio Cure. Right about Stars in Jesus, etc. Beautiful.

No Picture Average	#17 by Riqu - at Oct 21, 2007 at 7:16 PM EST
	this song is so good... i love wilco