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Young, Neil Cortez The Killer (chords) Guitar Tab

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# This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation #
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CORTEZ THE KILLER

Em7
He came dancing across the water

D
with his galleons and guns,

Am7
lookin' for the new world

and the palace in the sun.


On the shore lay Montezuma
with his coca leaves and pearls;
in it's house he often wandered
with the secrets of the worlds.

And his subjects gathered round him,
like a leaves around the tree,
in their clothes of many colors
for the angry gods to see.

And the women all were beautiful
and the men stood straight and strong;
they offered life in sacrifice
so that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
and war was never known;
people worked together
and they lifted many stones.

And they carried them to the flatlands,
but they died along the way,
and they built up with their bare hands
what we still can't do today.

And I know she's living there,
and she loves me to this day;
I still can't remember when
or how I lost my way.

He came dancing across the water,
Cortez, Cortez.
What a killer.


From: spxhaw@astronomy.cardiff.ac.uk (Howard Wright)
Subject: y/neil_young/cortez_the_killer.tab
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 15:11:43 +0000 (GMT)



Cortez The Killer - Neil Young
` -----------------------------------------




From the album Zuma
tabbed by Howard Wright

(H.Wright@astro.cf.ac.uk)



Tuning :
---------

For this song you need a double dropped D tuning (Neil's favourite
alternative tuning).

To get this, just tune both E strings down a tone (a whole step) so they
both end up at D.
Check them with the 'normal' D string to check they're in tune.



Chord Shapes :
--------------


DADGBD DADGBD DADGBD
222000 000230 x02010

Em7 D5 Am11




The sequence is : one bar of Em7, one bar of D5, two bars of Am11.

Keep repeating over and over .....

There are a lot of little variations you can try - one thing he tends to
do on the live versions is hammer on to the Em7 shape like this :

D---0------0----------------
B---0------0-----------------
G---0------0----------------
D---0h2----2-------------------
A---0h2----2------------------
D---0h2----2-------------------


You could also hammer on the note on the B string for the Am7 chord :

D----0----0------0----0-----
B----0h1--1------0h1--1---------
G----0----0------0----0-----
D----2-------2------------
A----0-------0------------
D-----------------------


Experiment with your own variations on these chords.


When soloing he also goes for harmonics on the live versions - try harmonics
on the top 4 strings (DGBD) at the 5th and 7th frets.


Have fun !

Howard

Brought to you by the GUITARMASTA - http://www.guitarmasta.net

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/y/young,_neil/328810.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
 
 
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ToRRi
Average
#1 by ToRRi L at Sep 27, 2007 at 11:18 PM EST
the first neil young albumn i bought was neil young & crazy hourse weld. the very first song i heard was cortez the killer. it absoluty blew my mind. the passion through the lyrics and guitar are just perfect. this song almost brought me too tears. it is my favourite song of all time and i feel it will stay that way for ever.
 
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Josh
Lead Player
#2 by Josh Ripley at Sep 29, 2007 at 5:44 AM EST
This song means everything to me. The guitar is perfect. Absolutely perfect.
 
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ben
Rhythm Player
#3 by ben kurkul at Sep 30, 2007 at 7:27 PM EST
a beautiful and somber piece of musical history
 
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Tim
Professional
#4 by Tim Marchant at Oct 1, 2007 at 3:07 AM EST
Neil Young said on the "Decade" cover notes that this song was banned in Spain. Maybe he was being facetious. A powerfuil sombre song.
 
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Joe
Average
#5 by Joe Miller at Oct 2, 2007 at 4:18 AM EST
The Built to Spilt version is a bit overblown.
 
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Dr. Jack
Average
#6 by Dr. Jack at Oct 2, 2007 at 9:35 AM EST
I was reading in Neil's bio that a lot of his songs arent supposed to make sense or be historically accurate. He said a lot of his songs are just images and visions he's had. This song is a little hard to disect. Cortez was a careless greedy killer, and the Aztects were just as ruthless, but hey its a sweet song to wind down to when you're chillin out, wouldnt you all agree?
 
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keith
Wanna Be
#7 by keith mckinlay at Oct 2, 2007 at 10:40 AM EST
its a wonderful song, neil or bts, whoever is doing it. i dont know about the church. neil is a music god
 
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Matt
Lead Player
#8 by Matt Cromwell at Oct 2, 2007 at 9:11 PM EST
Slint does an asweomer cover.
 
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Justin - MrBlit
Rhythm Player
#9 by Justin - MrBlitz - Maletta at Oct 3, 2007 at 4:05 AM EST
i feel as if neil young is likening himself to this image of cortez, with montezuma and the aztecs as a lost love. in his image, the people are beautiful, peaceful, spirited and intense. cortez comes and takes that away forever. it seems like he's feeling guilt for devastating a woman's life and hopes (in love)... "i know she's living there, and she loves me to this day. i can't remember when or how i lost my way. he came dancing across the water. cortez, cortez. what a killer." young often refers to his "darker side". perhaps it reigned as cortez.
 
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Sally
Average
#10 by Sally Gray at Oct 5, 2007 at 5:28 PM EST
Neil Young is a mastermind and this song is killer. Cortez is a son of a bitch just like Hitler, Stalin, Bush, Osama, Sadam, and tons of other assholes thoughout history. The version on Weld of this song is really capturing and powerful.
 
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Dusty
Wanna Be
#11 by Dusty Delonge at Oct 6, 2007 at 10:16 PM EST
Great *Neil Young* song
 
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Jake
Average
#12 by Jake m at Oct 7, 2007 at 10:33 PM EST
Built to Spill does an absolutely spectaculr cover of this song on their Live album. /shameless plug
 
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♥brian
Lead Player
#13 by ♥brian♥ ******** at Oct 8, 2007 at 3:28 AM EST
For Neil Young to acknowledge the genocide that Cortez reigned upon the native people is powerful, important. This is my dad's favorite song and so it means all that more to me. Very easy to play, too.
 
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Justin
Rhythm Player
#14 by Justin Lepera at Oct 9, 2007 at 6:08 AM EST
I agree that this is powerful and moving song. In fact, it is quintessential Neil Young. Just talking about this song gives a nice overview of Neil’s overall style and ability. In many of his songs Neil takes some pieces of reality then blends them with brilliant storytelling, a little piece of himself, and some killer guitar solos that take your mind for a little ride. "Roland Ripley" (above) is correct though to say that this song is not historically accurate. The Aztecs were a great society for their time, but they performed ruthless ritual sacrifices: "They offered life in sacrifice So that others could go on." Sounds nice and poetic in the song, but people did not willingly sacrifice themselves. Also, the Aztecs lived and died by war for the majority of their existence. History buff will find research on the Aztec fascinating. Like Neil Says: “…they built up with their bare hands What we still can't do today.” That being said, It is a beautiful song and it is important to remember that Neil Young did indeed write a lot of songs based on visions in he head. "After the Gold Rush": Based on a movie script, but Neil uses it to paint some cool imagery. "CowGirl in The Sand": Supposedly about a girl he saw on a beach in Portugal and was written during an afternoon of high fever along with "Down by the River" and “Cinnamon Girl” (What more proof do you need to proclaim Neil’s genius?) I would also be willing to lend some credibility to what eremitic3 says about this song having a little bit Neil in it. Much of Neil’s music is very autobiographical. “A Man Needs a Maid” – A tough time in his life and the woman he eventually falls for. “Sugar Mountain” – Neil’s Lament for childhood lost. “The Needle and The Damage Done” – Neil’s take on Heroin’s ability to destroy people. Let’s even put aside the lyrics to this song and you still have fantastic instrumental piece with powerful guitar solos. Like XxFreeBirdxX said above: “great song to get stoned to” Aren’t they all?
 
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josh
Rhythm Player
#15 by josh groocock at Oct 11, 2007 at 3:37 AM EST
absolutely quintessentially neal young lead guitar...i saw this song performed in 2001 at the bridge school benefit at shoreline ampitheatre in mountain view,ca,together with dave matthews.so stunning it made me cry.it was the first time i had ever heard the piece, and yes, it was over twenty minutes long.interspersed with the lyric,neil burned,raged, fumed,wept,and made love to his guitar,with that funny axe-slung-over-the-right-hip stance.ive never heard a better song to get into a deep nod lead.three chords.dave was a nice addition to the vocal.still gives me goosebumps.wooooo!
 
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Gabba Gabba Hey
Average
#16 by Gabba Gabba Hey at Oct 11, 2007 at 9:48 AM EST
great song, and yeah, cortez was brutal and merciless. but that doesn't mean he committed genocide - he did not intend to eradicate the aztecs, just to steal their gold. smallpox killed more native american and south americans than the europeans. and "Hate was just a legend / And war was never known" is bullshit, the aztecs were a brutal empire that enslaved and killed its prisoners of war. they were not nice people either.
 
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Shredmaster
Average
#17 by Shredmaster Will at Oct 12, 2007 at 6:27 AM EST
It's horse shit that this song was banned in Spain. It tells the truth plain and simple. Cortez was a cock and he brought genocide. He isn't a national hero but a dick and the stupid politicians in Spain should realize that.
 
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Kornowski -
Wanna Be
#18 by Kornowski - Im не русский, Бог Черт возьми! at Oct 12, 2007 at 12:11 PM EST
I agree with the above poster. Its has beautiful imaginary contained in its few passages, regardless of the historical accuracy. This song is a historical twist on his own life, a girl whos utopia he disturbed with his human ways. Cortez is a tragic fairy tale, when told right, about something perfect that is unable to sustain forever. A Cortez is amognst us all. The guitars will tell you that ;)
 
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Sara
Average
#19 by Sara Sunshine at Oct 14, 2007 at 3:12 AM EST
Ars: The fact that it's over twenty minutes long _is_ it's greatness.
 
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Christina
Average
#20 by Christina Anderson at Oct 14, 2007 at 6:05 PM EST
I think this song is about anarchy. Cortez destroyed it. "But they built up with their bare hands What we still can't do today." We still can't accomplish a just society, even today.
 
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sean
Wanna Be
#21 by sean bradly at Oct 16, 2007 at 9:56 AM EST
Every single aspect of this song is amazing and brilliant. Neil Young is my idol.
 
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¿Josh
Rhythm Player
#22 by ¿Josh Kirkpatrick? at Oct 16, 2007 at 2:36 PM EST
Built to Spill DOES do an absolutely amazing ocver of this song and I absolutely agree with you. Even the fact that it's over 20 minutes long doesn't detract from it's greatness. What can I say? The lyrics to this song are powerful and the music that accompanies it is equally powerful. This song is nothing short of amazing.
 
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dan
Average
#23 by dan evans at Oct 17, 2007 at 8:33 PM EST
Grow up River Wolf. you really class yourself with a comment like that. I love political dissention more than the next guy, but be smart, or wesle your message is tossed aside--as Cortez did to the North American natives.
 
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Eric
Average
#24 by Eric Zinkhon at Oct 18, 2007 at 1:56 AM EST
The Church has a mindblowing cover as well, 11 minutes of sonic bliss.
 
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Prince Alex
Lead Player
#25 by Prince Alex at Oct 18, 2007 at 2:58 AM EST
Good story there magoginhere man. i would love to see this song live. neil's version is way better than any of the shitty remakes. originals are always better. the song is perfect. a great song to get stoned to.